Cillian Murphy and his wife, Yvonne McGuinness, have purchased Ireland’s historic theater The Phoenix Cinema with plans to repair and refurbish it in the next year.
“I’ve been going to see films at The Phoenix since I was a young boy on summer holidays. 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 reportedly shared. “We recognize what the cinema means to Dingle.”
Per the Irish Independent, folks were wondering who the new owner of the theater, which is located in Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland, would be after estate agent Anthony Fitzgerald teased that the historical establishment was under acquisition. The Phoenix was listed as one of Time Out’s “50 best cinemas in the U.K. and Ireland.”
“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,” Fitzgerald wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
McGuinness shared that the two have plans 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 Phoenix Cinema — built by brothers Jimmy and Johnny Houlihan — suffered damage after enduring two separate fires in 1921 and 1938, and was reconstructed both times.
There are no details on how much the couple paid for the cinema house, which has operated for 105 years as a movie theater and dance hall. However, it will remain independently owned.
