Religious groups call for change to film censorship system

Dublin, 7 November 1922 – A deputation representing the Priests’ Social Guild and the Vigilance Committee met with Dublin Corporation yesterday to state their concerns that morally objectionable films are being shown in Dublin. They suggested that the system of film censorship in Ireland is in need of revision.

The deputation consisted of Fr O’Flanagan; Fr Lawrence; Fr N.J. Tomkins; Rev. T.E. Drury, of the Church of Ireland; and T.J. Deering, B. Delahunty, and A.J. Murray.

Fr O’Flanagan claimed that the deputation was representative of two of the most important bodies in Ireland, who, notwithstanding their differences, were in agreement that the corporation should be called upon to correct the grave defect in the film censorship system.

Cinemas, it was pointed out, exerted an enormous influence over the people of the city and there were films being shown that were wholly evil.

Rev. Drury added that it was not their contention that the large majority of films were bad. It was, he said, the system of censorship that was at fault and it was one that allowed evil films to pass through the net.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]