Over 40 years of Ballymun life preserved in powerful new film archive

Irish Independent

18-07-2025

A collection of films capturing more than four decades of life in Ballymun has been unveiled as part of a new community archive, preserving the voices, stories and experiences of one of Dublin's most historically significant neighbourhoods.
The Ballymun Community Films collection, now available to view via the IFI Archive Player, features 20 curated works drawn from over 1,000 hours of footage shot by local residents.
Digitised and preserved by the IFI Irish Film Archive in partnership with Ballymun Communications, the project offers an unfiltered look at the area's evolving identity — from high-rise beginnings to regeneration and beyond.
Speaking on Near 90.3 FM Northside today, Niall Anderson, Project Manager at the Irish Film Institute, described the archive as 'a whistle-stop tour of the history of the community over the last 40 years'.
'It's very rare to have so many films over such a period of time, all kind of in one place,' he said.
'I'm not aware that there's any precedent for it at all.'
Launching this evening at Axis Ballymun, the collection showcases everything from youth programmes and local arts festivals to political visits, street life, and the controversial demolition of the original flat complexes.
The work is part of a larger five-year collaboration between the IFI and Ballymun Communications, supported by media regulator Coimisiún na Meán, which aims to safeguard and celebrate community-made media.
A total of 550 digitised films from the broader Ballymun Communications Archive will eventually be made available through community channels.
Mr Anderson, who grew up in Ballymun himself, said the project felt deeply personal: 'My parents moved into the towers in 1967. Watching this footage, it's basically my life story as well. It's been a real privilege to work on this.'
The collection includes acclaimed documentary The 4th Act by Turlough Kelly and Andrew Keogh, which critically explores the area's regeneration, as well as rare footage of the Ballymun Housing Project, the visit of President Mary Robinson, and grassroots employment and education initiatives from the 1980s and 1990s.
The films were created through Ballymun Communications, a long-standing social enterprise that has trained generations of local filmmakers.
Mr Anderson stressed the archive's ongoing community role:
'Sometimes we couldn't identify people or places in the footage, so we turned to Facebook groups in Ballymun and within an hour, we'd have answers,' he added.
'The community has been involved from day one.'
The archive is intended not only as a record of the past, but as a living resource — accessible to residents and future generations.
The digitised material is now securely stored in the IFI's state-of-the-art digital preservation system, ensuring long-term access.
The public can view the curated selection for free on the IFI Archive Player.