Cillian Murphy and wife Yvonne McGuinness buy Dingle’s historic Phoenix cinema

The Irish Independent can now reveal that the historic property has been bought by Oscar-winning actor and producer Cillian Murphy and his wife, the artist Yvonne McGuinness, for an undisclosed sum. After 105 years in operation as a movie theatre and dance hall, The Phoenix will remain independently owned.

The storied venue has been named in Time Out as “one of the 50 best cinemas in the UK and Ireland”.

The mosaic which depicts the mythical bird which gives the cinema its name

“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 said: “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.”

A short stroll from Dingle Harbour, the cinema is situated…