Aula Maxima, Maynooth, Academic venue at Maynooth University, Ireland

Aula Maxima, also called McMahon Hall, is a theatre building completed in 1893 on the south campus of Maynooth University and St Patrick's College. It has a projection box used for student film screenings for 40 years and serves as the university's conferring hall.

Monsignor James McMahon, an alumnus of St Patrick's College and a professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, paid for the Aula Maxima, which was built as an exam hall between 1892 and 1893 under Bishop Robert Browne's presidency. It was renovated in the 1940s and again in the 1980s.

The building's Latin name means "great hall", and it is known locally as "The Aula". Maynooth University's Drama Society, the Roscian Players, is its resident company; St Patrick's College's dramatic society, the Maynooth University Chamber Orchestra and the Maynooth Community Players have also performed here. The Maynooth Students' Union once screened films in the hall.

The Aula stands on the south campus shared by Maynooth University and St Patrick's College, where the university's annual conferrings are held, so the hall is busiest around graduation season. It is also used for student film screenings and drama productions, so check what is on before travelling. The campus lies a short walk from Maynooth railway station.

According to local legend, a chair in the auditorium rotates on its own when a former projectionist's ghost disapproves of a performance. This tale adds an unusual character to the space and intrigues those who visit.