Lyceum Picture Theatre
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| Lyceum Picture Theatre Former Dublin Cinema |
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| Address: | 45 Mary Street, Dublin 1 |
| Number of screens: | One |
| Former Names: | Volta Electric Theatre (1909-1921) |
| Closed: | c.1948 |
| Seats: | 600 |
| Current status: | Demolished |
The Volta Electric Theatre in Dublin (later renamed the Lyceum Picture Theatre) was Ireland's first dedicated cinema. Later demolished, the spot is occupied at present by Penney's.
In the early 1900s, demand for moving pictures was fierce, and as a result many cinemas were springing up all over the world. After visiting Trieste, James Joyce was determined to bring a cinema to Ireland, so after receiving the backing of his Italian friends, he set up the Volta Electric Theatre on Mary Street. The cinema opened its doors on 20 December 1909.
Joyce however soon became disillusioned with the venture, as the cinema mainly showed films from Europe and Italy, which were largely shunned by Dubliners at the time. After seven months Joyce withdrew his involvement and the cinema was sold to the British Provincial Cinema Company. The cinema managed to stay open until 1919.
In 1921, the cinema was reopened as the Lyceum Picture Theatre. The cinema had been altered, raising the number of seats from 420 to 600. In the 1940s, Capitol and Allied Theatres Ltd acquired the cinema, however it only stayed open until 1948 when it closed its doors for the last time. Ironically, despite lasting almost 40 years, the cinema was rarely successful.
Penney's bought the building along with adjacent shops and built on its site a department store. For many years the site of Ireland's first cinema was unknown to many as there were no plaques or notices commemorating it. However on 12 June 2007 this was rectified when a plaque was unveiled on the original site marking the significance of 45 Mary Street.
