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Bernard Berney at the dedication of the Town Hall Theatre to the late Pat Dunlea a vital contributor to the Kilcullen DramaGroup who was instrumental in supporting this impulse from 1994. It was Pat's vision that brought about the Theatre and Foyer as we know it today. |
It was in 1999 that a major overhaul took place with the addition of the heritage centre. The building was opened to coincide with the arrival of the new Millennium, which was ushered in with a massive street party. The redevelopment was spearheaded by local Garage Owner Pat Dunlea. The majority of funds came from the local community - in particular The Local Drama Group and KDA as well as some grants from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and Islands. Through a stroke of genius Pat also managed to get the support of Volvo Europe, who donated the luxurious car seats now in use in the auditorium. Today the Town Hall houses the Heritage Centre, is a home for a very active Drama Group and the Heritage Group. It is used by a multitude of groups, not only from within the community but also from the wider Kildare area and is administered by a company limited by guarantee, with directors drawn from the community groups with an interest in using the hall regularly. See also Town Hall…
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| Town Hall after first wave of renovations in 1994 note the Foyer did not exist at that time |
Origin of the Town Hall Cinema.
An Article in The Bridge Magazine by Noel Clare which appeared in June, July and September 1977
The Town Hall Cinema is passing through a period of change; the boom time that it experienced as the top Cinema in Kildare, is undoubtedly over. These days it lies desolate with doors closed for the greater part of the year, opening only for periodic bursts of activity such as Capers, Drama productions and, of course, the weekly Bingo. Hopefully under its new management, the Cinema will grow and come alive again, bringing year-long entertainment to the people of Kilcullen, as it did in even prosperous days.
Questions are often asked about the Cinema. "Who owns it? Where did it come from? Will films be shown there again? What will become of it in the future?"
Over the next couple of months 'The Bridge' will be looking at the origins and history of the Town Hall Cinema, and plans and hopes for its future development.
The Beginning
On March the 2nd 1930 all the "principal householders of the town were invited to attend a meeting at 12 o'clock noon, in the Boys National School; the object of the meeting was to" form a committee for the purpose of organising a scheme to provide the Town of Kilcullen with a suitable Town Hall, and to raise funds in this connection" (Notice there was no mention of a Cinema.)
Today, there are only two surviving members of the group that attended that first meeting - James Kelly and James Collins. The others, although now deceased are undoubtedly well within the memory of most Kilcullen people- William Donegan, Patrick Dowling, Thomas Orford, Andrew Nolan, Alfred Brennan, James Quinn, Dan Brennan, Patrick Byrne, N.T and James Byrne. Only one Lady - Miss N. Dorley attended. The first president of the committee was Fr. Moynhan.
Early work proceeded with apparently great haste. Within only a week of that first meeting, £163 in subscriptions had been promised- coming mostly from the committee members themselves. (A considerable sum of money 47 years ago.) Subsequent work proceeded at a seemingly slower pace. It was not until January 1933 that an engineer was called in to give an estimate of the cost of a new hall. First estimates were £530 for a concrete and asbestos structure. The search for a site resulted in the acquisition, from the Brown Estate, of an area then known as the 'burned buildings' Cost- £25.
By this time the Committee felt that after three years of talking it was now time to do some work. Suggestions were made that "as much as the hall as funds would allow, should be built immediately and the remainder added at a later date." It was even suggested that if the walls were lowered by ten feet, the enormous sum of £20 could be saved!
Obstacle
Before building commenced a first major obstacle was encountered by the committee.One of the major fundraising events for the new hall was a Bazaar and Carnival; at this, a woman was knocked down and injured by a lorry being driven on the field. Subsequent analysis of the insurance policy covering the event showed that it did not cover moving vehicles. Thus, a claim for compensation was lodged with the committee. Although this, no doubt, put a damper on the spirit and enthusiasm of the committee members, they continued with their plans under the chairmanship of Alfred Brennan. A tender by P. Kelly & Co. of Portlaoise, to erect a steel structure was accepted in April 1933. One of the conditions under which the tender was accepted was that all unskilled labour necessary for the project be drawn from the local unemployed. This was accepted, and in May of the same year the first stage of the new hall - the steel infrastructure - was erected. The remainder of the hall was completed during the following months, the entire cost coming to £569. The opening night was set for Wednesday, November 1 sl 1933.
Opening
In October, the:first ever meeting was held in the new hall. The official opening in November would take place at a dance in the hall, admission to which would cost 7/6. It was undoubtedly a must successful night. A bus was even hired in Dublin to "bring the dancers and guests expected from the City". Catering was done by Mrs. Lawlor from Naas. So, due to the enterprising work of the "principal householders" of Kilcullen, the Town Hall was opened 44 years ago. But all was not well. A week after the opening of the Town Hall entered a rather stormy and uncertain period, in which problem after problem cropped up.
Debt
The excitement of the opening night of the New Town Hall had hardly ceased when the committee found itself faced with great expense. Last month we told how a woman was injured at a fundraising bazaar. The insurance policy did not cover the particular accident and so in-November, 1933, the injured party was awarded £200 damages plus £100 costs- half of which was to be paid by the committee. The members were therefore faced with the task of finding £150 within three weeks. The entire issue led to much dissension and tension among those involved. Some felt that they were unnecessarily generous in the case. Others that an appeal should be made to indemnify the committee. In any event a cheque for £150 was paid at a meeting one week after the issuing of the decree. In the meantime, many other bills including that of Kelly's, the builders, remained unpaid.
