The times we lived in

The picture house Published September 9th, 1967 Photograph by Dermot Barry

Once upon a time, cinemas were purpose-built, somewhere you had to go if you wanted to watch a movie. Most of these buildings have been reused or recycled now, including the Sutton Cinema in north Dublin, pictured here, which is now a branch of Superquinn.

Our story from 1967 reports that the cinema was bought by Quinn’s Supermarkets Ltd for £100,000. It had been in the movie business for 30 years. The transformation saw the building swell to more than double its size and provide ample parking spaces – a facility that wasn’t high on the priority list in the heyday of the local picture house.

When the photo was taken the cinema had just one week of life left to go, which may account for the slightly spooky mood it evokes. Or maybe it’s the unhappy expression on the face of the elderly gentleman sitting on the grotty concrete bench, its side stained with who knows what. He is switching from one set of glasses to another, perhaps in an attempt to get some more acceptable-looking news from his paper.

Next to him on the bench a woman gazes across the street, as if mesmerised by its eerie emptiness. The cars complete the surreal retro feel.

This could be a still from a Stephen King movie – complete with ironic touches such as the 7Up delivery van on the far right and the “grocer” sign to the left (signs of things to come, obviously).

Since the 1960s the Superquinn chain has had some dramas of its own though it is still with us, one of the few Irish supermarkets left on the scene. But supermarkets are changing too. Remember when they used to be places where you had to go if you wanted to buy essential household supplies such as food or toilet roll? Now – especially as Christmas looms – they’re more like cinemas, places where people go at weekends for entertainment. Or in search of such household essentials as camping equipment and cordless drills.

[ irishtimes.com/archive ]