"Pobal," from the renowned Irish documentarian and doubly Oscar-nominated Louis Marcus, is now available to stream on the Irish Film Institute's IFI Archive Player.

The 25-minute "Pobal" is a broad-sweeping panoramic work encapsulating Ireland and the Irish in the late ‘60s.

Shot in various parts of the country including Cork, Mayo, Dublin, and the Aran Islands, "Pobal" presents a rich tapestry of observation and commentary, captured by cameraman Bob Monks and inflected through Marcus’ keen eye for small detail and his sense of irony.

It is a prodigious celebration of the people of Ireland and the strong sense of community which pervades every aspect of Irish life.

"Pobal" was one of a series of longer films made for cinema by Louis Marcus for Gael Linn following the success of their Amharc Éireann newsreel (1956 – 1964). All were directed by Louis Marcus and, from 1965, all were filmed by his longtime friend and collaborator cinematographer Bob Monks.

"Pobal" is part of The Louis Marcus Collection on the IFI Archive Player. 

The Irish Film Institute's Louis Marcus Collection

Cork-born Louis Marcus began his film career in Dublin in 1958 as assistant editor on Mise Éire and Saoirse?, and made his own first film "The Silent Art" in 1959 about the sculptor, Seamus Murphy RHA.

From 1960 to 1973, he made short cinema documentaries for Gael Linn and went on to work for television and corporate patrons.

His subjects have included social life, Irish traditions, history, and the arts. He has made in all over 80 documentaries winning 20 international festival awards, including the Silver Bear of the Berlin Film Festival for Fleá Ceoil , prizes at Moscow, London, Chicago and Oberhausen, and two Academy Award Nominations for Páistí ag Obair and Conquest of Light. 

In 1995, he received the Irish Film Institute’s Annual Award, and at the 50th Cork Film Festival in 2005, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award and a retrospective of his work. In 2011, he received the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland/Foras na Gaeilge award for outstanding work in the Irish language. 

Throughout the 1960s, he had become one of the most important and prolific Irish documentary directors, making popular films including a portrait of Christy Ring and the 1916 commemoration film "An Tine Bheo." At that time, he became a key figure in the development of an Irish film industry, publishing a series of influential articles in The Irish Times calling for the Government to support the Irish film industry, and making him one of the most influential names in the business.

Marcus’s 35mm films for Gael Linn were screened in cinemas nationwide and were designed to promote the Irish language. All were directed by Louis Marcus and filmed by his longtime friend and collaborator Bob Monks. 

The Louis Marcus Collection, available on the IFI Archive Player, includes "The Silent Art" (1958), "Rhapsody of a River" (1965), "Fleá Ceoil" (1967), "Pobal" (1969), "Dubliners Sean agus Nua" (1971), "Páistí ag Obair" (1973), "Conquest of Light" (1975), and "Discovering Ireland" (1982). 

"Pobal" is published here thanks to the Irish Film Institute (IFI), who IrishCentral has partnered up with to bring you a taste of what their remarkable collection entails. You can find all IrishCentral articles and videos from the IFI here.

To watch more historic Irish footage, visit the IFI Archive Player, the Irish Film Institute’s virtual viewing room that provides audiences around the globe free, instant access to Irish heritage preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive. Irish Culture from the last century is reflected through documentaries, animation, adverts, amateur footage, feature films, and much more. You can also download the IFI Archive Player App for free on iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.

IrishCentral has partnered up with the IFI to bring you a taste of what their remarkable collections entail. You can find all IrishCentral articles and videos from the IFI here.