The Savoy, St Patrick's Street

The former Savoy Cinema heralded a new era of entertainment for Corkonians when it opened its doors to the public on May 12, 1932. In later life it has been a shopping centre with it now available for a new use.

It was officially opened by the then Lord Mayor, Frank Daly. The new theatre, which seated almost 2,250 patrons cost £148,000 to construct and in his address to the assembled crowd on that first night, The Savoy Cinema became a leading venue for the Cork Film Festival when it started in 1956.

Throughout the decades, the festival has seen a number of famous faces arrive in Cork including Virginia McKenna and Peter Finch for the Irish premiere of A Town Like Alice. Notably, Jean Seberg and June Thorburn also made an appearance at the festival in 1959 and 1960, respectively.

The glory days of the Savoy Cinema began to decline in the 1970s, however, as television became more popular. 1975 marked the end of an era as the cinema closed its door on Friday, January 31 after the final screening of Cops and Robbers. A special gala was arranged for the following night, which presented the Irish premiere of The Towering Inferno.

Rory played the Savoy on a number of occasions most notably with both line ups of Taste, sharing a line up with The Dubliners & the Miami Showband. The compere was with the man who became an Irish broadcasting legend in Gay Byrne. 

Rory returned to the Savoy in the early 1970s with his solo act backed by musicians Gerry McAvoy & Wilgar Campbell to chaotic scenes.

“Rory Gallagher won't be playing his Irish hometown again, not for a long while anyway.  It's a little after 10 p.m. in the town's Savoy Cinema, and about 40 youths have just legged and swung their way across the dry moat of the organ pit.

It's about a 15 ft drop into the pit, and it's about 20 ft wide, and these guys hang onto the edge of the stage with their fingernails – suddenly the front of the stage just collapses.

Bodies and wood hit the base of the pit.  Gallagher, Wilgar Campbell and Gerry McAvoy rock on as the safety curtain slams down.

But there are people everywhere, people in uncontrollable fits of frenzy and hysteria, who sort of appear in ghostly flashes, and cart away parts of the drum kit, then sling bottles at the dressing room windows. Remember Beatlemania?  Thought audiences like that didn't exist?  Well, boy oh boy, they do.

The cinema seats lie topsy turvy fashion, drunk and wounded, with a fair amount of rips and slashes spewing forth their stuffing.

So how did it all happen?

After only one number, there was a standing – and pretty loose standing – ovation.  The cinema was manned only by sweet little usherettes, and a few elderly ushers, armed with torches and the experience that comes with lighting up back-seat snoggers, and organizing guys with long raincoats who populate the front. The organization certainly looked a little frail for a rock concert.

As the band played on, it was openly obvious that the slightest excuse would send them totally mad with emotion. They were restless in their seats.  Several rushed the front and were somehow sent back.

Then as Gallagher spun into “Sinner Boy,” the whole thing erupted. For the usher in the center aisle – a quick trip to the floor, and Hell just broke loose.

Gallagher, obviously worried by what's happening, speaks into the mike, tells them to calm it or he won't be allowed back – or for that matter, will anybody.  He tries a more gentle number, it succeeds for a while, but as more heavy rock follows, the whole thing gets awfully out of hand, then totally out of hand. The stage is mounted, the curtains are up and down, and all over the place, there's people front stage, backstage, looming around, and it's just general chaos.

In the questionable safety of his dressing room Gallagher sighs, “I just wish things like that wouldn't happen. It's great having such an audience, but when they go that far, well they spoil it for everyone.”

The promoter assures all that it looks like a total ban on Gallagher, and on rock concerts. So much for rock mania.” -  Roy Hollingsworth of Melody Maker magazine