Patrons share ticket stubs and anecdotes from 170 years of Cork Opera House

As Cork Opera House turns 170, a community-led archive campaign gathers rare photos, memorabilia and heartfelt memories from its vibrant history

The original Cork Opera House, in all of its splendour.

On December 12, 1955, nine-year-old Kay Triggs was at the Cork Opera House for rehearsals of the upcoming pantomime Sleeping Beauty. But what started as a normal evening ended in the worst night for the Opera House in living memory.

Mid-routine, the young performers were stopped by teacher Eileen Kavanagh. “‘We have to get you all out,’ she said, ‘because it’s a very bad night out and we’re afraid there might be floods.’ They said nothing about a fire,” Triggs recalled.