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

On Thursday afternoon speculation was rife in Dingle about the potential new owner of the Phoenix cinema in the town, as estate agent Anthony Fitzgerald posted on social media a photo of his shop window with the teaser: “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.”

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. In the 1950s, the Houlihans sold the Phoenix to John Moore and it continued to function as a cinema, concert venue and dancehall at the peak of the showband era. Driven mainly by his passion for film, the late Michael ‘Francie’ O’Sullivan bought the Phoenix in 1978 and it reopened in 1980 with new plush seating and an energy which brought a mixture of blockbusters and art house fare to the town.

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