Cinemas That Are No More

gramach

mike65 wrote: »

The Roxy in Tramore. I saw such epics as Brannigan, Snow White, Kellys Heroes and Mission Mars (you'll have to look that one up!)

Waterfords closed cinemas are the Regal (in the Glen which closed many year ago), The Savoy in Broad Street which I saw one or two films in and The Coliseum. The Theatre Royal also screened films as well ass staging plays.

Did you mean the Rex Cinema

Mackman

I remember The Regent Cinema in Kilkenny. Great place to go see a movie.
It was huge! the screen was about 3 storey's high. It had 2 tiers, cost an extra pound to go up the top though , but it was worth it, cause the upstairs seats sat 2 people each
it was a proper cinema, but the closed it to open up a far inferior multiplex, with small screens, small seats, and expensive sweets.
Ive always dreamed of buying it and reopening it, if its still ther that is

vektarman

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055749635&page=16

I posted this one on the Dublin forum, post 235.

Thomas828

"The Avenue" cinema in Royal Avenue in Belfast. That's where I first saw "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi". That whole block has been replaced by Castle Court.

ghost_ie

There was also the North Strand Cinema. Was never in it myself - it think it was reduced to a Bingo hall by the time I noticed it, If memory serves there was also a cinema in on the Sandford Road in Ranelagh

admiralofthefleet

ghost_ie wrote: »

There was also the North Strand Cinema. Was never in it myself - it think it was reduced to a Bingo hall by the time I noticed it, If memory serves there was also a cinema in on the Sandford Road in Ranelagh

its a block of apartments now but the face was retained

was there a cinema in terenure, the carpet/furniture shop opposite aib looks like an old cinema building.
there was also a cimema on sundrive road opposite superquinn

vektarman

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

its a block of apartments now but the face was retained

was there a cinema in terenure, the carpet/furniture shop opposite aib looks like an old cinema building.
there was also a cimema on sundrive road opposite superquinn

The cinema in Terenure was called the Classic (not to be confused with the Harolds Cross Classic cinema), it was built in 1933 and has a lovely Art Deco facade, I'm not sure when it closed.

Mr. K

I remember The Abbey in Wicklow! I lived there until 2000, I remember being informed that it closed a few years ago. Brought back a lot of memories; I saw the Original Star Wars Trilogy (and The Phantom Menace) there, along with loads of other films.

Fey!

Fey! wrote: »

In Galway we had the Claddagh Palace (formerly the Estoria), which hosted the Galway Film Fleadh up to its demise, when it became yet more apartments. I fondly remember pulling pints in the marque in the carpark during the Fleadh, and the guy who was always busking as you queued outside before each film.

We also had the Town Hall, which was done up and is now our local theatre.

Both of these places were pretty dirty and nasty!

omg i forgot about that lad busking, great memories

Galway also had the savoy on eglinton st

Paddywong

silverharp wrote: »

there was one in Sandymount on Serpentine Ave, Its a Hindu temple now. It closed in the mid 70's and I only have a hazy recollection of it.

It was named "The Ritz" but we affectionately called it "The Shack"

bdr529

I remember my Granny telling me stories about going to the North Strand cinema on a saturday and paying for a ticket with 3 jam jars.

went to Fairview cinema many times, never knew it was called the 'grand', remember queing up the stairs?
My father brought me there to see Star Wars. it was a real treat to get a small cup of cola, a bag of crisps and a bag of Revels

Ed Butler

TheScribbler wrote: »

You are right about the Cinerama in Talbot Street. It was nestled under the railway bridge. I went to see 'Paint Your Wagon' There (or as my girlfriend at the time called it - 'Paint Your Wogan.' I can't remember what the cinema was originally called. Was it the Talbot?

It was called the New Electric Theatre and later the Superama according to this very interesting article:

http://www.in70mm.com/news/2010/ireland/uk/index.htm

I recall going to see a bizarre double bill there in 1974 - the German sex education film Helga along with an American VD film, but by then it no longer had a Cinerama screen. It became a nightclub after that - I vaguely remember some big American acts playing there.

