Irish actor and producer Cillian Murphy and his wife, artist Yvonne McGuiness, have purchased the Phoenix Cinema site in Dingle, Co Kerry.
The purchase was announced on Friday, November 22 by Ionad Phoenix CLG, which describes itself as "a working group of residents who came together just over two years ago tasked with securing the future of the Phoenix Cinema in Dingle for the local community."
The group said on Friday: "We have been campaigning privately and publicly to save the cinema, loudly proclaiming its importance to the Dingle Peninsula as a much-loved arts facility and lamenting its loss.
"With the news that Cillian and Yvonne plan to keep the Phoenix functioning as a cinema and hope to develop the site for the arts, we believe our mission has been completed.
"The cinema has not just been saved, but, we hope, will grow into an arts hub facilitated by the wealth of experience that Cillian and Yvonne bring both in the film and art world, including their importance in Irish cinema and arts on a global scale."
The Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, Co Kerry. (West Kerry Properties)
Murphy's emotional connection to the Phoenix Cinema, which first opened its doors in 1919, stretches back to his childhood and through his professional career - in 2010, he introduced his new film "Perrier's Bounty" there.
“I’ve been going to see films at The Phoenix since I was a young boy on summer holidays," the Oscar winner and native of Co Cork said in a statement on Friday.
"My Dad saw movies there when he was a young man before me, and we’ve watched many films at The Phoenix with our own kids.”
Murphy added: “We recognize what the cinema means to Dingle.”
McGuinness added: “We want to open the doors again, expand the creative potential of the site, re-establishing its place in the cultural fabric of this unique town."
The couple noted: “Bíonn rudaí maithe mall (Good things take time)."
West Kerry Properties in Dingle has been teasing the sale of the property on social media in recent days.
"Can anyone guess which property is missing from the pocket on this window display?" the real estate agents said on November 20, adding: "Some big news coming on this place very soon .... stay tuned."
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On Friday morning, West Kerry Properties confirmed on social media that the Phoenix Cinema had not only been sold but that Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness were the buyers.
"Delighted to confirm that the historic Phoenix Cinema in Dingle has now been sold," it said on Friday.
"Wishing the new owners, our Oscar Award Winning Actor, Mr. Cillian Murphy & Esteemed Artist, Yvonne McGuinness the best of luck and every success with their new venture."
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History of the Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, Co Kerry
The Phoenix Cinema was built by brothers Jimmy and Johnny Houlihan and opened in 1919. The cinema in the heart of Dingle was reconstructed following a fire in 1921 and again in 1938.
In the following decades, the Phoenix Cinema became a focal point for the community, hosting film festivals, drama, concerts, dances, and of course screening films.
In the 1950s, the Houlihan family sold the cinema to John Moore, who continued to operate it as a cinema, concert venue, and dance hall.
Among the highlights of the cinema's storied history is when Rory Gallagher performed there in 1964 and for twelve days during June and July 1972, crowds flocked to see the film "Ryan’s Daughter" which was famously filmed in the area.
In 1978, Michael O'Sullivan purchased the cinema. He closed it for renovations and eventually reopened it in 1980.
In June 2021, the cinema was ranked 48 in a list of the UK and Ireland’s top 50 cinemas by entertainment magazine Time Out.
Faced with rising costs and rolling pandemic lockdowns, the O'Sullivan family made the difficult decision to close The Phoenix in November 2021.
Save the Phoenix Cinema
Not long after The Phoenix shuttered, a group of locals came together with the goal to purchase the historic building for development as both a cinema and an arts center.
Using the slogan #SaveThePhoenixDingle, the group set up a website with information on how people can help the campaign, which included donation options and the signing of a petition.
On Friday, Ionad Phoenix said that over the past two years, it has worked on business and strategic plans for an arts space based in the Phoenix Cinema site and identified lenders and investors, who they said they are "grateful to for their patience and commitment."
The group added: "The support of the people of the Dingle Peninsula and beyond has been wonderful and demonstrates our desire and need as a community for a multi-disciplinary arts space.
"We would like to thank all our supporters for their passionate support to date and hope they will get behind the new owners in creating a special place for us, here in Dingle."
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