Memories of the old County Cinema in Castlebar

YOUNG film-goers to the County Cinema on Spencer Street, Castlebar, always visited Mai Leonard’s, Maureen McDonnell’s or Shane Rodgers’ to stock up on gob-stoppers (two for an old one penny) or some slab toffee, writes Tom Gillespie.

The Sunday matinee was the highlight of our week and you made sure you had the four old pennies to get into ‘the pit’ - the front five or six rows nearest the screen.

We had to queue and wait for Willie Ainsworth to open the side door, drop your four pennies on the table, and race down the corridor in search of the best seat.

Usually it was a black and white horror movie that kept you awake at night - a far cry from the special effects that we see in today’s blockbusters.

As we had no television, this was our only distraction and if you had the cash, loose cigarettes could be purchased across the road from the cinema in Golden’s Shop, now Blue Thunder.

Each week The Connaught Telegraph printed the list of films showing for the week. These posters were positioned at vantage points in the town by Jack Cassidy.

Each film ran for two nights and as we got older, and richer, we progressed from ‘the pit’ to the more comfortable seats in the balcony. If you had a date there was aways a rush for the back seats and the film became of little consequence.

Willie Ainsworth was in charge of the cinema, which was owned by the Bourke family.

Twice I was barred from the complex. The first time was on a Sunday night when the seat in front of me collapsed, landed on my feet and I let out a roar. Willie singled me out with his flashlight and I was frog-marched from the building and told not to come back for a week.

The second time was after attending a Legion of Mary meeting when I snuck in at the interval when The Cardinal was showing. Willie was again on the ball and I was barred for a month. However, after apologising some days later the ban was lifted and I was back in favour.

One of the challenges we put upon ourselves was to read all of the credits that were shown before the feature film was screened. It helped us get a grip with reading.

I recall as a youngster heading for the matinee one Sunday from Marian Row. I went into Shane Rodgers’ to get a supply of sweets. The change I got contained an old English thrupenny bit and I had the other penny for the admission.

However, after coming out of the shop, as I was putting the sweets in my pocket, I dropped the thrupenny bit and it rolled down a grate in front of the shop.

As I was unable to retrieve it I had to get another three pennies in a hurry. I knew my father, Dick, was playing in a band for some function in the Pavilion, so I made my way there and the few lost pennies were replaced.

One of Willie Ainsworth’s helpers was John (Botha) Roach, one of the many who worked in the cinema down the years.

We had a diet of The Cisco Kid, the Three Stooges, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.

After the matinees we enacted the cowboy and indian fights as we returned home. They were exciting but simple times.

One of the first technicolour films I remember was Ben Hur, the 1959 American epic historical drama film, directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and starring Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Hugh Griffith and Haya Harareet. The production had the largest budget at $15.175 million and the largest sets built for any film produced at the time.

Costume designer Elizabeth Haffenden oversaw a staff of 100 wardrobe fabricators to make the costumes, and a workshop employing 200 artists and workmen provided the hundreds of friezes and statues needed in the film.

Filming commenced on May 18, 1958, and wrapped up on January 7, 1959, with shooting lasting for 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week.

With these lengthy films, we had intermissions which allowed the cinemagoers an opportunity to get refreshments from the cinema shop or from Golden’s or Nora Lyons’ shop across the road on Spencer Street.

You had to queue to get in when a major movie was showing. There was a set of sliding gates in front of the entrance doors and just a handful of punters were allowed in at a time to purchase their tickets from the box office.

On occasions, the film would break down and a massive stamping of feet would last until normal service was resumed.

Regulars would attend every first night screening, and it was important to get to know them as you could get a critique if the film was worth going to the second night.

The County Cinema was opened in 1939 and was burned down in the early ‘50s. While the building was being rebuilt screenings were transferred on a temporary basis to Jackie Elliott’s Plaza further up Spencer Street and across the road from where I lived until I was five years and we moved to Marian Row.

Earlier cinemas were located at the rear of Paddy Fahy’s on Main Street and where the Ulster Bank now stands on Ellison Street.

The County Cinema was later converted into a three-screen complex and after it closed down the multi-screen Mayo Movie World opened at Moneen.

Domino’s Pizza now forms part of the old cinema building on Spencer Street.