Murphy’s Town Hall Cinema Athenry 5 25th November 1909 – The Cinematograph Act 1909, regulating the Film Industry, is passed. As per page 5 of the Irish Cinema – An Illustrated History, by Brian McIlroy, Published by Anna Livia Press, Dublin 1988: “...1909 saw the passing of the Cinematograph Act by the British Parliament. This demanded that all cinemas be issued with licenses from their local authority.” 20th December 1909 – In the broader context of Irish Cinema, James Joyce (yes, that one!) opened Ireland’s first dedicated Cinema (The Volta Electric Cinema or Cinematograph Volta), at 45 Mary Street, Dublin, on this date: 5 “It often shocks literary purists that James Joyce, the famous author of Ulysses and Finnegan’s Wake, was responsible for Ireland’s first cinema, the Volta in Dublin. And although it only lasted a year, the cinema set a precedent for future enterprises.” Quote from page 4 of Irish Cinema – An Illustrated History, by Brian McIlroy Brian McIlroy goes on to say, in relation to Joyce’s Volta Picture Theatre (page 5): “After seven months of operation the Volta closed down and was sold to the Provincial Theatre Company.” To give some flavour of the cinematic experience at this time, the following is extracted from EARLY IRISH CINEMA 1895–1921 by Denis Condon, published by Irish Academic Press, © 2008: “During the initial novelty period of projected moving pictures, spectators went to see a technological wonder that... made photographs of everyday objects move. Devices such as the cinématographe, animatographe, vitascope, biograph and bioscope showed waves breaking on a beach or a train arriving at a station or the scene in a busy street. These film shows formed a recognizable part of established entertainments: they were the latest of the visual novelties that turned up occasionally at fairgrounds and in the popular theatre. They were more popular than most of their kind because the illusion of movement was not limited to the central action: to take a famous instance, that of the train arriving and the passengers alighting, motion extended to such incidental details as smoke billowing from the smokestack and steam rising from the engine. Movement was generalized within the frame in a realistic manner. Projected moving pictures were an improvement on a device that had appeared in Ireland the previous year, the kinetoscope, a machine that made photographic images move but that could only be viewed by one spectator at a time. ...The cinématographe... combined the moving-picture technology of the kinetoscope with the projected-image technology of the magic lantern to produce an instrument that could exhibit animated photographic scenes to large groups of viewers. With the interest that the device generated, it was a bill topping act in the music-hall programme that could completely fill a large theatre with spectators who were willing to pay a shilling for seats (or even standing room) that were normally priced at a third of that amount. The individual films lasted less than a minute each, so that they delivered a burst of images before being replaced by the next of the ten films that were typically shown. Therefore, when the first moving images of Ireland were shown at the Star in early 1897, the fact that they were local films was just one of the reasons that the audience were likely to have found them interesting...1895 ...was the year that the kinetoscope first exhibited moving photographic images to paying audiences in Ireland...” (NB: Brian McIlroy gives 20th April 1896 as the first screening to a paying audience in Ireland, see above for details). 28th & 29th April 1915 – The Connacht Tribune of 24th April 1915, page 8, carried the following advertisement for a touring troupe, featuring Vernonne, visiting the Town Hall on these dates: “Don’t Forget to Visit the Finest Pictures out of London. Also the Great Character Actor, VERNONNE.” It is unclear exactly what fine pictures Vernonne was showing but nonetheless, it is solid evidence of early picture shows in the Hall. It would also appear that Manchester born Vernonne had already visited the Town Hall Galway before his Athenry performances, as the Galway Express 17th April 1915 reported as follows: “...Mr HV Harcourt (Vernonne) sang The Deathless Army splendidly, and was enthusiastically received for his rendering of The Green Eye of the Yellow God. He is an actor of absolute genius, and later in the evening brought 5 The original building was demolished and the site is currently occupied by a Penney’s Department Store. Screenings on the Volta’s opening night included The Tragedy of Beatrice Cenci, a 1909 Silent Italian Film about the life of 16th Century Italian Noblewoman, Beatrice Cenci, played by Maria Caserini Figure 3 – Irish Academic Press © 2008
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