The people of Patrickswell in Limerick are the stars of this opening sequence to 'Hall's Pictorial Weekly'.
This opening sequence for 'Hall's Pictorial Weekly' features the village of Patrickswell in County Limerick. Historically known as Toberpatrick (Tobar Phádraig) the name of the village refers to a holy well traditionally associated with Saint Patrick. The well is located on Patrickswell’s Main Street. The wall surrounding the well features a limestone plaque with a carving of Saint Patrick. The carving possibly dates to the 18th or early 19th century.
Many locals visiting Patrickswell’s food store, post office, garage, and pub welcome the visiting film crew with a wave.
This episode of 'Hall's Pictorial Weekly’ was broadcast on 14 November 1979.
Once a week, from June to September, the 'Hall’s Pictorial Weekly’ film crew would arrive at a town or village in any county in Ireland. They would film the people and the place and return to RTÉ where the footage was edited and put to music.
This short film, around one minute in duration, formed part of the opening sequence for that week’s episode. No one knew which location had been chosen, and it was not advertised as part of the programme billings in the RTÉ Guide or newspapers.
With this in mind, people the length and breadth of the country tuned in religiously, in case it was their town or village to have its few minutes of fame.
