Old B&W Photos Of Dublin - Part 1

[nansson]

.......more

[nansson]

The only thing I own connected with The Royal

[rosebud]

great stuff.

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

The only thing I own connected with The Royal

A small treasure indeed Nans...Note Tommy Dando mentioned on the prog....I loved that fella as a kid, he created a great sense of occasion when.....prior to the show opening the first thing you would hear was the superb surround sound of that beautiful Compton organ...(that model very rare they say) coming out of - what seemed to us kids - nowhere, then.....from stage left a section of the floor would slowly slide aside.........and bit by bit the spotlight would pick out this person rising out of the floor, with the organ glittering with coloured lights. To me as a kid....twas like a spaceship.....with Tommy turned facing the audience, a huge smile on his face as he waved to the house...I always asked myself.....'how do they do that'..

Tommy always did the 'graveyard spot' and would warm up the audience by playing magical tunes, generally old music hall stuff and some modern for ten or fifteen mins, entertaining and creating a huge build-up of atmosphere before they raised the curtain.........that's when you knew you were in the Royal.

I looked high and low for a pic of the man to see exactly what he looked like, because I'd forgotten.....and how chuffed I was to find this very rare impression....

Viva le Tommy Dando !!! very much 'a part of Dublin in the rare oul times'.

PS; Loads more on the Royal starting here = http://dublinforum.net/forum/showpos...&postcount=203

http://dublinforum.net/forum/showthread.php?t=11318&highlight=cinemas&page=6

[nansson]

That's a great shot DT......I tried to remember what he looked like and now I know.

When he was buried about 20 years ago, there was murder in Glasnevin cemetary...every time they lowered the coffin, it came back up again..!

[Aulddub]

Great memories of the Royal and Tommy Dando there, thanks.We certainly were in awe of him as kids. That was real entertainment, a live show, not whats dished up today. I love the crack about the coffin, good one Nansson. I wonder was Dando his real or a stage name?. I remember Peggy Dell who played the piano in Fullers Cafe in Grafton Street, her real name was Tisdell I think.

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

That's a great shot DT......I tried to remember what he looked like and now I know.

When he was buried about 20 years ago, there was murder in Glasnevin cemetary...every time they lowered the coffin, it came back up again..!

Ha ha !....there is very very little about Tommy Dando on the net, any info is mainly found in books....but that pic says it all, except he used to have a huge grin as I remember it. Always referred to as the famous theatre organist, he was respected the world over.

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

Great memories of the Royal and Tommy Dando there, thanks.We certainly were in awe of him as kids. That was real entertainment, a live show, not whats dished up today. I love the crack about the coffin, good one Nansson. I wonder was Dando his real or a stage name?. I remember Peggy Dell who played the piano in Fullers Cafe in Grafton Street, her real name was Tisdell I think.

The greatest shock of my life was when I appeared on the stage at the Royal aged 6 as one of Paddy Crosbie's 'pupils' in his annual xmass stage show of the radio programme 'The School Around The Corner'....I was a little nervous in the lead-up to the show, but the Da tutored me for weeks in what I had to sing for the singing bit.....the rest was the chat....and a competition with all the lads at the end....but when I walked out there into those lights.....bloody hell !!!! the oul legs went to jelly.

All my spies tell me Dando was his real name......the Royal we knew was the third Royal built 1936....the previous two were burned out.....the original site was an old meat market......the Royal held 4000 people.......it was closed in 1962 because it wasn't making enough money......then we got the iconic (not) Hawkins House. It was said that Mickser Reid got a lot of wages from the Royal over the years, ironically he got a job as builders nipper when they were knocking it down.....what can you say ?.

[camden]

Great memories of the Royal and Tommy Dando there, thanks.We certainly were in awe of him as kids. That was real entertainment, a live show, not whats dished up today. I love the crack about the coffin, good one Nansson. I wonder was Dando his real or a stage name?. I remember Peggy Dell who played the piano in Fullers Cafe in Grafton Street, her real name was Tisdell I think.

Peggy Dell played for many years in Cavandish's furniture store in Grafton St.She had two musicians playing with her.There was a Bass Player and a Drummer.

He eventually got a " proper " job working in the store when they finished playing there.I remember he looked quite like Jimmy Campbell from the Theatre Royal.

[nansson]

Peggy Dell played for many years in Cavandish's furniture store in Grafton St.She had two musicians playing with her.There was a Bass Player and a Drummer.

He eventually got a " proper " job working in the store when they finished playing there.I remember he looked quite like Jimmy Campbell from the Theatre Royal.

Peggy now has a special place with musicians.....Rhyming slang for smell is 'Peggy' (Dell - Smell)

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

Peggy Dell played for many years in Cavandish's furniture store in Grafton St.She had two musicians playing with her.There was a Bass Player and a Drummer.

He eventually got a " proper " job working in the store when they finished playing there.I remember he looked quite like Jimmy Campbell from the Theatre Royal.

An earlier contribution from Cosmo shows Jimmy Campbell with flower in lapel along with Mickser Reid and others from the Royal. Can anyone put names to the others ?.

[cosmo]

cecil Sheridan left and john molloy on right behind in the hats .

[pegasus]

I'm probably wrong but the man beside the gentleman with the cap looks a little like Norman Wisdom.

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

cecil Sheridan left and john molloy on right behind in the hats .

The Ma and her bros and sisters used to hang out with Cecil around Clanbrassil St when they were kids....great stories of fun times back then. Smashin pic Cos. Here's 'Back from Congo'.

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

hi ,is that fitzy in the middle with his c.i.e. cap on ?

LOL....he'll kill ya ye know. Guinns 1953.