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Light House Cinema to be reopened ‘officially’ tomorrow

Image: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

THE REOPENING OF the Light House Cinema in Smithfield, Dublin is to be made official tomorrow.

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan is to attend the announcement tomorrow morning at the cinema on Smithfield Square at 9am. The photocall is being organised by new managers of the cinema, Element Pictures. While Element staff would not comment on the Light House last Friday when contacted by TheJournal.ie, the company’s Twitter account said “negotiations are ongoing”.

However, TheJournal.ie was able to confirm last Friday that the Light House would indeed be reopening, at the very least to hold screenings for the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.

Element Pictures also released a recruitment advertisement last Friday, looking for “a limited number of full and part-time cinema operatives” to work in a “new  city centre cinema”.

Tomorrow’s photocall will also be attended by James Hickey, the head of the Irish Film Board; Element Pictures director Andrew Lowe; and Fionnuala Sweeney, head of the Film and International Arts for the Arts Council.

The cinema, which had been heralded as a shining light in the regeneration of the Smithfield area, closed down last April. Local TD Joe Costello had said last year that the cinema’s closure would turn the Smithfield area into “a ghost town” and a Facebook campaign was launched to try to save the cinema.

Read: Reopened Light House cinema to be used as Dublin Film Festival venue>

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Comments (7 Comments)

  • Cian Ginty 16/01/12 #
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    It’s good news, Smithfield badly needs more (and has the space for even more).

    But Costello’s “a ghost town” comment was over the top — the square is fairly busy most of the day. But besides Fresh it desperately lacks retail.

    I don’t subscribe to any side of The Complex vs Tesco debate, but the The Complex have hardly helped them self — their unit looks close to a vacant building most of the time. There’s enough vacant units without an occupied one looking vacant too.

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    • tuba hg 16/01/12 #
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      Totally agree !!! typical Costello looking after the yuppi arts set. He doesn’t care about how everyone else has to live

  • Eamonn Clancy 16/01/12 #
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    This is gonna completely transform Smithfield as a- oh wait, isn’t that what they said when it first opened? Trendy, right on Ireland with it’s head up it’s you know what again.

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  • Damien Kelly 16/01/12 #
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    Was the best cinema in Dublin. Its re-opening is a welcome addition to the city’s many quality picture houses.

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  • Colm Flaherty 16/01/12 #
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    I’m glad to hear it.

    Unless the snarky folk have a viable alternative, I think there is absolutely no value in what they say.

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  • Stephen Coyne 16/01/12 #
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    Id like to see a bit more atmosphere in the cinema..especially cafe and all that ‘space’. It was a little too architecturally pure for my liking. I’m delighted its coming back. Of course it must be said that its a pity none the less for the previous owners who drove the original project and pioneered the space at the very beginning. Its all too easy for an established firm to come in an run a concern.

    I have to say I kinda agree with your comments regarding The Complex, Cian. It needed to look a bit more permanent. Probably an issue with funding though…bet they dont get any.

    Tesco will be the end of Fresh though…needs a bit more diversity rather than more generalist shopping all competing for the same customers.

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  • Paul O'Brien 17/01/12 #
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    I used to go to it on Abby st back in the day .It was always better than the IFC so its good to have it back again for the third time!

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