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Photographs courtesy of June Bow
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Ormonde Cinema opened in 1954
A new Ormonde Cinema – A new Ormonde Cinema, cinemascope, vistavision and the modern refinements that make for better and brighter pictures was opened on Wednesday by Liam Cosgrave, Minister for External Affairs. About £40,000 went to making the Ormonde, with seating for almost a thousand. Dominating the interior is the big thirty-eight foot wide cinemascope screen which, however can be masked down to a width of twenty seven foot for showing normal size films. Built in six months, the Ormonde is now a landmark of pleasing architecture. Asked as to why the name Ormonde, Mr James J Kavanagh, Arklow, the proprietor. Said: ’because the first cinema I had built in 1937 was on the site of the old Ormonde Castle, Arklow. Newspaper 28 Aug 1954.
Some of the first films to be screened were:
From here to Eternity with Frank Sinatra and Montgomery Clift
Dallas with Garry Cooper and Ruth Romans
By the Light of the Silvery Moon with Doris Day and Gordan MacRae
The Ormonde chain consisted of 13 cinemas at the height of the business. James died in a car accident in 1978 and the Ormonde in Stillorgan closed. It was completely demolished the same year and the site was occupied by the AIB Bank at Stillorgan Plaza. The new Ormonde Cinema opened in the early 1980's as a smaller multi screen venue. In summer 2011, the Ormonde Cinema was refurbished and opened as a UCI cinema, and later became the Odeon.
Comments
Michael "Mick" Gammell from near Kilcoole was the chief usher, he drove an Anglia Prefect. Bill Tobin was second usher
John Rothery was the projectionist in the Ormonde for 40 Plus years.
Kathleen Traynor an usherette
© June Bow & Karen Poff – October 2021
A new Ormonde Cinema – A new Ormonde Cinema, cinemascope, vistavision and the modern refinements that make for better and brighter pictures was opened on Wednesday by Liam Cosgrave, Minister for External Affairs. About £40,000 went to making the Ormonde, with seating for almost a thousand. Dominating the interior is the big thirty-eight foot wide cinemascope screen which, however can be masked down to a width of twenty seven foot for showing normal size films. Built in six months, the Ormonde is now a landmark of pleasing architecture. Asked as to why the name Ormonde, Mr James J Kavanagh, Arklow, the proprietor. Said: ’because the first cinema I had built in 1937 was on the site of the old Ormonde Castle, Arklow. Newspaper 28 Aug 1954.
Some of the first films to be screened were:
From here to Eternity with Frank Sinatra and Montgomery Clift
Dallas with Garry Cooper and Ruth Romans
By the Light of the Silvery Moon with Doris Day and Gordan MacRae
The Ormonde chain consisted of 13 cinemas at the height of the business. James died in a car accident in 1978 and the Ormonde in Stillorgan closed. It was completely demolished the same year and the site was occupied by the AIB Bank at Stillorgan Plaza. The new Ormonde Cinema opened in the early 1980's as a smaller multi screen venue. In summer 2011, the Ormonde Cinema was refurbished and opened as a UCI cinema, and later became the Odeon.
Comments
Michael "Mick" Gammell from near Kilcoole was the chief usher, he drove an Anglia Prefect. Bill Tobin was second usher
John Rothery was the projectionist in the Ormonde for 40 Plus years.
Kathleen Traynor an usherette
© June Bow & Karen Poff – October 2021