In 1956, there were no fewer than 56 separate cinemas across Dublin city and its surroundings. Practically every village and suburb had its own cinema. By 2005, there were only 12 of them left. This talk will cover some of the main city centre cinemas, as well as some of those in the suburbs, with photographs to remind the audience of their memories of ‘going to the flics’. Stories from the audience will be very welcome.

Bio: Dr Mary Muldowney is the Dublin City Council Historian in Residence for Dublin Central. She likes to use oral history interviews in her research, to reach out to people who lived through the times they are describing. She is the co-editor of Saothar, the journal of the Irish Labour History Society and a member of the organising committee of the ILHS. Mary is also a member of the Expert Working Group for Grangegorman Histories, for which she is directing a pilot oral history project with retired staff of St. Brendan’s Hospital. She currently working on a history of the Dublin Cattle Market with Dr. Declan O’Brien.