The 60-year history of Castlederg’s much-missed cinema

FOR almost 60 years, generations of locals gathered to enjoy the magic of the movies in Castlederg. It all began in 1934, a little after the height of the cinema boom, with the town’s first screening of ‘The King of Kings’, an American silent movie.

The idea for a town cinema came from local man Lesley Stewart, who built what was described as a ‘heavy wooden structure with cladding in between corrugated tin and wood for soundproofing’.

The building soon became not just a cinema but also a community hub, hosting boxing competitions as early as 1937 that drew crowds from far and wide.

Much of what is known about the old picture house comes from the late Tommy Maguire, who managed the cinema for its final 20 years and spoke fondly about it in a 2014 interview with the Ulster Herald.

“The type of structure may sound flimsy today,” Tommy recalled, “but many modern buildings have had roofs torn off in storms. The old cinema never lost a screw.”

Inside, the single-screen hall boasted a 29-foot proscenium and an RCA sound system, seating up to 300 people. By 1944, Mr Stewart officially registered it as Castlederg Cinemas Ltd, before passing it on to Lifford man William Barry and his father-in-law, Harry Wilson.

Soon, the venue was thriving with bingo nights and talent shows that became staples of local life.

And if there was one genre that packed the seats, Tommy said, it was Western films.

“There was a suggestion box in the cinema,” he remembered. “Seven out of ten people wanted Westerns. You could be sure when the weekend came, it was a Western that was on.”

Fittingly, Tommy himself became part of the area’s film history, producing a locally made ‘spud Western’ in 1974 called ‘Gunhawks’, followed later by ‘The Return of the Gunhawks’.

During his time as manager, the cinema screened major hits such as The Exorcist, Dirty Harry and The Sound of Music. But like many local picture houses, the Derg cinema began to struggle in the 1970s as televisions and video players became more common.

“The new technology of the video took its toll on many cinemas in those days,” Tommy said.

Still, the community wasn’t ready to let it go.

A local cinema club revived the venue with a fresh coat of paint and renewed enthusiasm.

“Many local hands gave it a facelift inside and outside,” said Tommy. “Low and behold, it was rolling again,”

But eventually, the curtain fell for good. In 1992, after six decades of entertainment, the Derg cinema closed its doors – its final screening fittingly titled The Last Picture Show.

“After 60 years of giving entertainment to the public, Father Time said it was time to go,” lamented Tommy.

When the building was finally demolished in 2014, Tommy stood watching with quiet emotion. “It absolutely meant the world to me,” he said. “I could have lived and slept in it.”

Sadly, Tommy, a renowned fundraiser who raised many thousands for charity, passed away the following year. However, his memory and that of the cinema he had so much affection for, still lives on in the Castlederg area.