‘SIAR 50′ arts documentary was commissioned by the Contemporary Irish Arts Society (CIAS) to mark fifty years of collecting and donating contemporary Irish visual art. The film was made in conjunction with an important exhibition of CIAS acquisitions at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) from November 2005 to February 2006. The exhibition comprised approximately 100 works, selected from the society’s purchases, and the private collections of members. The exhibition provided a unique opportunity to see some of the very best of Irish art from the last fifty years including works by leading Irish artists such as Louis le Brocquy, Robert Ballagh, Camille Souter, Brian Bourke, Patrick Collins, Barrie Cooke, Pat Scott, Tony O’Malley, Dorothy Cross, Michael Farrell, Kathy Prendergast, Eithne Jordan and many others. This 40 minute film tells the story of how modern Irish art established itself and grew from the 1960s onwards. It explores the origins of the CIAS when a small group of art lovers established the society with the objective of buying modern art and donating it to public institutions, thus supporting contemporary artists and increasing public appreciation of modern art. The film includes archive photos/film, actuality from the insallation and exhibition of SIAR50 at IMMA, Limerick City Gallery, Crawford Gallery Cork, interviews with artists, curators and art historians including; Campbell Bruce, Catherine Marshall, Frances Ruane, Patrick Scott, Robert Ballagh, Brian Bourke, Colm O’Briain, Barbara Dawson and many others.