 Last April was the first time hearing of the Dromcollogher Cinema Disaster. Maybe it is a sign of my own vintage – taking fifty years to hear of such a human tragedy. I still remember waking up on a February morning to do some study for my Inter Cert, turning on the radio and hearing of the Stardust Disaster. As one who would have been with my grandfather to many different sports grounds, watching the F.A. Cup semi-final at Hillsborough unfold on the television is well engraved on my own grey surface – on our recent visit to Liverpool, I was happy that my nine-year old accompanied me while we went to stand and remember at the memorial at Anfield – just a week after the inquest jury findings. In May 1985, four of us should have been studying for our second year exams – results subsequently proved that 75% of us needed extra study time. Study lost out to a trip to the beach at Clogherhead. I still remember heading through the pub door with the Bradford City fire disaster on the television – I thought of how many timber stands I had stood to watch matches and get out of the rain. As blogged previously, I first learned of the collapse of the Carmody Hotel from a sign. Last April, taking a road not previously travelled and involving a decent detour on the trip to Baile an Fheirteártaigh / An Buailtín, I stopped in Dromcollogher and was photographing a plaque at the old co-operative when spotted by JOD. I explained my interest in signs and plaques and was then educated for the first time as to the Cinema Fire – and the memorials at the Library and the church. A tweet this morning from Irish History Links reminded me of the event. The Dromcollogher Cinema Fire claimed 48 lives – the same number of fatalities as the Stardust in 1981. The fire at the Dromcollogher Cinema happened 90 years ago – 5th September, 1926. |     |
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