asks Pat Poland

Opening its doors to the public in July 1760, it was regarded as one of Cork’s finest buildings. Its dimensions made it the largest theatre in Ireland outside of Dublin. Every famous artiste who performed in Ireland played Cork’s Theatre Royal.

In 1827 it was closed for a time for refurbishment, and the Cork Constitution for 24 April of that year gave an insight into what the theatre may have looked like on the night of its burning some years later:
“Last night the theatre opened under the direction and management of Mr. Macarthy, and we were highly pleased to observe the improvements. This theatre is now one of the neatest and most compact in Ireland, and little inferior to many of note in the Metropolis of the Sister Kingdom. All the boxes are newly moulded in gold and tastefully festooned with pink satin. The seats are newly covered and backed most comfortably. The seats in the pit are also covered with green cloth, which, together with the light appearance of the house, and the brilliancy of the gas, has a very pretty effect indeed.”

However, theatres at the time were notoriously susceptible to fire. With little or no effective fire separation between stage and auditorium, many had a common roof extending over both areas. Lighting was by gas, but supplementary lighting in the form of hanging lamps, sconces and candles was also used.

Limelight, used to create brilliant effects on stage, was created by heating pure lime by means of the constant application of gas-fired burners. Very little supervision was exercised by the authorities who were far more concerned with an actress showing a naughty glimpse of leg than with public safety.

Some nights before the fire a curious thing happened. The theatre had closed for the night, and it appeared that everyone had gone home, but two women were left on the premises, quietly working away in a remote corner.

One of them thought she got a peculiar smell, and on investigation, found a bottle with a candle lighting in it, hidden near some flammable material.
She called her friend, and when they went to snuff it out, the bottle exploded, scattering burning liquid all around. Fortunately, with great presence of mind, they managed to quench the incipient blaze.

In the early hours of Palm Sunday, 12 April, 1840, Cork’s Theatre Royal was totally destroyed in a fire. The blaze was discovered just after two o’clock in the morning when flames were observed bursting out through the roof. As the news spread throughout the city, the church bells began ringing the traditional ‘reverse peal’ (known as ‘ringing the bells backwards’) to alert the various firefighting agencies.

Continue reading in this week’s Ireland’s Own