Galway finally has its arthouse cinema. On February 23rd the Pálás cinema opened its doors to the public, some fourteen years after the project was first proposed. It marked the end to a long-running saga which, as many commentators have suggested, featured enough drama, controversy, and palace intrigue* to make a compelling film in its own right. The development has been beset by numerous well-publicised setbacks including an investigation by the charity regulator, several funding deficits and multiple construction companies. Add to this a cavalcade of bad luck including flooding and the collapse of the building market as part of the global economic downturn, and you have all the ingredients for a dour tragedy, if not an outright horror movie. But those who stuck with the story through its numerous low points and prolonged running time, will have found an unlikely twist in the tale: The Pálás is finally here, and by all accounts has the potential to deliver on its original vision of providing, not just an arthouse cinema to the people of Galway, but a cultural hub where quality cinema can be enjoyed as a genuinely communal experience.
Opening Night
On opening night a broad cross section of the general public, stalwarts of Galway’s ever-expanding cohort of film professionals and, above all, the city’s passionate cinephiles delighted in taking their seats to view a selection of some of the best auteur-driven (and female-led) films on general release. The films themselves, namely I, Tonya, Ladybird and The Shape of Water, went down a treat, but for many it was the building itself, that came to the fore.
Operated by Element Pictures, who in addition to producing films such as the Oscar-winning Room by Lenny Abrahamson, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer by Yorgos Lanthimos’ and Darren Thornton’s A Date for Mad Mary, breathed new life into the hugely successful Light House Cinema in Dublin, the building is something of an architectural marvel. Designed by renowned architect Tom de Paor, the intricate five storey building is an imposing concrete monolith which has been described as both a ‘Cathedral of Cinema’ and a ‘Tower of song in the heart of the city’.
Built on the garden of a reinstated 1820s merchant house, the building is nestled between Galway’s docks and famous Spanish Arch in the centre of the city’s Latin Quarter. It houses three discrete, state-of-the-art cinema spaces (totalling 321 seats), a cozy bar serving a mix of draft, bottles and contemporary spins on classic cocktails, complete with all the hidden nooks and crannies you’d expect from a pub in Galway, and a restaurant featuring a menu designed by Galway institution (and “Green Party spokesperson on Food, Cheese, Hurling, Science, Stews and Dancing”) Seamus Sheridan.
The Pálás is also home to some twenty-two resin-coated windows designed by celebrated Irish artist Patrick Scott, a pivotal figure in Irish art and design, which drench the building’s interiors in a kaleidoscopic array of warm colours, even in the midst of Galway’s famously monochrome, rain-soaked micro-climate. It really is a sight to behold and those present thrilled in exploring the Pálás’ numerous alcoves and marvelling at its almost Escher-esque interior design.
However, even a cursory glance at some of the more begrudging local press, or the comments section under virtually any article on the Pálás, quickly reveals that the project still has some way to go to win over its detractors. Given the multiple issues and expanding-costs of the project it’s not hard to understand that there would be a residual level of vitriol amongst some members of the general public, not to mention politicians and journalist looking to score easy points by pointing at a perceived government money-pit and shaking their heads mournfully. The various setbacks that befell the project have been documented ad-nauseum elsewhere, but to fully understand the value of the finished-building and what it represents, it’s important to look back at what it took to get to where we are today.
A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End
If we can return to the conceit of the Pálás story being itself a good fit for the silver screen then Act One would go something like this: The Solas Picture Palace, as it was then known, was first proposed in 2004 by Lelia Doolan who, in addition to working in and aiding the development of virtually every artform in Ireland (including becoming the first female artistic director of the Abbey Theatre) is often recognised as the godmother of Irish film. Famously described by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid as “mad, bad, and dangerous” Lelia was responsible for reviving the Irish Film Board and revitalising Irish independent cinema. Her passion and pedigree for achieving the impossible in Irish arts were well documented and soon a charity was established to raise funds to construct a dedicated arthouse cinema space for Galway.
The planned complex would include three screens (for a total of 276 seats) as well as a bar and cafe. The social element of the cinema was crucial even from this early stage. With the exception of the 188-seat Kino cinema in Cork (Sadly no longer with us) there was no dedicated arthouse cinema outside of Dublin City. With Galway’s burgeoning film sector, two film schools (NUIG and GMIT), the growing significance of the Galway FIlm Fleadh and Film Fair, and Galway’s reputation as Ireland’s cultural heart, the need for a bespoke social space for cinema was self-evident. Galway city council donated a site, with further funding provided by both the Irish Film Board and the Arts Council.
Everything was coming up arthouse.**
CinÉireann / March 2018 31