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Tue 10 Oct 2007Dawn of the centuryRestored film reels that capture a grey Ireland on the cusp of the 20th century make fascinating viewing, writes Barry RocheHome to 4,000 holes for John Lennon's A Day in the Life, Blackburn, Lancashire is a typical north of England industrial town, and hardly the sort of place one would expect to find a brief but fascinating opening into the days and lives of Ireland more than a century ago. Yet it was in a Blackburn cellar that arguably the most significant archive of film of Ireland in the early years of the 20th century was found, and now, thanks to the restorative efforts of the British Film Institute (BFI), the films are available on DVD for home viewing.