President Higgins leads tributes to Irish filmmaker George Morrison who died aged 102
The Waterford native was best known for the 1959 documentary film, Mise Éire, which presents a history of one of Ireland's most turbulent periods, culminating in the 1916 Rising and Sinn Féin's electoral victory in 1918.
In light of his passing, President Higgins, who served as Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht from 1993 to 1997, paid tribute to Morrison, hailing him as an 'iconic and foundational figure in Irish filmography'. Pic: Joe Giddens/The statement reads: 'As President of Ireland, may I express my deepest condolences on learning of the death of George Morrison. George Morrison is and will remain an iconic and foundational figure in Irish filmography.
'A filmmaker of immense craft and skill, he will rightly be remembered in particular as a great innovator in the techniques of film, using new and pioneering camera work while realising how film and music could be brought together in a way that is distinctive.
'His seminal works, including Mise Éire and Saoirse as well as his many other films including his early partnership with the Gate Theatre, comprise an outstanding body of work that has made a deep and lasting impact on Irish culture and Irish cultural memory.
'Mise Éire was created following a painstaking process through which George tracked down long lost or forgotten newsreels from the independence period in archives across Europe. This work led to the preservation of 300,000 feet of early 20th century newsreel footage which may have been lost forever without his work.
'I had the honour of bestowing the honour of Saoi of Aosdána on George Morrisson in 2017 and have also had the pleasure of meeting with him on many other occasions over the years, including when we marked his 100th birthday in Áras an Uachtaráin in 2023.
'On behalf of Sabina and myself, may I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and all those who have been so inspired by his work over the decades.'
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