Travelling Gypsies and Irish Showpeople: Memory and Representation.

The last two decades of the nineteenth century are marked as a defining moment in the revival of Irish culture and society. In 1884 the Gaelic Athletic Association had been established; the organisation aimed to promote Irish sports and pastimes. In 1889 W.B. Yeats published his first collection of poetry; he launched the National Literary Society in 1892. A year later, Douglas Hyde and Eoin Mac Neil set up the Gaelic League. The Leaguers primary objective was to revive the declining Irish language. In 1896 Ireland’s first cinema shows were screened by Dan Lowrey in Dublin, and in 1899; Yeats, Lady Gregory, and Edward Martyn established the Irish Literary Theatre. Indeed, by the beginning of the twentieth century Ireland had culturally awakened. The country became a fruitful and opportunistic venue for showmen and entertainers - musicians, singers, dancers, magicians, and acrobats. With the advent of steam powered roundabouts and other innovative creations, travelling shows and carnivals increased; they were an important source of entertainment for the rural population. New and alluring forms of amusement, especially film, helped bring the Irish people closer to the modern world. One young and ambitious man who availed of this golden age in Irish culture was Henry Dinnage. An acrobat by trade, Henry travelled across Ireland, eventually establishing his own carnival and moving picture show. For five decades, Henry’s family, ‘The Gazetts’, travelled in the counties of Kerry, Cork, Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, and Galway providing fairground entertainment and film for the countryside inhabitants. Later Henry erected a cinema in the small town of Rathkeale, County Limerick. By way of interviews with Henry’s grand-children; Elizabeth (Betty), John, and Pauline, and with the aid of a collection of photographs and memorabilia, this research project aims to map Henry’s life and reveal his family’s contribution to Irish culture and society. In Barry Dinnage currently resides in London and has researched the Dinnage ancestry in South-East England. Barry is a distant relative of Henry - the marriage of Nicolas Dinnage and Mary Monger in 1693 is where his family line went a separate way. Although, he has examined the English census and has discovered that most of Henry’s ancestors were of working-class origin – agricultural labourers, broom makers, or wheelwrights – Joshua Dinnage had some success, he was a tea and wine merchant; eventually, he opened a store in Portsmouth. Barry commented in an email to the author of this project, “Only later did anyone start to get clever”

From a young age Henry yearned to be in show-business. In an interview, Henry’s grand-daughter Betty remarked: “Show-business was my grandfather’s life.”2 Indeed, in the mid-1880s Henry found work in a travelling show and journeyed to London in search of success. He trained hard and he became a talented acrobat and trapeze artist. At that time Victorian London was a bustling city; stage shows of all kinds were hugely popular, and fairground entertainment faced competition from music halls and theatres. Henry discovered life in London was difficult and hard-hitting. Since the 1850s different acts (The Fairs acts of 1868, 1871, and 1873) had resulted in the loss of traditional sites and various fairs had been abolished in England - the fairground attractions had lost popularity among the London bourgeoisie. In his paper on ‘Country Fair and Revels’, published in 1878, Amery Fabyan

Although it seemed travelling fairgrounds were in decline, the appeal of the fair and fairground entertainers increased among the working-class. For sure, Henry learned that Ireland provided great opportunities for young and talented entertainers; undoubtedly, the country had a large rural and working-class population. Finally, Britain’s industrial revolution of the mid-nineteenth century was having a social and cultural impact on the island. Indeed, whether it was Ireland’s island status or the late arrival of technology, by the turn of twentieth century, the country had become a ‘fertile venue’ for entertainers and travelling shows. So, Henry Dinnage left his native England in search of success in Ireland. Protestants travelling through a Catholic populated countryside. In the early 1890s, Ireland’s ‘revolutionary period’ had been set in motion - the fall of Parnell had caused a political vacuum, the case for home rule had deteriorated, and Fenianism was rampant. Indeed, almost immediately “McDonald” departed from young Dinnage; he headed north! Henry remained; he changed his religion to Catholism and he became a “free-lance” performer, “gaining work in different travelling shows and fairgrounds across the country.”5 In Ennis, Co. Clare, he met Annie Mangan - she was sixteen. Betty recalled “Annie Mangan was a big woman, very strong; usually the swing boats had to be stopped with a piece of timber - my grandmother used to stop the boats with her shoulder”6 Henry married Annie in the mid-1890s and in 1898; she gave birth to her first son Francis. Victor (Father of Betty, John, and Pauline) was born in 1901, Harry in 1902, and Emma (Queenie) in 1904. Based in Ennis, through the winter months, and travelling the remainder, soon Henry learned the craft of showmanship; he had a plan; he wanted to start his very own family travelling show. From the mid-1890s, while travelling and working as an acrobat, slowly, Henry assembled his own carnival rides. Eventually, he had a merry go-around (Hubby Horses), a shooting range, and swinging boats. The early rides were worked manually, “For the hobby horses there was a wheel you had to twist around”7 In the summertime, Henry travelled to Kilkee for a couple of months and than Lahinch for another. By the 1910s, as the boys got older, it became less complicated and the show was able to travel further distances. Henry trained his boys well. “Once you had a job to do that time you did it no matter what” Francis was “into the making and the electrical side.” Victor was the painter/decorator and Harry, “Harry was always good with his hands.”. He did most of the woodwork.

