The Northern Ireland couple who took on the world in a camper van

Footage has resurfaced 50 years after Sam and Beatrice Kelly left Northern Ireland to travel the world in 1971

When violence erupted in Northern Ireland in 1971, a young couple decided to leave Belfast and travel around the world in a camper van.

50 years later, memories of the trip have been revived by film footage.

Footage has resurfaced of an interview they did before they left with TV presenter Gloria Hunniford.

A relative of the couple, who are from County Down, spotted the film on social media and sent it to the rest of the family.

Beatrice, now 72, was shocked to see the interview as she had forgotten about it.

"It's good to see I was young once," she said, as she watched the pictures from 1971.

The recording showed 22-year-old Beatrice and her husband Sam in the camper van telling Gloria Hunniford of their hopes of using their savings of £800 to go to Australia.

They spoke of hoping to drive through Europe then Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India before going by boat to Malaysia, Singapore and then Australia.

The recording was recently posted online by BBC Rewind, which contains archive material from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

The post received more than 100,000 hits with many people asking whether or not the young couple made it.

They did. Sadly, in 1988, Sam died but he kept a diary of the round-the-world trip and took dozens of photographs, which are now treasured by the family.

The re-emerged film footage has been added to the collection.

Beatrice said: "It's nice to have it, to remember times past and to remember my husband."

The couple set off at the end of July 1971 and arrived in Australia in February 1972. They went most of the way by road but travelled by boat from India to Malaysia, and also by sea from Singapore to Australia.

Sam and Beatrice Kelly set off at the end of July 1971 and arrived in Australia in February 1972

They were away for almost three years. They sold the original camper van in Australia but bought a similar one in South Africa during the journey home.

The couple then settled down in Northern Ireland but moved to England in the early 1980s.

The ongoing violence in Northern Ireland was a factor but just like their round-the-world trip, the main reason was that they were both keen on travel.

Beatrice said: "We wanted to see how the other half lived and this was a good way of seeing it.

"And if we were on our own steam (in a camper van), then we could go wherever we like and talk to normal people."

Beatrice Kelly and her daughter Gillian enjoyed watching the footage from the 1971 interview

After the couple returned from their round-the-world adventure, they had three children - a girl, Gillian and two boys, Neil and David. Their daughter, Gillian, is now working in England.

She enjoyed watching her parents in the 1971 interview.

"It was really lovely to see them, and my brothers thought (so) as well especially my youngest brother (David).

"When my dad died, he was only one year old, he has no memories of his dad so to see his dad talking - rather than just in photographs - was quite a shock. He was slightly sideswiped by it but he's glad it happened."

The interview was originally shown in July 1971 on the BBC Northern Ireland evening news programme at the time, Scene Around Six.

Beatrice and Sam missed it, as they had already started their journey when it was broadcast. There were no home video-recorders in those days.

The couple took a boat to South Africa on their journey home

In the 1970s, Beatrice worked as a nurse and Sam was a plumber.

During their big trip, they got jobs in Perth in Australia to make some money before going on their travels again. They spent time in New Zealand then returned to Australia.

They went home a different way, taking a boat to South Africa and then driving up through Africa and crossing into Europe.

They returned to Northern Ireland in May 1974.

Beatrice remembers her family and friends being taken aback by their round-the-world driving trip.

"They all probably thought we were a wee bit mad... they maybe weren't wrong," she said.

They sold the original camper van in Australia but bought a similar one in South Africa during the journey home

She is still keen on travelling adventures.

"Going to a hotel for a fortnight doesn't appeal at all. It has to be somewhere where you're out and about, to see people and meet people," she said.

So how does she travel these days?

Perhaps, it is a silly question.

She has a camper van, of course.

There are more than 13,000 short films available on the Rewind website, all taken from the BBC NI archives. Go to bbc.co.uk/rewind.