Aula Maxima

The Aula Maxima
Aula Maxima Location within Ireland
Full name	McMahon Hall
Address	Maynooth University South Campus
Location	Maynooth, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland
Coordinates	53°22′49″N 6°35′52″W / 53.3803°N 6.5979°W / 53.3803; -6.5979
Public transit	Maynooth railway station (1 km walk) Maynooth University bus stop (Bus Éireann route 115)
Owner	Maynooth University
Type	Theatre
Capacity	350[1]
Construction
Built	1893[2]
Renovated	1940 and 1985
Construction cost	£3,000 (original building)

Aula Maxima (Latin pronunciation: [ˈau̯la ˈmaksɪma]), officially the McMahon Hall, is a theatre building in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. It was built in 1893.^[3][4]

Aula Maxima comes from Latin, meaning Great Hall.^[5] The building is also known simply as "The Aula". It is situated on the South Campus of Maynooth University and St Patrick's College, Maynooth and is the main theatre for the university, college and surrounding area. It also serves as the conferring hall of the university where the annual graduations take place. The Aula was also used as a Cinema for the students in the college, with the Maynooth Students' Union screening films there.

History

Right Rev. Mgr. McMahon of the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC originally gifted the theatre to St Patrick's College, his alma mater,^[6][7] and its construction was completed under the presidency of Bishop Robert Browne.^{[citation needed]}

Aula Maxima houses a projection box, which was in regular use for 40 years.^{[citation needed]}

Dramatic performances

Maynooth University's Drama Society (also known as The Roscian Players) is the resident company of Aula Maxima. A wide variety of their productions staged therein. The venue has also hosted performances by St Patrick's College's dramatic society, Maynooth University Chamber Orchestra^[8] and Maynooth Community Players:^[9]

Folklore

There are numerous stories relating to the reputed presence of a ghost in Aula Maxima.^{[citation needed]} Simply known as the Aula Ghost, he is reputed to be the spirit of a projectionist, active in Maynooth in the 1940s. The projectionist was a seminarian and member of St Patrick's College who fell to his death from the projectionist's box in Aula Maxima.^{[citation needed]} A number of superstitions exist regarding treatment of Aula Maxima and the Aula Ghost. One such superstition centres on the ghost's apparent turning of a chair placed over the projection box to face away from the stage if he does not like a performance, or the manner in which the staging of the performance was conducted.^{[citation needed]}