Terence McDonald

Teacher, film historian, film collector and a pioneering amateur filmmaker from Derry

Terence McDonald (1926 – 2001) was a teacher, film historian, film collector and a pioneering amateur filmmaker from Derry. He made 35 films in his lifetime covering a wide range of themes and genre, such as mental health, travelling theatre, and portraits of his home town, Derry.

A true cinephile, his artful works of fiction nodded to classic cinema, referencing the likes of Peyton Place and Battleship Potemkin, Charlie Chaplin and Jacques Tati. He undertook all aspects of production - filming, sound recording and editing and produced a body of remarkably sophisticated, award-winning work.

The Terence McDonald film collection is held and preserved by the Irish Film Archive. These films are made available by the kind permission of Peter McDonald and the IFA.

Hugh Odling-Smee of Film Hub NI joins in conversation with Dr Ciara Chambers, Head of Film and Screen Media at University College Cork to talk about Terence McDonald’s work. You can listen to their conversation here.