'The Crack', or 'The Irishmen'

As this programme was never made into a finished piece, collected here are the actualities and musical recordings made in preparation for the final programme.

The original reels were numbered and so here they have been arranged, as far as possible by the numbers written on the original reel boxes. Not every number is represented, it may be that these tapes were re-used for a different project. The most useful tapes for listening are possibly the 5" reel to reel recordings. These are the original actualities and are easier to listen to than the 10" actuality assembly reel, which have some sound distortion and multiple repeats of the same sound-bite on each reel.

Recordings of Irish migrant workers in the 1960s. The men and women speak about their lives both in Ireland and Britain. They discuss the social conditions in Ireland, the political situation, poverty, inequalities and the role of the church in early twentieth century (up to the 1960s) Ireland. They discuss the reasons why young people (as young as 14) feel that they have to leave Irealand to find work. They discuss the working and living conditions in England and Scotland, including reference to their colleagues from around the world. They also discuss the meaning of 'the craic' and the social networks and communities built up by Irish immigrants to Britain. They speak about the Pioneer (Irish teetotal) movement, their preconceptions of English people and England, and how those opinions have changed if at all.

Copyright: BBC

See MS 4000/2/107 for related papers, including actuality transcripts.

A programme about Irish workers, songs and conversations based on the documentary film 'Irish Navvy' by Philip Donnellan, originally named 'The Irishmen' (1965) which was made for the BBC but not broadcast.