DFA Staff Pick: Teatime for Tommy in Gallaher's Factory

The Gallaher's tobacco factory off York Street in Belfast is the scene for this double hit of nostalgia. The company had been set up as a small affair by Irishman Thomas Gallaher in 1857. It soon opened premises in Belfast and by the turn of the twentieth century the Belfast site was the largest tobacco factory in the world and a huge employer in the city. The company grew and expanded, absorbing Benson and Hedges and launching the SIlk Cut line, but what always remained was the sense of loyalty from its workforce in the days of jobs for life. The company finally closed its Belfast operations in 1988 but the pride of its workers really shines out in this clip.

Adding another layer of nostalgia to the clip is the fact that it was presented by Tommy James, one of the most popular entertainers on Ulster Television in the 1960s. He hosted the well-loved early evening series 'Teatime with Tommy' on weeknights. It saw viewers sending in requests of favourite old songs for Tommy to sing while he tinkled the ivories at the piano. Each night he would be joined by singing guests and these even included the likes of the young Gloria Hunniford before her presenting days. 

Although we get lots of requests ourselves from viewers of the Digital Film Archive asking to see episodes of 'Teatime with Tommy', sadly the video tapes of the studio footage have all been wiped long, long ago. Recently, however, we have been finding occasional film clips of Tommy on location at factories and hospital across Northern Ireland where he met with people and asked them for their song choices, such as this one. We hope you'll enjoy this trip down memory lane with the popular Tommy in the famous factory.