A new cinema for the people of Galway took a step closer to becoming a reality when, the first sod was turned on the site, at 15 Lower Merchants Road, by Labour Party President and former Minister for Arts Michael D Higgins.
The move, which marks the start of the construction of Galway’s new ‘art-house’ cinema, which will show the best in international films, experimental films and Irish made features upon completion, and will also cater for students, schools, young people and senior audiences.
The cinema which will hold three screens, a ground floor café, a first floor bar and a video/bookshop is expected to open in 2010. There will be one below-ground cinema, a communal meeting area and a ticket booth situated between the old and new buildings. It is intended that the cinema will screen films in the Irish language, documentary films, Irish-made films, independent worldwide features, classic cinema, archival cinema and retrospective cinema.
The project will provide employment for individuals in the industry, offering three full time positions including manager/programmer; administrator and projectionist and seven part-time cinema staff, part-time cleaning staff and catering staff.
Solas Galway Picture Palace Teoranta is the group behind the project, its members include Lelia Doolan, (chair), actress Fionnala Flanagan; the Galway Film Society’s Joe and Bridie McMahon; Galway Film Fleadh managing director Miriam Allen; Galway Arts Centre operations manager Norma Flaherty; solicitor/playwright Henry Comerford; chartered engineer Michael Mooney; and Tracy Geraghty, formerly manager of the Galway Film Centre, and now Solas project manager.