Early Years
Following a public meeting in April 1853, a fund-raising committee was established, and they had amassed £1200 by October of that year. One of the first subscribers was Sir Richard Bourke, governor of the colony of New South Wales in Australia, who founded the present Australian education system and in 1855 the first farmers' association in Ireland, the Farmers' Club. A building at No. 2 Upper Cecil Street was purchased from Limerick Corporation in February 1855, and work began on its conversion. The building had been constructed in 1833-34 as the Offices of St. Michael's Parish Commissioners to the plans of John Fogarty, who is noted for the design of Plassey House, now the nerve centre of the University of Limerick.
It re-opened on 3 December 1855 with classes provided by the School of Ornamental Art. The new Athenaeum Hall, which was constructed adjacent to the original building, was opened to the public on 3 January 1856, with the first Annual General Meeting of the Athenaeum Society. It was described as the 'finest hall for its special purposes, in Ireland'. Natural light came from three domes in the high roof, and there was an orchestra gallery and seating for up to 600 people. The building was both lecture hall and theatre, intended for both entertainment and education.
The first show to be staged, in January 1856, was a Panorama show of the Crimean War. These shows used early multimedia techniques of sound, provided by an orchestra, visual effects via the magic lantern, and a live narration by an actor to expose the reality of current events. At the time it was a milestone in communication techniques and a precursor to the factual documentaries of television. Many of the leading international theatrical performers of the day would grace the theatre of the Athenaeum over the coming years. Some notable performers included:
- Catherine Hayes, the Limerick-born, internationally acclaimed diva, gave a benefit performance of Handel's Messiah in aid of the procurement of musical instruments for the Limerick Harmonic Society - 1857.
- General Tom Thumb & P. T. Barnum - 1858.
- Percy French, a leading songwriter and entertainer of his day - 1894, 1899, 1912.
- John McCormack, the famous opera singer - 1905.
The Athenaeum also hosted a regular series of lectures and debates. Some of the more notable speakers included:
- William Smith O'Brien, an Irish Nationalist, Member of Parliament (MP) and leader of the Young Ireland movement - 1857.
- John Bright, MP, English orator and statesman - 1868.
- Isaac Butt, founder of the Home Rule League - 1872, 1877.
- William Abraham, MP and Irish Land League activist - 1875, 1889.
- Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, Home Rule MP - 1880.
- John Redmond, MP and leader of the Irish Parliamentry Party - 1882, 1889.
- Michael Davitt, Irish Republican and founder of the Irish National Land League - 1884.
- Maud Gonne, the Irish revolutionary, feminist and actress - 1900.
- Michael Cusack, co-founder of the GAA - 1903.
- Christabel Pankhurst, suffragette and daughter of Emmeline Pankhurst - 1911.
- Sir Roger Casement and Patrick Pearse, Irish Republicans and architects of the 1916 Easter Rising - 1915.
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