New working group to plan centenary remembrance for Dromcollogher Cinema Disaster

THE establishment of a working group to plan the centenary commemorations of the Dromcollogher cinema fire of 1926 has been announced.

This group, 'Dromcollogher26', intends to honour and preserve the memory of the 48 victims who died. The group are also researching the impact of 'The Burning' on the families of the victims and survivors.

Minister Patrick O’Donovan, TD met with local community representatives from Dromcollogher last week who have established a volunteer group to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the Dromcollogher cinema fire, in which 48 people tragically lost their lives.

Following the meeting, the Minister has announced that his Department will establish a working group with local participation to develop and implement a programme of commemorative events and measures to appropriately mark the centenary of this tragic event. Central to the programme will be a formal commemorative event to be held in Dromcollogher in September 2026.

Minister O’Donovan said:

“The community in Dromcollogher has never forgotten the tragic events of 100 years ago in which so many of their relatives, friends and neighbours perished. I want to commend Gerry Keyes and the local voluntary group who have been working so hard to plan for next year’s anniversary.

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"My Department will work closely with the people of Dromcollogher to ensure that we have a meaningful, appropriate and respectful programme to mark this event. This programme must recognise the impact of the fire in 1926 and be firmly rooted in the local community who bore the impact of the dreadful loss of life”. 

Gerry Keyes, chairman of the Dromcollogher 26 Group said:

“The Dromcollogher 26 group are delighted that Minister O'Donovan has engaged with the Dromcollogher Cinema Disaster as a priority, so soon after his appointment to the Department. The group are looking forward to working with the department in the new working group.

"A significant formal commemoration in Dromcollogher in September 2026 will be the shared goal and is a central part of how Dromcollogher 26 wants to honour the memory of the 48 people who died in the Dromcollogher cinema disaster.”

The working group will be established in the coming weeks and further details of the commemorative programme will be announced later this year.