By the 1910s, the Irish landscape had transformed to one of ‘modernity’ and ‘motion’. In 1909, James Joyce had opened the Volta, the first cinema in Ireland. Rail transport had increased dramatically, it was at its peak; the motor car was becoming increasingly familiar on Irish roads, and the use of steam powered and mechanised rides were becoming more common on Irish fairgrounds. In 1912, Henry had been advised to change his name. “When the troubles started, it was dangerous having an English name.” Indeed, by then, the Home Rule Crisis was underway. Up North, while Edward Carson’s ‘hordes’ were signing their name in blood on the Solemn League and Covenant, Henry asked his boys to help him design a display with their new surname painted on it. Thus, the family show name ‘The Gazetts’ was established. “Gazett was our travelling name”

The Gazetts toured with the moving picture show in County Clare, Limerick, Kerry and Cork, Tipperary, and Galway. “My grandfather introduced the talkies into mobile cinemas; he was at least one of the first.”18 Pauline (Henry youngest grand-daughter) had been told, “Henry was the first to show ‘The Jazz singer’, the first talkie, in the province of Munster.”19 Henry would hire out numerous films. “Sometimes, he would hire out twenty at a time.” The family would go to a certain area. They would show the films over a period of a couple weeks, or longer, and then move on to another place, for example, “Ardagh” or “Carrickerry” or “someplace like that.”20 Henry’s travelling picture show and carnival had great success in the 1920s. However, in the 1930s the family gave up the carnival and they concentrated on showing pictures. Henry set his sight on a new ambition; his aim was to erect a cinema.

At first, the Gazetts decided to build the cinema in Dromcollogher. Since the tragic cinema fire of 1926, frequently, Henry had set up his moving picture show in the village. It was in Dromcollogher when representatives from the town of Rathkeale approached the family and persuaded Henry to erect the cinema in their town. At that time, Rathkeale was a busy market town; “The town was always known as travellers’ town.”21 It had been the main centre in Limerick County; however, the town did not possess any source of entertainment. Henry purchased a site on Lower Main Street from Paddy Brandon, a local saddler, and in 1944, construction began. Francis - Henry’s eldest son - did not want to settle. So, Henry provided his son and his family with their inheritance. Francis continued travelling with the moving picture show; eventually he settled in Askeaton, five miles from Rathkeale.

Henry’s final years were full of activity. In 1946, the Central Cinema opened its doors to the public. The first film to be shown was Intermezzo; starring Leslie Howard and Ingrid Bergman. Roughly, the picture house would show a total of 5000 films over a period of twenty five years. At first, films were not allowed to be screened on the Sabbath Day; Henry had to convince the local Canon, Cornelius Mangan, to open on Sunday night. Indeed, the task was not difficult - the Canon was a regular visitor to the Central Cinema. In 1948, after five decades travelling and residing in a wagon, finally, Henry settled in a house at the back of the cinema. Betty (Victors second youngest) was nine; her memories of her grandfather are treasured. I remember my grandfather - Dad we use call him - he would be saying the Rosary in the ticket office, and I remember at Christmas we had to go up and kiss him, and we hated kissing him - he had a moustache! In 1949, Henry Dinnage died peacefully, he was 76 years old. The great and talented showman is buried alongside his beloved, Annie, at Drumcliffe Cemetery in County Clare (Annie had passed away in 1939). However, ‘the show did go on’; the 1950s were a golden age in the social and cultural history of Rathkeale and its surrounding area. The Central Cinema became a centre of cultural activity; it was a picture house; also, it was a concert hall. It was built to seat 450 people; but often the number in attendance reached 600. “The place would be packed and I remember on Sunday nights they would have to put seats down the middle aisle. Betty remembers: Everybody had their own seat and there was always a vacant seat left in the front for the lovers (laughing) - I remember been at ‘Grey Friars Bobby” with Pauline. It was a cold night, we brought our hot water bottles to warm our feet. But people did not care, once there would be a good film on.

