Tóstal flag-raising ceremony at the City Hall

Tóstal flag-raising ceremony at the City Hall

Cork Film Festival, Tóstal, Cork City Hall,

This is an undated black and white photograph of the raising of the Tóstal flag at the Cork City Hall. A large crowd, held back by young men in white slacks and shirts, are gathered in front of the City Hall to watch the Lord Mayor and colleagues raise the flag, which flutters in the wind above their heads.

The Cork Film Festival emerged from the tourist festival An Tóstal (1953-1958), a pageant held around Ireland to celebrate Ireland’s national image and whose self-stated primary object was to increase its tourist industry and ‘appreciate the beauties of our own land’. While this photo does not identify the dignitaries in this picture we recognise the back of Lord Mayor Patrick McGrath at the flag; he served as Lord Mayor from 1952-1955 which helps us date this picture to his mayoralty. Behind him, on the marble steps of the City Hall, we recognise the low stature of the Cork Fianna Fáil politician Gus Healy who would serve as Lord Mayor of Cork from 1964 to 1965 and 1975 to 1976.

University College Cork, Cork Film Festival, Liam Kennedy

Cork Film Festival Collection

University College Cork

Liam Kennedy

Photo
TIFF
JPEG

English, eng

Cork, Ireland

Photo

210 x 160mm