Cillian Murphy's sweet connection to his historic cinema

Cillian Murphy has a sweet connection to the cinema he's just bought in Dingle.

The Oscar winner, from Cork, and his artist wife Yvonne McGuinness, will refurbish The Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, Co. Kerry, next year.

The venue, which has been used as a cinema and dance hall, had been in operation for more than 100 years, and had been on the market for three years before the couple bought the building.

It closed during the pandemic. As it turns out, Cillian, who has a busy 2025 ahead, has a long history with the Phoenix cinema and the purchase is sure to be with sentimental meaning.

‘I’ve been going to see films at The Phoenix since I was a young boy on summer holidays,’ Cillian 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.’

According to the Independent, Yvonne 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 only cinema in the Dingle Peninsula, it has hosted the Dingle International Film Festival, which Cillian has attended.

The cinema which opened in 1919 has quite the history and has already been rebuilt twice, in 1921 and 1938, after fires gutted the building.

Repairs and refurbishments are planned to start in 2025.