Sir, – Further to coverage of the assassination of President John F Kennedy on November 22nd, 1963, it may be of interest to you to know how hundreds of Dubliners, including myself, first learnt of the shooting of JFK.
On the evening of Friday, November 22nd, I attended an early showing of the movie film Days of Wine and Roses in the Adelphi Cinema on Middle Abbey Street, Dublin. Mid-way through the film, the lights went up in the cinema and the projectionist stopped showing the film (at a highly dramatic moment in the plot) and the manager of the Adelphi walked onto the stage and addressed the audience. He told us news had just reached Ireland by TV and radio that President Kennedy had been shot and injured and had been taken to a hospital in Dallas, Texas. He said it was not known yet how serious were the president's injuries, or whether he had been killed. He apologised for interrupting the showing of the movie, but said that he thought we would like to know this very dramatic news.
Of course, it was nearly impossible then to concentrate on the film. When we emerged from the cinema at the end of the showing, newsboys carrying bundles of evening papers were running around Abbey Street and O'Connell Street calling out '"President Kennedy shot, President Kennedy shot, read all about it, Evening Press or Herald, Herald or Press". Ever since, my memories of the shooting of JFK have been indelibly linked with the movie Days of Wine and Roses. – Yours, etc,
HUGH McFADDEN,
Clareville Road, Dublin 6W.