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Belfast, Co. Antrim: A Belfast POW Makes an Early Sound Recording

John McCrory, from Conway Street in West Belfast, was a private in the Royal Irish Fusiliers when he was captured by the Germans at Caudry in France and taken to a Prisoner of War camp in Giessen, north of Frankfurt in 1914.

Still there in 1917, he was recorded by German linguist Wilhelm Doegen who was collecting language, music and song from around the world. He recorded around 250 languages and dialects while visiting German PoW camps.

In this excerpt from Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Ulster's The Arts Show, Marie-Louise Muir discovers the significance of these early sound recordings.

Location: Conway St. Belfast. BT13 2DE
Image: Early wax recording cylinders

Release date:

Duration:

7 minutes

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