Fr Richard Horan is a magician and a member of the Magic Circle. In this ‘Newsbeat’ report from 1971 he performs a sword balancing trick on his niece Eileen at Purteen Harbour in Keel, Achill Island.
Fr Horan begins by hypnotising Eileen and with the assistance of his other niece Annette balances her on three swords. The swords are removed one by one until there is just one remaining. For the duration of the report Eileen balances on the tip of the scimitar.
Locals gather to witness the trickery which is performed accompanied by a drum roll from one young local.
Newsbeat reporter Cathal O’Shannon speaks to Fr Horan about the illusion who says
It’s not black magic... It’s a trick
Cathal O’Shannon examines the equipment used but is none the wiser as to how the trick works and Fr Horan’s trickery remains a secret for the magic circle.
Fr Horan explains how he got into magic, became a member of the magic circle and continues to learn new tricks. Eileen is finally removed from the sword and awoken from her hypnotic state.
A ‘Newsbeat’ report broadcast on 31 March 1971.
Title: |
Magician Priest |
Clip Duration: |
00:07:26 |
Material Type: |
Video |
Clip Title: |
Magic Priest on Achill |
Series Title: |
Newsbeat |
Information: |
A ‘Newsbeat’ report by Cathal O'Shannon broadcast on 31 March 1971. |
Local Keywords: |
Newsbeat, Mayo, Achill, Cathal O'Shannon, Magic |
Coverage: |
Ireland |
Topic: |
Society and Social Issues |
Contributor(s): |
Cathal O'Shannon (Reporter) |
Publisher: |
RTÉ |
First Broadcast Channel: |
RTÉ |
Broadcast Date: |
31/03/1971 |
Production Year: |
1971 |
Country of Production: |
Ireland |
Original Identifier: |
00D01515 |
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: |
Black and White |
Sound: |
Mono |
Aspect Ratio: |
4:3 |
Language: |
English (eng) |
