George Morrison, documentary maker known for Mise Éire, dies aged 102

Sarah Slater

George Morrison, a documentary maker best known for his film Mise Éire, has died aged 102.

Morrison's 1959 documentary Mise Éire was produced by Gael Linn and featured a celebrated score by composer Seán Ó Riada. He later followed it with the production Saoirse.

Born in Tramore, Co Waterford, Morrison leaves behind a lasting legacy in Irish cinema and was the oldest person ever to receive a civic honour from Waterford City and County Council.

Sinn Féin TD Conor McGuinness described Morrison as a “giant of Irish cultural life. A visionary filmmaker and a proud son of Tramore”.

“Through Mise Éire, Saoirse and many other works, he gave voice to the story of Ireland in a new and powerful way. His commitment to truth, his artistic courage, and his pioneering use of film have left an indelible mark on our cultural memory”.

President Michael D Higgins also paid tribute to Morrison, describing him as a “great innovator”.

“[Morrison] will remain an iconic and foundational figure in Irish filmography. A filmmaker of immense craft and skill, he will rightly be remembered in particular as a great innovator in the techniques of film, using new and pioneering camera work while realising how film and music could be brought together in a way that is distinctive,” the President said.

“His seminal works, including Mise Éire and Saoirse as well as his many other films including his early partnership with the Gate Theatre, comprise an outstanding body of work that has made a deep and lasting impact on Irish culture and Irish cultural memory.”

Mise Éire was created following a painstaking process through which Morrison tracked down long lost or forgotten newsreels from the independence period in archives across Europe.

This work led to the preservation of 300,000 feet of early 20th century newsreel footage which may have been lost forever without his work.

President Higgins bestowed the honour of Saoi of Aosdána on Morrison in 2017.