Cillian Murphy, star of the Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer, and his wife Yvonne McGuinness have bought the Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, Ireland. It was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the couple plans to give it a “second wind” and renovate it next year.
By the way, for over a hundred years, the Phoenix has been a movie theater and dance hall for the Irish. Today, it is unlikely to find a similar place. According to Time Out magazine, it was also considered one of the 50 best cinemas in the UK and Ireland. Killian himself often visited this place as a young boy, so it’s no wonder it has great significance for him.
The Phoenix was built by brothers Jimmy and Johnny Hoolihan and opened in 1919. After fires in 1921 and 1938, it was reconstructed twice, during which the facade, the mosaic on the floor with a phoenix, and the name were added.