THE Marble Arch Caves in Co Fermanagh are being transformed into an underground cinema to screen archive footage showcasing the quirky side of northern rural life.
The footage ranges from 'haggis hurling' in south Belfast and a Derry pram race to rat racing in a Crumlin pub.
It comes from Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive which contains more than 100 hours of material dating back to 1897.
Francis Jones, Archive Education Officer with Northern Ireland Screen said the caves were "the perfect setting".
"There are many depictions of rural life from the Digital Film Archive including portrayals of quaint folk customs, friendly locals, and beautiful green scenery. Contrary to that, the archive also offers a representation of strange societies and pagan rituals."
Sinéad Bhreathnach-Cashell, who manages the archive, said: "We spent a year going through people's attics, going through museum store rooms and what we found was beautiful, bizarre footage and we thought, 'where better than the Marble Arch Caves to show that?'
"We have great footage of rat racing in Crumlin where people are in a pub in Crumlin surrounded by drainpipes and people are cheating by racing gerbils against rats and things like that."
Speaking to the BBC, she added: "It's a real mix, like every day of my job.
"I love it because every day I'm going to see something different and it might be the most basic daily life tasks or it might be the most ridiculous thing."
Films shown in the caves will be accompanied by traditional Irish music performed by local musicians.
Omagh-born musician Phil Hession will perform a newly commissioned piece called 'Til They Came Unto A Cave against a backdrop of the footage.
"When I'm singing I aim to lose myself in a song. When this happens, it can sometimes feel as if you are existing in another world. In a sense, I feel something of this otherworldliness also exists in the Marble Arch Caves," he said.
"I think singing in the caves will heighten this experience and help communicate these feelings to the listening audience. I am excited to present this artwork within the extraordinary surroundings of the caves."
The cinematic and musical tour of the caves is part of the Britain on Film rural initiative by the British Film Institute (BFI).
However, the underground venue has caused problems for organisers after heavy rainfall flooded the caves.
The high water level prevented access for the technical crew and delayed the set-up of projectors and screens.
But organisers are confident the screenings on Thursday and Friday night will go ahead as planned.
This film was digitised as part of the British Film Institutes Unlocking Film Heritage initiative, which aims to make over 10,000 titles selected from archives from across the UK, available for the public to view.
The project is a collaborative effort between the DFA, FilmHubNI, the British Film Institute and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.