Ed Butler

TheScribbler wrote: »

There was also one in Ranelagh I seem to recall

The Sandford?

The Volta Myth
It is a widely-held belief that Ireland’s first dedicated cinema was the Volta, managed initially by James Joyce. But what if it wasn’t? Denis Condon examines earlier cinematic venues, including the Popular Picture Palace at the Queen’s Theatre.

’In England there is a growing demand for cinematograph entertainments’, announced Dublin’s Evening Mail in February 1908. ‘Every important town has its permanent “picture show”, and the Colonial Picture Combine see no reason why Ireland should not be adequately represented in this respect.’ The occasion of this statement was the opening of what was soon being advertised as the People’s Popular Picture Palace at the former Queen’s Theatre in Dublin’s Brunswick Street (now Pearse Street). This venue was probably Dublin and Ireland’s first dedicated cinema, opening almost two years before Ireland’s best-known early cinema, James Joyce’s Volta opened its doors on 20th December 1909.

It is curious how persistent the myth of the Volta has been in both popular and academic accounts of Irish cinema. The link between Ireland’s most celebrated 20th century writer and the most powerful medium of the 20th century makes such a good story that the misconception that the Volta was the first cinema in Dublin – and according to some accounts in Ireland – has circulated virtually unchallenged since it appeared in Richard Ellmann’s 1959 Joyce biography. The Volta was undoubtedly an important early cinema, and the Joyce connection has provided the focus for some fine research. The significance of the Volta has, however, been inflated to the extent that it has essentially come to represent Ireland’s first cinemas, and thereby to distort our view of early cinemas and the audiences who attended them.

The complete article was published in Film Ireland 116.

"The Volta was operated by a string of people from James Joyce, who opened it and sold it 7 months later, through British Provincial Cinemas, James Jameson, J.F. Devlin, George Porter, Rudolf Ahern and Capitol & Allied Theatres. It became a drapery shop until it was bought, along with all the other premises around it, by a developer who built the present Pennys store, which is at the corner of Jervis St."

"Having made up the admission price we would now debate should we go to the Maro or the Volta? If it was raining we had no option but to choose “The Maro” Every child knew when it rained you would get soaked in the Volta as the rain came pouring down from every part of its leaky roof. If we were already in there and it started raining pandemonium would break out as everyone ducked and dived from one row of seats to another seeking a dry spot. It would close down when I was still a child."

From a posting by Bridget x on 9th May 2007 at this interesting site on Ye Olde Dublin:

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=db2e1576a6a7448845f3bb271163b4da&topic=227237.90


The Green Cinema

Max_Damage

UCI in Tallaght can now be added to the list.

icdg

Max_Damage wrote: »

UCI in Tallaght can now be added to the list.

Apparently to re-open as a Ward Anderson, however.

L1011

Ed Butler wrote: »

It was called the New Electric Theatre and later the Superama according to this very interesting article:

http://www.in70mm.com/news/2010/ireland/uk/index.htm

I recall going to see a bizarre double bill there in 1974 - the German sex education film Helga along with an American VD film, but by then it no longer had a Cinerama screen. It became a nightclub after that - I vaguely remember some big American acts playing there.

My mother has memories of that cinema shaking whenever a train went overhead... the canopy out front lasted until the mid-00s above a furniture shop, its gone in the pics there.

L1011

TheScribbler wrote: »

Ormonde at Stillorgan and Greystones,

http://www.ormondecinemas.ie/

Only Greystones is gone it seems.

