The IFI has archived Irish TV ads from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s and they are hilarious

We all remember the TV adverts from our childhood which instantly transport us back to a time when we were little, and the Irish Film Institute’s latest project is a real treat for anyone who likes a bit of nostalgia.

Supported by a grant from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s Sound and Vision Archiving scheme, the IFI has catalogued, digitised, restored and preserved a large collection of 35mm film television advertisements made in the 1960, ‘70s and ‘80s. 

Most of the commercials will immediately look familiar to anyone who grew up during that time, with classics such as the Bass advert with the Dubliners and the steamy Florida Fruits chewy sweets advert making for some hilarious viewing.

One of our favourite ads has to be for the Ronson Escort 2000, which was a portable (except it was plugged in) full-head hairdryer.

According to the IFI, “the collection numbering nearly 8000 rolls of film, had been held in a number of damp warehouses for decades and as a result of poor storage conditions it suffered physical deterioration and contracted a mould infestation before it was transferred to the IFI Irish Film Archive in the mid-1990s.

“The Archive team has salvaged this material, through a combination of painstaking processes including frame by frame assessment, extensive physical and chemical conservation, followed by scanning and digital restoration.”

The collection has also been catalogued and preserved according to international best practice, thus safeguarding it for the future and making it widely accessible for the first time.”

Check out the absolute treasure trove of Irish TV classics and let us know what your favourite is.

You can check out the full archive by clicking on the link above or by clicking HERE.