A Night of Storytelling and Years in the ‘Z-Closet’: The Re-discovery and Restoration of Oidhche Sheanchais, Robert Flaherty’s ‘Lost’ Irish Folklore Film

This article describes the acquisition by Harvard University's library of a print of Robert Flaherty's short 1934 film in the Irish language, Oidhche Sheanchais (A night of storytelling), the apparent disappearance of all copies of the film after 1943, the rediscovery of Harvard's copy in 2012, and the restoration process that has ensued. The authors discuss the song and the maritime legend at the heart of the film, as well as the film's significance as an early ethnodocumentary. The Appendix provides, for the first time, the text of the film's soundtrack, with full English translation.