Showing my age here, the only closed ones I can ever remember going to were the Carlton (saw the Addams Family Values there), UCI Tallaght (frequently, its near my office) and the one in Bray that I didn't even know for sure was closed till I googled there. Used to be a standard trip for the cub scouts here, head to Bray to the cinema then bowling, aah

Thomas828

The Avenue cinema in Belfast's Royal Avenue was where I saw "Watership Down", "Aristocats", "The Empire Strikes Back", "Return of the Jedi" and "Supermam III" among others. It was pulled down in the late 80s to make way for Castle Court.

kraggy

Fey! wrote: »

In Galway we had the Claddagh Palace (formerly the Estoria), which hosted the Galway Film Fleadh up to its demise, when it became yet more apartments. I fondly remember pulling pints in the marque in the carpark during the Fleadh, and the guy who was always busking as you queued outside before each film.

We also had the Town Hall, which was done up and is now our local theatre.

Both of these places were pretty dirty and nasty!

Loved the Claddagh Palace.

Remember it was £2 to get in or £2.50 for a seat on the balcony.

I saw Three Men And A Baby there in the late 80's. Was a present from the Galway Advertiser. They brought all the delivery boys and girls there as a treat.

iheartthailand

i miss Classic cinema in Harolds Cross. Closed in 2003 (I think) and up until then it used to have those old ticket stubbs (kinda like this http://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.7thstreettheatre.com/blog/uploaded_images/TicketStubs-722949.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.7thstreettheatre.com/blog/2009_01_01_archive.html&h=529&w=740&sz=54&tbnid=p0LwklcmTj1PyM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=141&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dold%2Bticket%2Bstub&zoom=1&q=old+ticket+stub&usg=__z30wa4dehu1JuJaLHs-5yOnQcbc=&sa=X&ei=DKQbTcCRO8a2hAeN6oG5Dg&ved=0CBsQ9QEwAA ), there was 2 screens and if your film was showing in the one upstairs you had to hang around the lobby and when the screen was ready an old guy in a tux lead the way!! bring back the intervals as well i say! cinema was well shabby but I sure miss it. Used to show the rocky horror show every friday too.

sagat2

Yes the Ormonde cinema in Greystones gone but forever imortalised in our memory thanks to this legendary television moment:
http://splinteredsunrise.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/father_ted_down_with_this_sort_of_thing.jpg

jtac

Finglas had 2 cinemas over the years,Janelle,and this one:

https://stillslibrary.rte.ie/indexplus/result.html?_IXMAXHITS_=1&_IXACTION_=query&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXSR_=p1T27P08hkU&_IXSS_=_IXFPFX_%3dtemplates%252ft%26_IXFIRST_%3d1%26%2524%2bwith%2brte_location_th_h%2bfrom%2b1%252e0482%2bto%2b1%252e0482%257e%3d%252e%26_IXACTION_%3dquery%26with%2bimage_sort%3d%252e%26%253cphoto_taken_date_earliest%3d%26_IXSESSION_%3dLO6PnGol3fH&_IXSPFX_=templates/t&_IXFPFX_=templates/t&s=LO6PnGol3fH

Its a Superquinn now!

Nerdkiller1991

Can we add in the ONLY IMAX cinema that we had in this country? 10 years on and we still don't have a new one.

L1011

Still lives on in part, was only watching a movie on the top half of the screen there last night... Can't remember the exact layout at this stage but I think they hacked a number of small screens and the massive Screen 17 out of it?

Corsendonk

Pavilion Cinema 1949-1970s - also know as the Pavilion Ballroom- Skerries
There was one in Rush too but off hand I can't remember the name.

Up-n-atom!

The Roxy in Tramore.

Seen my first ever film, 'Bambi', there - god be with the days!

There's plenty of cinemas that closed down in the 80s and 90s too as the big multiplexes came in. As a kid we went to the cinema in Edenderry (it was like a big shed, the building is somehow still standing) and Newbridge (the Screen cinema?) - I remember seeing 'Mrs Doubtfire' and 'The Lion King' there. My mispent teenage years were whiled away sneaking up the stairs to the tiny Dara cinema in Naas to get into 18s films. The new cinemas just aren't the same!

I met the dude who used to run the only arthouse cinema in Cork last year on holidays, which has also closed down in the last few years. All the money for foreign films seems to stay in Dublin!

