Sixties NI - Episode 2

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Sixties NI takes us on a journey back to the early 1960s in Northern Ireland, as seen through the lens of the fledgling UTV. With narration from Ian McElhinney and a memorable soundtrack from the years in question, the series evokes a sense of nostalgia for a decade of change.

In this second episode we look at changes to the landscapes of entertainment and retail across Northern Ireland as the cameras capture the evolution of city nightlife while also looking at fairs and markets in the countryside – in contrast to the gleaming new supermarkets being built in the cities.

Archive footage shows the bright lights of a night out in Belfast in the early 1960s, from theatre fronts to cinemas to the packed dancehalls. Meanwhile, stars are caught on their journey through with some of the very biggest of the day such as Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Louis Armstrong.

However, television was changing the habits of the population at nighttime and cinemas and theatres were closing everywhere. We see film of some of these sad closures and demolitions while also following the fortunes of the Alhambra, previously a theatre, then a cinema, but now existing by converting itself into a very upmarket restaurant, well beyond the affordability of those who used to pay through its doors.

The cameras were also on hand to record remarkable footage of one glorious Belfast landmark – the Empire Theatre. Once thronging with crowds who saw Charlie Chaplin perform at the venue, it had now decided to close the doors forever and the final day was recorded for posterity. Top of the bill on the final night, the singer Bridie Gallagher is interviewed about its demise, as well as the great playwright Sam Thompson who staged his landmark play Over the Bridge at the theatre.

Interviews with a punter who had seen Chaplin at the turn of the century and the landlady who had worked the theatre bar for decades are interspersed among bittersweet footage from the final night of the famous theatre before we see the lights turned out forever.

Meanwhile, in the world of trading, the old ways still stood strong around the country. We visit Belleek in Fermanagh to see famers bartering with each other in arcane forms of hand slapping. The incredible scenes of annual fairs are captured with stalls, donkey riding, amusement rides and the buying and selling of animals in Killorglin while whirligigs and chairplanes fly at Ballyclare alongside palm reading and market stalls.

In Belfast, there are reports from the move towards modern supermarkets – a world of tomorrow to the shoppers of the time. The opening of Supermac in South Belfast and the giant Littlewoods department store on the site of the former Empire Theatre are both covered by the cameras. Look out for all that old packaging and produce!

This was a changing world and the 1960s altered the way we shopped and were entertained forever.