New calendar for 2025 released by Dromcollogher group

The 2025 calendar “DROMCOLLOGHER Remembers – Memories of the Past” is now on sale in local Dromcollogher shops and was launched at the town hall information day last Saturday.

The event was organized by the research team of Dromcollogher26, a local community group set up to work in the lead up to the centenary of the Dromcollogher film disaster.

The information day on Saturday was quite active. Its purpose was to open a discussion about the Burning (movie disaster) and its aftermath, as well as to discuss upcoming commemorations.

In the hall, an interesting exhibition of documents and photographs was displayed on pedestals and tables. Many people brought their souvenirs with them, as well as their family stories.

All of this will be reviewed and added to a new report on how Dromcollogher and his men dealt with the great disaster. We greatly appreciate the input and cooperation of everyone who contributed to this event.

As for the calendar, it is very popular. It contains so many photographs that it depicts almost every family in the city. Priced at 10 euros, the calendar will be an essential gift for Dromcollogher’s friends and family around the world.

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The Dromcollogher Cinema disaster was a tragedy that occurred in 1926, in which 48 residents of the small town of West Limerick were killed. These people, ranging in age from seven to 68, attended a film screening in the attic of a local warehouse.

The candle ignited flammable spools of nitrocellulose film, setting fire to a wooden structure that had only one exit. This meant that escape was impossible for many – hence the high loss of life. It was a tragic accident that shocked the entire country and reverberated throughout the world.

The Dromcollogher cinema fire, which occurred shortly after the founding of the state, was one of the worst disasters in modern Irish history. The Stardust disaster of 1981 has many parallels with the Dromcolloger disaster – public entertainment, a local establishment, youth, hell and exactly the same death toll – 48 lives!

All such events are very tragic, but despite occurring in such a small community, the level of destruction caused by the Dromcollogher cinema disaster was extreme – almost one in ten residents died in this terrible fire.