Exclusive: Oscar winner Cillian Murphy and artist Yvonne McGuinness are the new proprietors of The Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland. After 105 years in operation as a movie theater and dance hall, The Phoenix will remain an independently owned venue, which Time Out has previously named “one of the 50 best cinemas in the UK and Ireland.” Married couple McGuinness and Murphy plan to begin repair and refurbishment next year, with The Phoenix continuing to screen films and expand into a multidisciplinary space.

There’s history here for proud Irish man Murphy, who said, “I’ve been going to see films at The Phoenix since I was a young boy on summer holidays. 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.” He added, “We recognize what the cinema means to Dingle.”

McGuinness continued,...