The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was ground breaking, in that it was the first to be broadcast on television. For the first time ever, ordinary people were able to see what went on inside Westminster Abbey on that auspicious day.
The coronation was filmed by the BBC and was generally seen as a positive thing. The coronation took place on the 2nd of June 1953, and in the following days, a recording would become available for screening in public cinemas.
However, the cinema owners of Dublin decided on the 8th of June 1953, that they would not be showing the coronation. It would be easy to assume that this was an intentional snub to the British monarchy, but on the contrary, the decision was made so as to prevent any damage to the cinemas, as the owners feared the reaction of their customers turning sour.
