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This film is part of Free

Ulster - Behind the Headlines

Will level headedness triumph? Hear how the peace and good neighbourliness of one town contrasts with the violence and tension prevalent elsewhere in Northern Ireland.

Public Information Filler 1970 5 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for Northern Ireland Screen

Overview

Listen to the opinions of various professional men as they recount their experience of ‘The Troubles’ so far. The town seems relatively unscathed by the conflict and the overall impression is of a largely integrated and harmonious place. Despite the escalation of violence elsewhere, there is still hope that tensions will not disintegrate this community. Downpatrick’s level head approach is not unique. But will it be enough to ‘cool the hot tempers’ in the years to come?

Filmed in 1970, just two years before the first recorded fatalities in Downpatrick took place when a premature bomb explosion at the racecourse grandstand killed two members of the Provisional IRA. This material was produced by the Central Office of Information and comes from the BFI collection. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.