File 5 - 'The Dawn' / War of Independence Film

10 items; 27.5 cm x 20.5 cm; Black and white print

Photographic prints (stills) from the 1936 film 'The Dawn'. This was the first full-length Irish feature film with sound. 'The Dawn' was made by Hibernia Films and was produced and directed by Tom Cooper. Scenes from the film were shot in and around Killarney, County Kerry. The film tells a tale of romance and tragedy set against the backdrop of the War of Independence. The cast included 250 amateur actors drawn from the locality. Some of the cast were IRA veterans of the War of Independence. Several of the prints show reconstructions of an ambush on British forces.

An article by Donal O’Cahill on the making of 'The Dawn' was published in 'The Capuchin Annual' (1937). https://designrr.page/?id=315561&token=3984641607&type=FP&h=7572