Limerick historian investigates shocking cinema fire that claimed 48 lives in Dromcollogher in 1926

Now, Dr Walsh is embarking on an ambitious project to collect personal accounts, family stories, and historical records about the tragic incident that claimed the lives of 48 people in the small West Limerick village, the youngest of whom was James Kenny, aged just 6, and the oldest, Mary Turner, who was born in 1858.

The fire broke out in a small makeshift cinema set up above a shop during a screening, after a candle ignited a reel of highly-inflammable nitrate film, sparking an inferno that engulfed the room.

Dr Walsh explained the layout of the room as it was almost 100 years ago, in a space that is now occupied by the Dromcollogher Memorial Library:

"The only entrance in and out of the building is through a front door that's suddenly on fire, and the only exit out of the building at the back are two square windows."

The University of Limerick-based historian hopes that by collecting stories from surviving family members, he can help preserve the legacy of the victims and document the profound impact the fire had on the tight-knit community.

The fire "devastated families in ways that lasted generations," Dr Walsh said. With connections to the tragedy himself, he recounts how his grandmother, from Feenagh, would have known one of the victims, Violet Irwin, who was just 14 when she perished in the inferno.

In his search for other personal accounts, Dr Walsh uncovered an extraordinary range of perspectives. "Dr Kathleen Lynn, who was well-known in Ireland, visited the site and wrote in her diary about the funeral in great detail," he noted.

He read another diary account from Aloys Fleischmann, a musician who was only 16 at the time of the incident. He detailed how he went to see a Valentino film soon after hearing of the fire as a way to get over the sadness. "People have different ways of looking at it, and I'm just really interested in understanding that," Dr Walsh added.

Several respondents have already shared compelling family accounts, such as one from the grandson of a state soldier who helped with the recovery on the night. "This gentleman never fully recovered from what he had seen that night, and he lived until the early 1970s so that's nearly 50 years later dealing with that," Dr Walsh recounted.

As the 100th anniversary of the tragedy looms, Dr Walsh hopes more private letters and personal diaries might surface as people hear about his project. "These archives often go unseen because people don't realise their historical value," he said.

Willing to even anonymize any letters to ensure people feel comfortable with sharing their families' histories, he added: "I want to reassure anyone who might have letters or diaries from that time that I'm not interested in publishing private details unrelated to the event. My focus is purely on understanding how people processed this tragedy."

Since 2019, Dr Walsh has been working through archives with support from the Royal Irish Academy, which awarded him a grant to continue his research.

His plans include an exhibition of selected letters for the 99th anniversary next year, as well as a published book for the centenary. "For the exhibition, we'll display the most powerful letters, the ones that bring out the poetry and sadness of those sentiments. Some of the language is beautiful, even in grief."