The Lyric Cinema on Glentworth Street was one of Limerick’s best-loved picture houses, serving generations from the silent-film era until 1976. Occupying a prominent corner site near Baker Place, Mallow Street and Pery Square, it contained stalls, a balcony, gallery and spacious auditorium. During cinema’s golden age, the Lyric became especially popular for inexpensive children’s matinees and its lively local atmosphere. Its staff joined the city’s theatrical workers’ strike in 1953. The cinema closed on 28 August 1976 after screening Operation Daybreak. Demolished in 1981, the Lyric remains fondly remembered as an important part of Limerick’s social and cultural history.
