Man of Aran: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A fictional documentary film with the title Man of Aran. It consists of two (2) reels of black-and-white 16mm acetate film with optical sound.

The film uses the experiences of a family with “A Man” (Colman "Tiger" King), “His Wife" (Maggie Dirrane), and "Their Son" (Michael Dillane) to describe life on the Aran Islands. Much of the film is shot on the sea and in one scene the son is seen fishing off the edge of a cliff before climbing down the cliff and watching a shark in the water with its mouth open. In other scenes, the Man and other shark hunters are seen catching sharks out in the open sea.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1934
• Directed by: Robert Flaherty, American, 1884 - 1951
• Produced by: Sir Michael Balcon, British, 1896 - 1977
• Written by: Robert Flaherty, American, 1884 - 1951
• Subject of: Colman King, Irish, 1900 - 1976
• Subject of: Maggie Dirrane, Irish, 1899 - 1995
• Subject of: Michael Dillane
• Owned by: D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
• Type: sound films
• Type: black-and-white films (visual works)
• Type: feature films
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 1): 37 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1300 Feet
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 2): 38 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1350 Feet
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: County Galway, Ireland, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Folklife
• Object number: 2017.55.110.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.