Following the death of their father, Victor, Harry, and Queenie had become partners. Victor was the projectionist, he was the showman. Harry collected the tickets; and Queenie worked in the box office. Also, she was in charge of censorship. Betty recalled: The film synopsis and posters in the foyer, they would all be censored. If there was a girl with low cut dress, Queenie would have draw it in - colour it up a bit, it was not allowed in the public eye, there had to be nothing seen - no cleavage (laughing), you were not allowed to see any cleavage back then. Admission to the picture house varied. “It cost one shilling and nine pence to sit on the balcony, a shilling and one for the back, and 4 pennies to sit on the hard benches in the front. On Monday and Tuesday they would have a film always accompanied by shorts like ‘The Three Stooges’, ‘Pathe News’, ‘Tom and Jerry’, a short documentary or they might have a double feature. Wednesday and Thursday had a different show and Friday and Saturday another and then Sunday night one more. People got their money's worth at the Central Cinema. But the cowboys, oh the cowboys - there was a man his name was Jim Murray, he used go up and down the town ringing a bell, he was the town crier, -“Pictures tonight at the central cinema”- he was blind – blind – and his little grand niece used be with him, Anise was her name – “Pictures tonight at the Central Cinema”. - I always remember where he was seated - the last seat of the 4 pennies; and when Roy Rodgers or Gene Audrey would be on, Jim would start roaring – go on, go on (laughing). He could not see but still he could follow the film. Oh the roaring they (townspeople) used all do in the cinema. The westerns were the most popular. 

The Gazetts never lost contact with the travelling road shows. “There were plenty of road shows going around, there was Barrett’s, Vic loving, and the Daniels – they were a good road show.” The travelling ‘Fit-ups’ were very popular in Rathkeale. “John Cowley and Annie Dalton were regular visitors.” Pauline stated: All show people were connected, I remember when the circus would come to town, my father would put on a special free showing in the cinema for them during the day and of course we all would go to the circus for free. She remembered different variety shows coming. They would rent out the cinema for two weeks and put on their show. They would have plays and music and dance. Then I remember Paul Golden, the Hypnotist coming several times...he was very popular. Betty added: Oh, he had a great show. They [Townspeople] would all be out looking for fairies after the show. I do not know what he used do, he had some kind of power. He would click his fingers and they were gone - they would act like fools up in the stage. They were exciting times. Things were simple that time, people were very innocent. They believed in the banshee. It is not the banshee you have to be afraid of these days - it the living – it’s the live person! Also, Betty remembered a visit from Hercules, the strong man: Poor old Hercules, he came for a week and he stayed in our house. We all got the bloody flu - the Asian flu - we did get it down in Rathkeale. Hercules escaped, just when I got it. I was looking after him. I remember coming down from the butchers and feeling very weak. My father said “Oh Jesus help us, the tail of the ship is gone. Hercules went anyway. [Laughing], he got no dinner- he got no dinner before he left. He was a nice man though, he was very strong - he used pull the bus with his teeth over in Scotland. Oh, he was very strong. In 1974 the Central Cinema closed its door to the public. The last film screened was ‘From Bangkok with Orders to Kill.’ By then, the picture house had lost popularity; television had been providing a new form of entertainment for the cinema goers. Indeed, it was not easy to keep the cinema in operation; the business had to support three families. Thus, the Central Cinema was sold in 1978. The building still stands; it remains idle. So, did Henry Dinnage and his family contribute to Irish culture and society? Indeed, for half a century, the Gazetts had provided fairground entertainment and film for the rural population of Munster. Travelling to remote areas in County Kerry, Cork, Clare, Limerick and Galway, the family helped bring the modern world to the countryside. Then Henry and his family settled and built the Central Cinema; and for twenty five years it became the centre of cultural activity for Rathkeale and its surrounding area. Yes, Henry Gazett and his family did contribute to Irish culture and society.