No matter where I am in my beloved Dublin, the past comes back not to haunt me but to inspire and enthral me.

The evening shadows were falling on a cold, wet November evening as I stood waiting for a bus to take me home. Opposite me the bleak rear walls of Pearse Garda Station, to my rear the Screen Cinema, overlooked by Hawkins House. Not a pleasant location and as the rain continued to fall my thoughts went back through the years.

The Theatre Royal, that great house in Hawkins Street, what great memories in the history of the dramatic arts and of Dublin through the years is embroiled in its history.

On February 9th 1880, in the middle of the day a fire broke out about an hour before the matinee performance of the pantomime ‘Ali Baba’ and the famous old lady of Hawkins Street was burned to the ground. The manager Mr Francis Egerton lost his life.

All the drapery, curtains and scenes, were destroyed in the blaze and at around 2pm the roof collapsed and despite all efforts of Fire Chief Captain Ingram, all was destroyed.

But what of its beginnings? The Theatre Royal was opened on January 18th 1821, designed by English man Samuel Beazley and it seated over 2,000 people. In 1880, as described, it was destroyed by fire and in 1897 the new Theatre Royal, designed by architect Frank Matcham had its grand opening.

On March 17th 1908 the world heavyweight boxing title between Jem Roche and Tommy Burns took place there and in 1821 The Royal introduced its first pantomime– ‘Dick Whittington And His Cat’. This building was demolished in 1934.

A new theatre, this time incorporating the Regal Rooms, was opened by Seán Lemass on September 23rd 1935 and a large Compton organ was put in place in the auditorium and of course played by the great Tommy Dando. Remember the Royalettes, chorus girls, dancers under Babs De Monte and Alice Dalgrano and the orchestra under the baton of dapper Jimmy Campbell complete with rose in lapel.

A highlight in the theatre’s history during this period came in June 1959 when the theatre held the World Premiere of ‘Darby O’Gill And The Little People’ and the event was attended by Walt Disney.

Sadly and unnecessarily, this great theatre closed its doors on June 30th 1962 and was demolished by November and Hawkins House appeared on it site.

After its closure all the contents were sold by auction on July 11th the same year. At the Grand Finale Cecil Sherdan said “I hope I see the day when someone knocks down an office block and build a theatre.”

So, yes, as I stood on a wet November night waiting on my bus I could see beyond Hawkins House and recapture in my mind the great tradition of theatre-going Dublin.

Pictures of the Theatre Royal from the 1940s: Comedian Jimmy O’Dea with a chorus line; the facade pictured about 1944.