George Edward MorrisonPaul Levy, ‘FitzGibbon , Theodora (1916–1991)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 201 /ref> (born 1922) is an Irish director of film documentaries. His works include 1959 documentary ''
Mise Éire
''Mise Éire'' (, Irish for "I mIreland") is a 1912 Irish-language poem by the Irish poet and Republican revolutionary leader Patrick Pearse.
Background
''Mise Éire is'' a 1912 Irish-language poem by the Irish poet and Republican revolutio ...
'' and ''Saoirse?''.
Morrison was born in Tramore, County Waterford.Irish Times'', "Reel hero of Irish history", 4 January 2008 /ref> His mother was an actress at
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
's
Gate Theatre
The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928.
History Beginnings
The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochlai ...
, while his father worked as a
neurological
Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...
anaesthetist
Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine ...
. Morrison studied medicine at Trinity College, Dublin but dropped out in order to pursue his ambition to work in films.
Early in his career he assisted director Hilton Edwards in two of the latter's films: ''From Time to Time'' and ''Hamlet of Elsinore''.
For ''Mise Éire'', Morrison painstakingly assembled historical footage of the events surrounding the 1916 Rising from archives across Europe. The result, released by
Gael Linn
Gael Linn (, "Gael-with-us") is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation focused on the promotion of the Irish language and the arts. The organisation's funding includes government and lottery sources.
History
Gael Linn was founded in Ma ...
to great acclaim at the 1959
Cork Film Festival
The Cork International Film Festival, also known as the Cork Film Festival (), is a film festival held annually in Cork City, Ireland. It was established in 1956 as part of An Tóstal An Tóstal (, meaning "The Gathering") was the name for a serie ...
, was the first feature-length
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
film. Morrison later revealed that he was paid £375 for his work on ''Mise Éire'' and received no further royalties.''Irish Independent'', "Forgotten man of Irish cinema celebrated in film", 25 September 2008 /ref> The film was permitted to be screened only in the Irish language, which reduced its audience outside Ireland. The sequel, ''Saoirse?'', was not as popular with the Irish public, perhaps due to its focus on the Irish Civil War, a subject that remained divisive for many years after peace was established.
In 2007, Morrison released ''Dublin Day'', his documentary on
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
's ''Ulysses''. In September 2008, Morrison was the subject of a film documentary entitled ''Waiting for the Light'', which received its première in Dublin. In February 2009, he received the Industry Lifetime Contribution Award at the annual
Irish Film and Television Awards
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
ceremony held in Dublin.
Morrison was elected to
Aosdána
Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association of artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the country's Arts Council. Membership, which is by invitation from current member ...
in 2005. In March 2017, the title of
Saoi Saoi (, plural ''Saoithe''; literally "wise one"; historically the title of the head of a bardic school) is the highest honour bestowed by Aosdána, a state-supported association of Irish creative artists. The title is awarded, for life, to an exis ...