Cillian Murphy buys childhood cinema to create a community arts venue

Image Credit: Cinema Treasures Cillian Murphy and his wife, artist Yvonne McGuinness, bought the historic Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, County Kerry, in 2024, hoping to bring the long-standing venue back to life. The cinema holds a personal connection for the Oscar-winning actor, who visited it during childhood holidays and later watched films there with his own children. After years of closure, the building could once again serve local audiences, with plans to restore its place in the town’s cultural life. The project also reflects the wider challenge of keeping traditional cinemas open.How Cillian Murphy’s childhood cinema became a restoration projectThe Phoenix Cinema has been part of Dingle’s history for more than a century. According to The Independent, the venue opened in 1919 and was built by brothers Jimmy and Johnny Houlihan. Over the years, it served not only as a cinema but also as a dance hall and a venue for concerts and other events.For Murphy, the building was more than an old picture house. In comments reported by The Independent and Sky News in November 2024, he explained that he had watched films there during summer holidays as a young boy. His father had also attende...