This film is part of Free

Inter Tie

Song and dance folk hit the streets of Middlesbrough with a splash of international colour for the Tees-Side International Eisteddfod.

Amateur film 1970 10 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for North East Film Archive

Overview

From Cossack to Irish step, folk troupes visit steel town Middlesbrough for the Cleveland Intertie (Tees-Side International Eisteddfod) in 1970, where they delight the crowds (and Tyne Tees TV crew) with a fusion of song and dance in colourful costumes. Started in 1966, the idea for this cultural festival sprang from a social event for workers at ICI Wilton and ran until 1978.

This was one of a number of so-called ‘eisteddfods’ organised in Cleveland and on Tyneside from the late 1900s, originally sustained by a large Welsh exile community who arrived to work in the steel and ship building industries. This amateur film, probably made by the Cleveland Cine Club, was shot with an anamorphic lens.