WATCH: Carrigallen's video revival

 

The sights and scenes of a long-gone but still fondly remembered era in Carrigallen, captured and retained on VHS tape, but unseen for many years, has been recovered and digitised for modern audiences.

The footage was found by award winning Corn Mill Theatre Group director Ronan Ward, who when doubling up as Secretary of Carrigallen GAA, was given a stash of old videos by the club's then Juvenile Secretary, Gretta O’Neill.

“With having time on your hands and all the rest, I've loads of VHS tapes, mainly all football from the 90's, lots of guys now in their 40's. I was in the middle of doing those when I came across one just labelled Carrigallen.”

The short but remarkable footage of Main Street and Church Street has since been posted online for all to see, prompting an “incredible” reaction, including from those trying to identify the year and even the decade the video is from.

 

 

“The footage goes on up Church Street and there are plenty of men standing about. Some of them are grandfathers of people, the likes of Enda Lyons, Leitrim goalkeeper. There footage as well as of Dolan's Pub, the one at the bottom of the town.”

Ronan, who runs and operates Graphic Design and Digital Marketing firm Homebird, had the video in his possession for about 10-years, but it wasn't until the current restrictions around Covid-19 that isolation encouraged him to dig out and digitise a few for future posterity.

“It’s an amazing piece of history which could well have been lost. Its great to be able to share it with the community,” remarks Ronan who has since learned the footage was taken by relatives of the late Mrs Semple on Mill Lane, who'd visit Carrigallen from Scotland.

“We have had great discussions on Facebook with different members of the community as we try and patch together the identities of some of the people featured.”

 

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