Volunteers and farmers reflect on the harvest emergency of 1946, when thousands of volunteers joined with the nations's farmers to help salvage the harvest.
'Harvest Emergency' is the story of an extraordinary national co-operation that resulted in thousands of people across Ireland helping farmers to save a harvest threatened by severe flooding. This extract shows interviews with farmers and volunteers, who reflect on the emergency and how people came together in a common effort to save the crops. They describe the type of work involved, the working conditions and the efforts made by volunteers to help the farmers. Both city folk and farmers learnt from the experience.
Title: |
Harvest Emergency |
Clip Duration: |
00:04:12 |
Material Type: |
Video |
Clip Title: |
City and Country Unite to Save Harvest |
Series Title: |
True Lives |
Information: |
“The year was 1946, and the Irish harvest was in trouble. Towards the end of the summer, weeks of torrential rain threatened Ireland’s grain harvest. Since world food stocks were still depleted after the Second World War, there would be little chance of supplementing any losses with imported grain. However, in a national effort that has never since been equalled, the bulk of the harvest was saved. Following a call by the then Minister for Agriculture, James Ryan, asking ‘responsible citizens’ to join together, thousands of volunteers formed a ‘Land Army’. A central bureau was established at 11 Parnell Square in Dublin to liaise with bureaux throughout the country, and to organise sending volunteers from the city to the surrounding farm land.” (RTÉ Guide, 26 September 1997, Vol.21, No.40, p16) In 1946 Cino Teoranta, a film production company run by two young filmmakers Colm O'Laoghaire and Kevin O'Kelly, filmed the activities of the Land Army, but they were subsequently unable to raise the finance to complete the film. The story of the harvest was largely forgotten and the film footage remained unseen for nearly fifty years. In 1996 Red Lemonade Productions set about telling the story of this remarkable few weeks. The film footage was restored and a nationwide appeal made for those with memories of the event to come forward. The documentary 'Harvest Emergency' was produced and directed by Liam Wylie. The documentary was grant aided by the Arts Council and produced with the financial assistance of the Irish Film Board. It was broadcast as part of the 'True Lives' documentary series on RTÉ 1. 'Harvest Emergency' is the copyright of Red Lemonade Productions Limited. |
Local Keywords: |
Farm, Farmer, Agriculture, Harvest Emergency, True Lives, Rural, Weather |
Coverage: |
Ireland |
Topic: |
Work and Production |
Contributor(s): |
Liam Wylie (Director) |
Publisher: |
RTÉ |
First Broadcast Channel: |
RTÉ One |
Broadcast Date: |
29/09/1997 |
Production Year: |
1997 |
Country of Production: |
Ireland |
Original Identifier: |
97D01410 |
IPR Restrictions: |
Rights Reserved - Free Access |
Rights, Terms and Conditions: |
Copyright RTÉ. This material may not be replicated in any form or manner without the prior express permission of RTÉ. Any form of reproduction in print, television, video, multimedia, web site or other electronic media or any form of dissemination for commercial or non-commercial use must be licensed by the RTÉ Archives. If you wish to licence video or audio clips, still images or text, or would like further guidance please contact us. RTÉ Archives are committed to respecting the copyright of others and have attempted to source and credit the copyright owners of all material used here. RTÉ would like to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified here so that the necessary corrections can be made. If you feel your copyright has not been respected please contact us. |
Item Type: |
part/extract |
Colour: |
Colour |
Sound: |
Mono |
Aspect Ratio: |
4:3 |
Language: |
English (eng) |
Original Language: |
English (eng) |
