A Cork city cinema which opened its doors in 1947, is closing them after almost 70 years in business.
The Capitol, home to many a "courting couple" with its infamous love seats, was originally a one-screen cinema. It hosted the first cinescope motion picture, King of the Khyber Rifles, in 1954.
Manager of the Capitol Patrick O'Brien says the cinema was the "biggest thing the city had ever seen" when it first opened and that it was the focal point for cinema lovers in Cork. One of its biggest blockbusters, The Sound of Music, ran for an astounding three months in 1967.
He says he has been inundated with calls over the last week from pensioners who worked in the Capitol in their youth.
"This has brought so many people together. We have had a number of calls from people who worked here in 1947 and they are calling in to see the place. The Capitol was a very glamorous place to be. Many people met at the cinema.
"We have had people whose parents passed away coming in because their parents met here. It is a sad day."
Former director of the Cork Film Festival Robin O'Sullivan says the closure represents the end of an era for Cork cinema. It follows the closing down of other more traditional cinemas such as the Savoy, Palace, Lee and the Ritz.
"There is a complete departure from the cinemas of old," Mr O'Sullivan says. "I remember the Pav and the Palace and the Capitol. Going to cinema on a Sunday night was one of the main occupations.
"That said, the good thing is there is still a huge interest in cinema in Ireland and we have one of the highest proportion of cinema goers in the world."
A special screening of Casablanca will take place this evening after which the curtain will come down on the cinema for the last time. Former staff at the cinema, regular patrons, Lord Mayor of Cork Deirdre Clune and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin, a Cork South Central TD, will attend the final screening.
The site is to be cleared and the building converted into retail units and apartments.