St. Columb’s Hall

HISTORY OF ST. COLUMB’S HALL St Columb’s Hall was built as a recreational and educational space for the Roman Catholic community in Derry City. The concept of St Columb’s Hall was created by Father William Elliot and the building was designed with Italian style architecture in mind by Architects Messrs Croome and Toye. The founding stone of the hall was laid in July 30th 1886 by Father McMenamin.

The original design of the Hall included a huge auditorium with a stage, a large lecture room, billiard and recreation rooms, committee rooms and living accommodation for a caretaker and his family. The Hall has been at the heart of the Derry community since its founding blocks were laid, and beneath the founding block lies a hermetically sealed bottle containing copies of various press and a message saying ‘St Columb’s Temperance Hall’.

St Columb’s Hall was o cially opened on 1st November 1888 and became a lively social hub for the City of Derry, with many organisations availing of the magni cent space for meetings, lectures and dances. By 1889 the Hall had its own bands, choirs, and drama and music societies. During the 1890s the Hall’s popularity increased, with musicians such as John McCormack, Edward Sousa and The Halle Orchestra playing sold-out concerts in the main auditorium. By the 1940s and 1950s the Hall was rmly placed at the heart of society as local concerts and shows became a regular occurrence. In 1943, the rst St Columb’s Hall pantomime was staged and that was the start of a tradition that only ended in the 1990s.

1962 was a signi cant year for the Hall as Father Edward Daly became head programmer. Under his intuitive leadership, the venue became ooded with arts activity and gained a new lease of life. ‘The Sunday Night Variety Shows’ began and welcomed international stars such as Ruby Murray, Val Doonican, The Clancy Brothers, Roy Orbison and Jim Reeves. Local stars including Dana, Phil Coulter and comedian Frank Carson credit performances in St Columb’s Hall as one of the starting points of their careers.

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‘The Troubles’ began in the late 1960’s in Derry and the use of the hall during this time was rare. Thankfully, the building survived unscathed. Father Con McLaughlin was assigned to care for the hall in the 1980s and he continued the excellent work of his predecessors. Under his leadership, the building ourished with an extensive theatre programme and numerous exhibitions in the renowned Orchard Gallery and Orchard Cinema.

St Columb’s Hall has had many uses throughout history. In 1910, Emily Pankhurst was the key speaker at a Su ragist Demonstration held in St Columb’s Hall. The Hall was later leased to the London Motion Picture Company and the main auditorium used as a cinema in March of 1913. In the early 1930s, it underwent a refurbishment and reopened to cater for the talkies, or sound lms, for the rst time. In December 1920, the British Army used the Hall for several weeks as a barracks for hundreds of troops and in the 1950s it was used as a temporary school. In the 1960s and 1970s the Hall was the community meeting point for the Nationalist Party, Butchers’ Union, Sean Dolans GAA club and the Pioneers Temperance Association Society.

In 2008 The Playhouse took residence whilst their building was being refurbished and during this time the Hall housed the 2008 ‘Big Tickle’ comedy festival, where famous comedians such as Colin Murphy and Andrew Maxwell took to the stage. Most recently, in September 2013, it hosted the DANI business award ceremony.

In September 2012, St Columb’s Hall was purchased by the Garvan O’Doherty Group from the Long Tower Parish. The Hall is currently undergoing an extensive three-phase restoration project, with phase one recently completed.

The Hall is a celebrated building in terms of its design aspect, as a historical monument, as a centre for the arts and as the people’s building, inviting the locality through its doors for generations and for generations to come.

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