Renowned documentary filmmaker George Morrison has passed away at the age of 102.

He is best known for his groundbreaking 1959 film Mise Éire, produced by Gael Linn and featuring a celebrated score by composer Seán Ó Riada. He later followed it with Saoirse.

Born in 1922 in Tramore, County Waterford, Mr. Morrison leaves behind a lasting legacy in Irish cinema.

He was the oldest person ever to receive a civic honour from Waterford City and County Council, having been nominated by Waterford Sinn Fein TD Conor McGuinness last year.

“George Morrison was a giant of Irish cultural life — a visionary filmmaker and a proud son of Tramore,” said Deputy McGuinness. “Through Mise Éire, Saoirse?, and many other works, he gave voice to the story of Ireland in a new and powerful way. His commitment to truth, his artistic courage, and his pioneering use of film have left an indelible mark on our cultural memory.

“As someone with a background in documentary film myself, and having worked in the industry before entering politics, George was someone I always looked up to — someone from whom I took inspiration. He was fearless, innovative, and uncompromising in his vision. He brought a deep respect for history to the screen, and helped shape how we understand the past as a people.”

President Michael D. Higgins has also paid tribute to Morrison, describing him as ‘a great innovator’.

“As President of Ireland, may I express my deepest condolences on learning of the death of George Morrison.

George Morrison is and will remain an iconic and foundational figure in Irish filmography. A filmmaker of immense craft and skill, he will rightly be remembered in particular as a great innovator in the techniques of film, using new and pioneering camera work while realising how film and music could be brought together in a way that is distinctive.

His seminal works, including Mise Éire and Saoirse as well as his many other films including his early partnership with the Gate Theatre, comprise an outstanding body of work that has made a deep and lasting impact on Irish culture and Irish cultural memory.

Mise Éire was created following a painstaking process through which George tracked down long lost or forgotten newsreels from the independence period in archives across Europe. This work led to the preservation of 300,000 feet of early 20^th century newsreel footage which may have been lost forever without his work.

I had the honour of bestowing the honour of Saoi of Aosdána on George Morrison in 2017 and have also had the pleasure of meeting with him on many other occasions over the years, including when we marked his 100^th birthday in Áras an Uachtaráin in 2023.

On behalf of Sabina and myself, may I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and all those who have been so inspired by his work over the decades.”

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