In Reply to: Re: County Cinema posted by Time Flies on October 02, 2000 at 23:03:07:

It was one of those Aegean nights in the middle of summer or maybe it was a wild winters night with the the wind howling around the corners and the rain slashing, and slates sliding down the roofs to guillitine hapless pedestrians below. We were crossing main st. at j.b.'s corner Skipper and i, on our way to the "pictures"as i rushed across the street realised my folly in the face of oncoming traffic stopped and decided to go back and Mr. McGough placid and stoic,cast a benign eye upon me, "hesitate and be lost!" and with that, brolly in hand strode across the street with supreme confidence.Onwards we went passing my favourite shop Collins music store where my eyes would linger and my feet would stop every time longing to be the musician hands on the ivory's fingers on the frets stomping my feet, pounding on the drums,moving along we crossed over castle st. by Lavell's saddles and leather ,girths reins , stirrups, farmers with horses and horses with the land as one and the same now there's a generation i'll nee'r forget rather the smell of dung from a horses arse than carbon monoxide from a cars arse. Moving along with speed we don't go into May Leonard's any more now we smoke real cigarettes from goldens we can't afford a pack but we can buy five players!! or if you fancy some woodbines comon lets get inside . We're in the the lower balcony , it must have been a Sunday night because the place is packed i dont'remember what the first feature was , probably one of those tedious travellogues.The main feature i shall never forget "GIGI" and we're well into the film now and i can feel the crowd becoming restless and a audible murmer is evident, signs of acute boredom as Maurice Chevallier waxes on to the the tune of "Thank heaven for little girls" as Gigi is being groomed for the world by her tuitor and is being questioned on the names of precious stones.e.g. "and what is this one Gigi ?" "diamond" she replies "and what is this one one?" "ruby" she replies " and what is this one"? holding up a green stone Gigi pauses and I yelled out CONNEMARA MARBLE!! at the top of my voice and brought the house down. The entire cinema with the exception of the toofs in the balcony did'nt stop laughing for ten solid minutes . My erstwhile cousin Danny(Daffy) grabed me from the middle row and sequestered me safetly in the side row with the older lads the likes of Donal MCellin, Killeen, Killgannon ,.Whilst Messer's Ainsworth , Roach , and Gresham,prowled the aisles, searchlights seeking faces in never to be found . Yes folks the Castlebar cinema was brought down once! life was never the same afterwards. And if your never going to be as old as i am maybe youl save us a seat in that big picture house in the sky. Butch.

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In Reply to: Re: County Cinema posted by Miss Americanpie on October 05, 2000 at 15:16:48:

Well seeing as how you asked, This one triggered by Murrisk, bottles rolling down the aisle in the cinema, necking in the back row or any row, people cutting up into the balcony at intermission, running across the road to get fags!!,but Batha Roache side swiped me. The american western has fascinated people all over the world nowhere more than the esmerald isle and nowhere more than Co. Mayo as the love of american Country and Western music continues unabated. Did you know that the Castlebar hat factory made the finest stetson hats in the land . The cowboy, riding the range on his appaloosa bringing ten thousand head of steer texas longhorns to Denver, Wyoming.Jeans ,silver belt buckles,winchester rifle hanging from his saddle and a colt forty five hanging from his belt. I can still see that very morning after last mass. My job was to walk up to Wynnes and get the Sunday Newspaper for the old man.I arrived at the top of the hill by market Square i turned the corner and there in the middle of main st. is Powie Roach ,rubber boots , hat, coat, tied with string, challenging all and sundry to beat him to the draw as he brandished his imaginary six shooters, and spiting appropriate yankee ephitets with a very eloquent american drawl spiining on his heels to shoot bushwackers from behind, drunk as a lord provided myself and the church going ,exiting, christians , a royal display, in the town of Castlebar on any given Sunday ! . Butch I say you all come back now you hear by jove crikey gosh gee. Yep.