Aula Maxima, Maynooth
Aula Maxima (), officially the McMahon Hall, is a theatre building in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. It was built in 1893. Aula Maxima comes from Latin, meaning "Great Hall". 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. Aula Maxima is known for its historical importance, and famed for its many ghost stories and apparent ghostly sightings. 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, and its construction was completed under the presidency of Bishop Robert Browne. Aula Maxima houses a projection box, which was in regular use for 40 years. 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. It also regularly sees performances by St Patrick's College's dramatic society, Maynooth University Chamber Orchestra and Maynooth Community Players: 1997: 2001: 2002 2003 2005/2006: 2006/2007: 2007/2008: 2008/2009: 2009/2010: 2010/2011: 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 2015/2016: 2016/2017: 2017/2018: 2018/2019 2019/2020 Folklore and the Aula Ghost. There are numerous stories detailing the presence of a ghost in Aula Maxima. 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. Many 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.