L1011

Another modern(ish) cinema, 1990s anyway, to add to the list, Slaney Plaza in Enniscorthy closed without a whimper in February, killed by its own parent company opening a bigger/newer one in Gorey mostly.

Maj.Don

Glas Smaragaide wrote: »

It was called the Curzon (a 2 screen site) and they played Diva for 2 years straight to packed out audiences every night. The French ambassador came over for one of the shows of that film! Unfortunately it went the same way as alot of the older cinemas in the mid 80's but they were great days when they lasted

There were three cinemas in Abbey Street in the late seventies and early eighties: the Adelphi, the Cameo and the Curzon. The Adelphi and Cameo were on the same side of the street and the Curzon on the other, up from the Ritz cafe. The Cameo was the first cinema (as far as I recall) in the early eighties to start with the special matinee price (£1.50 before six o'clock) to boost business. It eventually got two screens and became the Lighthouse. When I saw Diva on my birthday, I saw it in the Cameo, not the Curzon. I'm not even sure the Curzon was still open then, and if it was it was on its last legs. I'm also nearly certain it never had two screens. The only film I can remember seeing in it was Christiane F; the place stank (cripples, I'm sure, would have come out walking) and they got the order of the reels arse about face and ruined the picture.

Maj.Don

jtac wrote: »

Finglas had 2 cinemas over the years,Janelle,and this one:

https://stillslibrary.rte.ie/indexplus/result.html?_IXMAXHITS_=1&_IXACTION_=query&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXSR_=p1T27P08hkU&_IXSS_=_IXFPFX_%3dtemplates%252ft%26_IXFIRST_%3d1%26%2524%2bwith%2brte_location_th_h%2bfrom%2b1%252e0482%2bto%2b1%252e0482%257e%3d%252e%26_IXACTION_%3dquery%26with%2bimage_sort%3d%252e%26%253cphoto_taken_date_earliest%3d%26_IXSESSION_%3dLO6PnGol3fH&_IXSPFX_=templates/t&_IXFPFX_=templates/t&s=LO6PnGol3fH

Its a Superquinn now!

Superquinn's old HQ in Sutton Cross used to be a cinema too.

brandnewpants

Some of my fondest childhood memories (and in fact some of my earliest memories) are of my dad taking me to the cinema. Be it in town or to the Forum, the Ormonde or the Classic. I think the first one I can recall is Herbie Goes Bananas which came out in '80 or '81 so I could only have been a year or two old.

One of my fondest was when we went to Return of the Jedi in the Classic, my dad did not tell me that they were showing it back to back with the Empire Strikes Back. I was bloody chuffed with that, as I was Star Wars Crazy at that stage.

The Forum in Glasthule though was the one I frequented most over the years, right up till its closure in what must have been '98 or '99. They used to do things like stopping for an interval and getting the birthdays read out for parties etc. Something that you don't get at all anymore.

The Ormonde in stillorgan, which is now a UCI I think was were I went to see BMX bandits for my birthday. I was stoked to get given a big box of smarties by the staff there on account of it being my Birthday. The place always had a kind of depressing surround though. It was in a failed shopping centre which was pretty desolate - Still is.

I knew a few guys who worked in the Stella in Rathimines shortly before it closed up. I cant confirm the veracity of what I heard, but they told me that the cinema had archived every poster for the movies that had shown there over the years in a big cupboard. Would probably be worth a fortune if they were kept in good knick. There was also apparently two extra screens in the place that were half finished, but the cinema could not raise the money to get them fully up and running.
It was a total flea pit before it closed. Always full of junkies making noises and being a nuisance.

Even by the stage I was a kid though there were loads of defunct Cinemas scattered throughout the Dublin suburbs. Usually converted into makeshift display rooms for furniture sales or bingo halls. Shame really. Would be cool to still have some of them functioning as left-field theaters cos the mainstream ones seem to only show complete rubbish these days. Usually just the popcorn munchers and something bland and safe for the kiddies.