Oscar-winning Irish actor Cillian Murphy has purchased a historic cinema in Co Kerry for an undisclosed sum.
The Cork man and his wife, Yvonne McGuinness, bought the Phoenix cinema in Dingle.
After completing the deal, Murphy (48) said he and his wife “recognise” what the cinema means to the town.
Earlier this year, Murphy won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as physicist J Robert Oppenheimer in the movie Oppenheimer.
The Christopher Nolan epic won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, out of a total of 13 nominations during the Hollywood ceremony in March.
The deal to purchase the Phoenix cinema was announced on Friday, after speculation in the southwest Irish town had been rife.
Queues outside the Phoenix Cinema during the final Dingle Film Festival, held in 2019. Photo: Declan Malone
On Thursday, estate agent Anthony Fitzgerald had posted on social media a photo of his shop window with the teaser: “Can anyone guess which property is missing from the pocket on this window display? Some big news coming on this place very soon… stay tuned.”
Following Friday’s announcement that Peaky Blinders star Murphy had purchased the cinema with his wife, he revealed what compelled him to take on the challenge.
“I’ve been going to see films at the Phoenix since I was a young boy, on summer holidays,” Murphy said.
“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. We recognise 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.”
Thanks to the investment of Murphy and McGuinness, the Phoenix will open again after three years on the market.
Cillian Murphy with Brendan Murphy (left) and Michael O’Sullivan (right) at the Phoenix
The couple plan to begin the repair and refurbishment of the cinema next year.
A press release for the sale added “Bíonn rudaí maithe mall”, meaning “good things are slow”.
The Phoenix has been in operation for 105 years, both as a movie theatre and dance hall, and has remained independently owned throughout that time.
The storied venue has been named in Time Out as “one of the 50 best cinemas in the UK and Ireland”.
A short stroll from Dingle Harbour, the cinema is situated in the town centre.
The sole cinema on the Dingle Peninsula, the Phoenix is also the only picture house in a Gaeltacht area in Ireland, a fact which will be acknowledged in its new programming.
For the past several years, a campaign has run in the town with the aim of preserving the Phoenix as a cinema and cultural centre.
The cinema was built by brothers Jimmy and Johnny Houlihan and opened in 1919.
The mosaic of the mythical bird which gives the cinema its name
Following devastating fires in both 1921 and 1938, the venue was reconstructed twice.
The current name, Art Deco façade and unique floor mosaic of the mythical phoenix bird were added during the second rebuild.
In 1992, the cinema was the site of the premiere of Far & Away, which was attended by the movie’s stars, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.