This film was made by Vinny Cunningham for the Tower Museum in 1992.

It documents the role that the City of Derry played in World War I, the lead up to and aftermath of the 1916 Easter Rising.

At the outbreak of the War, Home Rule was the burning topic in Irish and British politics. The Irish Home Rule movement campaigned for Ireland’s self-government within the United Kingdom. Supporters, typically Irish nationalists and Catholic, believed it was right for Ireland to have greater sovereignty. Opponents, usually Ulster loyalists and Protestant, believed that it was the start of a removal of Ireland from the United Kingdom, thus weakening the Union. The War pushed the issue aside. 

Men from both sides of the community signed up to fight in the War. Volunteers from the city fought at key battles such as The Somme and Thiepval. This video provides a great insight into the backgrounds of the men who went to war and the period’s tumultuous political atmosphere. 

Vinny Cunningham is a filmmaker based in Derry.

This film was donated to the Tower Museum and the Digital Film Archive by Vinny Cunningham.

• Derry City & Strabane District Council