A State commemoration for the 48 people who died in the Dromcollogher cinema fire takes place today, marking the centenary of one of the deadliest disasters in Irish history.

The tragedy is known locally as ‘The Burning’.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, accompanied by Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan, will officiate at a formal ceremony in Dromcollogher at midday to honour the victims.

On 5 September 1926, around 150 people gathered in a makeshift cinema in the Co Limerick town to watch two films.

A candle fell and ignited highly flammable nitrate film during the screening, causing the fire to spread rapidly through the temporary venue, which was located upstairs in a large wooden loft.

A wooden ladder was the only means of entering and leaving the building.

Those closest to the exit managed to escape, but many others became trapped and the intensity of the blaze made rescue efforts extremely difficult.

Forty-eight people lost their lives – around one tenth of Dromcollogher’s population.

More than half of those who died were under the age of 25, including 15 children. The youngest victims were two seven-year-olds.

The disaster has had an enduring impact on the local community and the wider region.

Delilah Shine, a member of the Dromcollogher26 committee, remembers her grandaunt telling her family how she survived the fire.

“My grandaunt was one of the survivors. When we were young, she used to tell us stories about how she escaped out a window.

“We didn’t really believe her until we found the National Archives’ statement of how she got out the window of the dressing room, which is where most of the victims died in the end,” she said.

Pat Lordan’s father Paddy survived the tragedy.

“He came to the cinema that night with his friends Jack Fehan and Edward Stack. They were 15 years of age. Edward Stack was about 22 years of age.

“They were at the back of the cinema and Jack Fehan and my father managed to get out with slight burns,” he said.

“Edward Stack stayed behind to help other children escape and my father always said his abiding memory is of him lifting children to the window to help them escape. Unfortunately, he lost his life.”

Gerry Keyes, chairman of the Dromcollogher 26 group, said today’s State commemoration will be “a fitting and respectful tribute” to the 48 people who died and to the families whose lives were changed by the tragedy.

He said the recognition also acknowledged the historical importance of the disaster and would help ensure that an event of both local and national significance is not forgotten.

A century on, the commemoration will bring the community together to remember the lives lost in one of the darkest nights in Dromcollogher’s history.

Watch live coverage of the State Ceremony for the centenary of the Dromcollogher Cinema Fire on the RTÉ News Channel from noon today.