Now we are into the second half of the semester in the University of Limerick and exams and assignments are coming thick and fast. This week for me will be my first two exams of this semester and I am a bit nervous about them. I’m just hoping everything will be alright by the end of this week, I know it will be a big one for me. I will get more into this next week.
For this blog post I wanted to reflect on an interesting class I had last week in the Film Studies module. We watched a documentary film called ‘Rocky Road to Dublin’ which was released in 1967.
I found the film interesting as it tells the story of Ireland at the time of release of the film.
The film was banned in Ireland as it showed the country in poor light concerning some areas of public life the Government wished not to have broadcast. It banned the showing of the documentary on state television and cinema.
The film focuses on such controversial issues of the time and still of present day Ireland such as contraception, the GAA and the banning of members watching or participating in ‘foreign’ games – soccer, rugby, cricket and hockey.
The documentary film also focused on State censorship which heavily censored media across the county, leading to many Irish writers to emigrate in hopes of getting their work published.
Finally the film showed how involved in Irish society in general the clergy was, especially in the education sector and how it was an accepted part of Irish society.
Getting the opportunity to try different modules such as Film Studies and learning things like this is what makes this semester so interesting.
That’s it for this week. Hopefully I will have an update on the coming week for you next week!
alternative experience 