There was a full house in Ballymahon Community Library for the premiere of ‘Requiem for the Big House’, a documentary made by Dr Charles Lambert and Ronan Daly of Kilglass House, Legan. It was commissioned last year by Longford County Library, Heritage and Archives Services as a Decade of Centenaries project.The film explores some of the Big Houses of Longford, with emphasis on the period of the Irish Revolution (1912-23). READ MORE BELOW PHOTO Stories are told through interviews with historians and the relatives of both owners and workers. It is punctuated by images and archival footage. Many of those who contributed to the production were in attendance, including Pete Donnelly from Legan, who has vivid memories of Foxhall House going back to his childhood in the 1930s. Speaking at the premiere on Wednesday, February 8, Cllr Paul Ross, Cathaoirleach of Ballymahon Municipal District, referred to the chequered history of the Big House in Ireland and of the number that have been lost. Longford's hidden history Cllr Ross also referred to the importance of telling their stories and he congratulated Charles and Ronan on their excellent work on the film. Charles Lambert and Ronan Daly were themselves the subject of a film when their restoration of Kilglass House featured in an episode of the RTÉ series The Great House Revival. Down Memory Lane | Legan Sarsfields toast and celebrate their Longford junior championship triumph of 2012 Both have worked in television, and Charles has extensive experience as a producer, director and scriptwriter, particularly in educational films. Charles thanked all who had worked with them on the documentary. He also expressed the hope that it would help to highlight some of Longford’s hidden history. PICTURES | Romance, glitz and glamour as Longford folk enjoy Cystic Fibrosis Valentine's Ball in Lough Rynn Castle The documentary will be screened in other libraries in the county later in the year, and in due course, will be available on YouTube.
PICTURES | Full house in Ballymahon library for Longford premiere of ‘Requiem for the Big House’
Caption: At the premiere of 'Requiem for the Big House', a documentary made by Dr Charles Lambert and Ronan Daly of Kilglass House, Legan, in Ballymahon Community Library on Wednesday, February 8 were Patricia and Noel Brady
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Caption: Anita and Liam Finnegan
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Caption: Richard Heighton and Dr Charles Lambert
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Caption: Ballymahon Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr Paul Ross, Ronan Daly and Dr Charles Lambert who made the documentary 'Requiem for the Big House', Longford County Librarian Martina Needham and Longford County Archivist Martin Morris
