Mayo memories: County Cinema opened in March 1939

By Tom Gillespie

THE County Cinema in Castlebar officially opened on Friday, March 14, 1939, with the screening of Too Hot to Handle, starring Clark Gable, Myrna Loy and Loe Carrillo.

The film, the opening advertisement stated, was crammed with action, packed with thrills and bristling with excitement. It was a story that switches from Manhattan to the Orient.

The admission prices were 4d, 1/- and 1/6.

In the March 11, 1939, edition of The Connaught Telegraph, an article appeared giving details of the cinema buildings, stating: The building contractors are making considerable progress with the new cinema which is being erected on Spencer Street by Mr. Gus Bourke, owner of the present cinema on Ellison Street.

The new building will be opened formally in the course of a few weeks and it will be called The County Cinema.

It is thought that everything would be in readiness for a showing on St. Patrick’s night, but this does not now seem likely, as there have been delays which could not very well have been avoided.

Mr. Bourke, however, still believes that there is a possibility of everything being ready for St. Patrick’s night, and he will make a definite announcement on the subject in next week’s Connaught Telegraph.

The new structure, when completed, will be one of the finest of its kind in Ireland. From the front view it is impressive, but the interior does not disappoint, and in fact confirms the impression one might get from the exterior.

The site on which the cinema has been erected, it will be recalled, was somewhat famous at one time for the two ancient-looking dwelling-houses that were an eyesore for so long.

It was in July of last year (1938) that the contractor, Mr. Michael Gibbons, Frenchill, Castlebar, set to work on the building, and despite the wretchedly bad weather we have experienced since then, he has made remarkable progress.

The impressiveness of the new building, as viewed from the outside, is striking, but the interior is equally, if not more, impressive, both from the view of space and decoration.

The main entrance is significant in itself and is worthy of the structure, general architecture and design.

Glass doors adorn the way into the vestibule, and from there passages lead the way to the middle section of the cinema, and a stairway leads up to the front of the balcony.

A side passage inside the vestibule leads to the ‘pit’ or cheap seats in front of the hall. This section of the building is railed off from the centre section and though the persons accommodated here enter by the main door, they may leave by a side door either at the premises of Mr. Michael Geraghty or by a like passage on the other side of the structure.

The three sections - balcony, stalls, and pit - will accommodate about 700 people. The balcony will accommodate about 200, the stalls 300 and the pit about 200.

The seating is very modern, being of the detached type known as ‘lazi-chairs’, each chair having a leg space of 3' 3''. Messers. Lavelle and Co., Castlebar, are furnishings contractors to the new cinema, and the only other cinema in Ireland similarly furnished is the new Adelphi Cinema, Dublin.

The lighting system in the cinema is also of the most up-to-date kind. It is known as the Homophone system of concealed illumination, the lights being ingeniously set in alcoves in the side walls. Along the walls and straight down the celling run aluminium reflectors, which, when the lights are on, give an unusual and pleasing atmosphere to the house and add considerably to the impression of peace and luxury that the interior gives out.

Apart from the beautiful effect of the lighting plans, the general decoration, painting, etc., is as cheerful and colourful as it is bizarre. The work was carried out by Innis Gibson and Co., Dublin.

The walls of the interior have an outer lining of insulate, which is fireproof, and the roof is covered with corrugated asbestos laid in steel trusses.

The length of the hall from the back of the balcony to the screen is 104 feet, the width at the balcony being 50 feet, tapering down to 36 feet at the screen or front of the hall.

The new cinema has also an air-conditioning apparatus by which the atmosphere can be cooled or heated when necessary. As is understood, this system is managed by electric motors which drive the air cooled or heated right through the cinema. There is a special system of ventilation by which foul air is removed from the building rapidly.

At the front of the cinema the projection room is located, and the projector itself is the only one of its kind in Ireland. It has a water-cooling system, and alongside are the rewinding rooms.

The screen, which is set on a large stage, measures 18’ by 16’.

At the main entrance the floors are laid in terrazzo which was carried out by Messers. O’Hara, of Dublin. Also at the entrance there are spacious offices, ladies and gents’ lavatories and cloakrooms.

Mr. Bourke told The Connaught Telegraph representative that it was his intention at some later date to provide teas and snacks to those travelling to the cinema from long distances, and this service would, he said, be provided at a nominal charge.

The cinema closed down in 1999 but just over half a century earlier the premises was completely destroyed by fire on Saturday, March 6, 1948, and was subsequently rebuilt.