Cinema
The idea of using the hall to show :films had been around for some time. A number of interested parties were contracted but films on a regular basis did not materialise for some time-the only films shown were those of the various travelling companies of the time. A successful St. Stephen's Night dance did materialise and it may be of interest to digress a little at this point and see how a dance might have been run 40 years ago. It seems that most workers for the night were actually paid for their efforts; for instance the minutes of a meeting held in connection with the dance tell us that "it was proposed that a man be hired to draw water and keep the fires going. He is to be paid 5/- and his supper. He may dance when he is free". Others were paid for washing up, cloakroom etc. Tickets for the dance were expensive, even compared to do-days inflationary prices - 6/- for a single ticket and 10/- for a double.
National School
Some suggestions were made as to how the debt could be cleared. The Vocational Education Committee had for some time been interested in starting classes in Kilcullen. They now expressed interest in building a school on the remainder of site but their offer was not accepted. A carpentry school was similarly rejected- on the grounds that it might damage the floor.
Although some money did come in from the letting of the hall and the running of Card Tournaments and dances, it was not nearly enough. Just one year after building the debt had risen to £450- even the builders had not yet been paid. At this time there was seemingly little active support from the towns people and many members of the Committee had lost interest. Meetings were now being attended by only a few regular members and often a quorum was not even reached. It was inevitable that with such a large debt and so little support the idea of selling the hall should eventually arise. Sergeant Meaney, who was, since the beginning, a most active committee member, said that the hall would be worth £ 100 and that if such a price could be obtained, the debt could be cleared and a new hall built at the end of the town. Alfie Brennan told his fellow members of a gentleman who would be interested in buying the hall to start a button factory. But no positive move was made and the committee struggled on, raising what money it could by its own efforts.
C.Y.M.S.
For a time it seemed that a C.Y.M.S. Committee might save the hall by running a club in the hall for menfolk of the town. The club functioned for only a short time. It is not clear what happened in the years from 1937 to 1941 but in any event the hall debt was not cleared.
Finally in May 1941, when the hall was, only eight years old, six members of the committee decided in view of the fmancial difficulties which had arisen to sell the hall for the sum of £300.12.9. covering the amount due for all liabilities .
The decision to sell was made at a meeting attended by only six people- hardly representative of those with an interest in the hall. But, for a long time attendance at meetings had been very poor, with the result that the administration of the affairs of the hall fell into the hands of a few. It is hardly surprising that these few eventually decided to sell and clear the debt for which they were directly responsible.
As soon as word spread that the hall was to be sold, the rest of the committee were stirred into action and gathered to see how they might possibly prevent the sale. After much discussion they passed a resolution stating:
"This meeting ... is of the opinion that the best interest of this district would be served by the control of the Kilcullen Town Hall being kept by the Hall Committee.
We are opposed to its sale to any private person or company for use as a mere profit making concern."
Three people were appointed to take whatever steps necessary, to preserve Kilcullen Town Hall for the purpose for which public funds were raised to build it. Their efforts came too late, however, and the hall was sold three weeks later in May, 1941.For the next ten years Kilcullen was without a Town Hall. That which had been built from public funds was now privately owned and functioned as a Cinema-successfully too, by all accounts. In the meantime efforts continued in an attempt to regain control of the Hall. These were spearheaded by Messrs. P. Byrne, N.T., P.G. Dowling, and T. Orford and culminated in 1951, in the entire issue being taken to court. The matter ended in the High Court where, eventually, terms of consent between both parties were set forth by Court Order. Under the agreement the then owners were to be paid £1,000 for improvements, which they had carried out. Upon payment, the Town Hall would once again be the property of the people of Kilcullen. The Court Order also directed that every member of the original Town Hall Committee should be summoned to a meeting to appoint officers, trustees, etc., to administer the affairs of the re-acquired Hall. In pursuance of this order, a registered letter announcing the meeting was sent to the ten surviving members of the original Committee. NOT ONE ATTENDED.
Other interested parties were invited to a later meeting and a new committee was formed. Mr. P. Byrne, N.T. was elected Chairman, P.G. Dowling, Secretary, T. Orford, Treasurer and J. Collins, Vice Chairman. Others on the new committee were Messrs. W. Kinahan, P.Cosgrove, J. Aspell, W. Walker, Mrs, Gill, Mrs.Walker, and Mrs. Byrne.
No major changes were made in the structure and organisation of the committee and hall during the following years, and it continued to function successfully as a Cinema. Boxing Tournaments, Drama Productions and other live shows were also heard. How many can remember the travelling shows of Jim Loving and Val Vousden? How many remember the visits of a group called the Harmonichords. They played for £5 per night and spent most of it in Berneys after the show. Later they achieved fame and fortune as The Bachelors.
When the task of buying and booking films became too great for the committee, they decided to employ a man to take over the job. It was then that Paddy Melia, who at the time was working in Kildare Cinema, became Cinema manager in Kilcullen. Under his management the Town Hall reached its peak as a Cinema. Top films were on show weekly and attracted crowds from all over the county. In the late sixties/early seventies, with the increase in popularity of television and the difficulty in procuring new films, the Cinema began to decline. Crowds dwindled as second-rate films were shown, and more luxurious cinemas opened in neighbouring towns. The last films were shown in 1976.
And so, after forty-four years, the Town Hall Cinema is once again at a crossroads. What does the future hold? Hopefully in next month's 'Bridge' we will outline the present position of the Cinema and plans for its future.
