The Ed White Film Collection Launch: Bere Island in the 1960s

In the 1960s, Ed White from Massachusetts, USA would visit Bere Island each summer with his island born wife Mary. Ed always brought his cine camera and spent his visits recording the everyday moments, faces, and rhythms of island life. These cine rolls were left to Ed’s daughter Noreen. Realising the importance of this footage of island life, Bere Island Projects Group arranged for these films to be preserved and digitised by the IFI Irish Film Archive.

In partnership with the IFI Irish Film Archive and with funding support from The Heritage Council’s Heritage Organisations Fund 2025 Bere Island Projects Group are now delighted to be able to showcase an edited programme of this footage, which shows life on Bere Island during the 1960s. You'll see familiar landscapes, traditions, buildings, and people that may now exist only in memory. Whilst the island has changed over the years, the heart of the community remains the same.

The launch of this film will take place during National Heritage Week and will be available online after the event. Members of the late Ed and Mary White’s family will be in attendance.

For ferry details to Bere Island see www.bereisland.net