The days of films in Kilcullen Town Hall were recalled last night as just one item in a comprehensive programme of features for Heritage Week 2019,
writes Brian Byrne.
Maurice O'Mahony gave a succinct but illuminating recollection of the time when the Town Hall Cinema was acknowledged as one of the best cinemas in the county, getting top films almost as soon as did the Dublin theatres.
The talk, centred around the old projector that is one of the exhibits in the Heritage Centre, was the opening one in a number of presentations during the evening on a varied palette of Kilcullen history and heritage. Maurice touched on some of the blockbusters that brought cinema goers from all over the county to Kilcullen, including 'The Guns of Navarone'. He also remembered the visit of actor Paul Newman to the theatre while he was staying at Castlemartin, after which Brendan O'Connell ferried him back to the then O'Reilly home by canoe.
Pat Kelly provided his recollections of his family's forge in the square, bringing to life the 'ring' of the hot metal being beaten into shape on an anvil. His memories of a once-common trade are a treasure trove of history of both family and a Kilcullen over several generations.
David O'Brien talked about the history and development of Kilcullen Boxing Club through the second half of the 20th century, moving eventually from its training base in the loft behind the Hideout to a purpose built hall behind market square, and after the millennium eventually getting a brand new headquarters on the Community Centre Campus.
With Dan Donnelly's arm being on display in Kilcullen for the first time, in the Heritage Centre for this week, courtesy of
Josephine Byrne, your editor provided a brief overview of its history and how it came to be in Kilcullen since the early 1950s.
Some detail on the history of Kilcullen Drama Group was given by
Philomena Breslin, beginning with its earliest days in the Carlow Stables which were located on what is now Nicholastown Green. Following that, everyone present was invited into the theatre, to view a set of three short videos on Old Kilcullen, the bridges of Kilcullen, and the Donnelly and Cooper pageants of the early 1950s.
The evening concluded with a number of short excerpts from plays which had been staged through the years by
Kilcullen Drama Group members. These were presented by Joan Clarke, Dick Dunphy, Fergal Sloan, John Martin and Vivian Clarke.
Other attractions of the evening included demonstrations of typical games played by children in the times before digital toys, by members of the
Youth Drama Group; and a display of artwork produced by the pupils of
Scoil Bhride as their contribution to the
Kilcullen 700 celebrations.
Finishing the programme,
Nessa Dunlea of the Kilcullen Heritage Group thanked all who had taken part in the preparations and the presentations, and also the audience who had come to enjoy the event. She outlined some of the future occasions related to the
Kilcullen 700 activities, which will conclude in December with a symbolic floodlighting of the tower of Old Kilcullen, followed by the switching on of lights on the bridge. These will be carried out by the oldest and youngest members of the community respectively.
She reminded all that the next Kilcullen event of this Heritage Week is at 7.30pm on Thursday, with a presentation by local singers and storytellers in the Library about emigration.
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