[1] The Theatre Royal had already existed in 1750s, but it was moved[clarification needed] from its original location near today's Princes Street to the Pembroke Street building[2] by the local actor Spranger Barry in 1760.

In 1853 it was rebuilt, and in the 1860s it was refurbished under the direction of Sir John Benson, and re-opened on 26 December 1867.

In 1875 the theatre was sold to the postal service and Cork's GPO opened on the site in 1877.

[3][4] The last three plays performed were James Sheridan Knowles' Virginius; William Shakespeare's Hamlet; and John Wilson's Belphegor.

[5] An 1867 description from the Illustrated London News: The theatre is constructed to hold two thousand persons, and is divided into two tiers of boxes, a capacious pit, stalls, private boxes, and a spacious gallery, from which latter “coign of vantage” an excellent view of the stage is afforded, while the tenants of the boxes are screened from the view of the gods – an important consideration in a town where gallery criticism is often extended unceremoniously to the well-dressed class of visitors.