Travel from the walls of Derry to Bangor’s Pickie Pool with these gems from 1958. At the Ballyclare May Fair fairground rides and bartering continue into the golden light. Huge sand dunes dwarf tiny bathers that brave the freezing Irish Sea. In south Belfast the 12th July Parade pass smouldering remains of bonfires. From the roof of City Hall glimpse the hill that inspired Gulliver’s Travels.

These rushes are amongst a wealth of footage generated by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.  This government department had their own staff that documented the region through stills and moving images capturing various facets of life in Northern Ireland. The department was particularly busy in the mid-1950s to late 1960s, creating films that aimed to sell Northern Ireland as a holiday destination. This material captures Northern Ireland at an intriguing time, post-World War Two and pre-Troubles. It features the Queen Mother’s visit to Bangor and Queen’s University Belfast, the Portstewart Convention and Canada’s Tobermore Sons of Ulster Flute Band join the 12th of July Parade in south Belfast.

This film was digitised as part of the BFI's Unlocking Film Heritage project. 
 

Walker’s Pillar is visible near the start of the clip,

erected in memory of Reverend George Walker, Joint-Governor of Derry during the

Great Siege of 1689. The pillar was blown up by the IRA in 1973.

• National Museums Northern Ireland
• Britain on Film