Nostalgia: Looking back on some of Cork's most loved former cinemas

Sat, 12 Jun, 2021 - 12:00

Amy Nolan

Excitement was at peak levels amongst moviegoers in Cork this week with the reopening of cinemas.

Monday saw a further easing of the country's Covid-19 restrictions, with the latest in the Government’s reopening plan for summer activity going ahead.

Cinemas were amongst the establishments permitted to reopen to patrons after more than five months of remaining closed.

Children queue to see 'David Copperfield' at the Savoy Cinema, on January 23, 1936.

To mark the occasion, this week's Nostalgia is a look back at some former Cork cinemas - perhaps the most noteworthy of which was the Savoy Cinema.

The former Savoy Cinema heralded a new era of entertainment for Corkonians when it opened its doors to the public on May 12, 1932.

It was officially opened by the then Lord Mayor, Frank Daly.

Interior views of the Savoy Cinema, August 1973.

The front page of The Echo the following day captured the sense of excitement in the city.

"The whole proceedings were marked by wonderful enthusiasm, coupled with very apparent manifestations of civic pride in this latest acquisition to the city’s attributes."

Large numbers of people descended onto Patrick Street hours before the opening in great anticipation of the historic event.

Rory Gallagher pictured at the Capitol cinema, 1974.

"Crowds of people collected before the new cinema as long as two hours before the opening was due to take place, and by the time the doors were opened there was such a gathering on the street as impeded traffic and numerous Civic Guards had a busy time regulating the numbers seeking admission."

The glory days of the Savoy Cinema began to decline in the 1970s as television became more popular and the cinema eventually closed its doors in January, 1975.

The Coliseum corner on MacCurtain Street in the late 1920s.

Over ten years prior another popular Cork cinema had closed its doors.

The Coliseum cinema, with 700 seats, opened in 1913, the year of the Dublin Lockout on what was then called King Street: it closed its doors, on the subsequently re-named MacCurtain Street/Brian Boru Street corner facing Summerhill North, half a century later in 1964, showing The Man in the Iron Mask for its last screening.