Dublin has had 98 cinemas in its history and the Volta on Mary Street was not the first, according to a book on the capital's picture houses launched last night.
The A-Z of All Old Dublin Cinemas, by George Kearns and Patrick Maguire, lists at least half a dozen venues where films were shown prior to the December 1909 opening of the Volta, which was managed by James Joyce.
The early starters included the Tivoli on Burgh Quay, which showed "bioscope" pictures nightly in 1903, Hale's Cinema on South Anne Street, which dated from 1905, and the Palace Cinema on Townsend Street, which showed movies in 1908.
Films were also shown at the Ancient Concert Rooms on Great Brunswick Street as early as December 1902.
One of the oldest of all, "a cinema in disguise", according to the authors, was Samuel's Bazaar, on Henry Street, where in the late 1880s, a small screen at the back of the shop showed living pictures, while the owner's daughter, "Marcella the Midget Queen", sang to entertain the audience.
The compendium of Dublin cinemas was launched by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Vincent Jackson, and describes the rise and often the fall of every cinema from Rathcoole to Balbriggan.
Cllr Jackson described it as a stroll down memory lane for those who enjoyed "the pictures" in their heyday of the 1940s and 1950s.
"It gives the reader the opportunity to look back at some of the most nostalgic days of cinema in Dublin," he said.
It includes a history of favourites including the Pavilion in Dún Laoghaire, the Theatre Royal and the Capitol.
Maguire's own favourite haunt, the Sundrive Cinema on Sundrive Road in Crumlin, was opened in 1935 and boasted 750 seats that were "tip-up and upholstered in rich tapestry".
The book has been published by its authors and is available in bookshops including Dubray Books Rathmines, Books Unlimited Northside Shopping Centre, Hughes and Hughes in Dún Laoghaire and Santry and Carrig Books in Blackrock. It costs €25 in paperback and €45 in hardback.
