By Avril Horan

A DECISION on the future of the Pálás Cinema could be in sight by the end of the year.

Out of 28 groups who came to view the multi-million euro building, ten have submitted formal applications to Galway City Council.

Once hailed as a landmark cultural project for the city, the beleaguered three-screen venue on Merchants Road closed its doors earlier this year, after struggling to survive financially.

Now, Galway City Council is working through the next steps to decide who will take it on and what role it might play in the city’s cultural life.

Applications came from “a wide range of organisations across the arts and cultural sector,” according to Tourism Officer, Ruairí Lehmann.

A review panel has already examined the applications, and the Council is entering Phase Two of the process.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their business plans to Galway City Council. It was envisaged this would take place in September, but that timeline has passed.

Any long-term proposal for the Pálás will have to be agreed by elected members of City Hall.

“I am confident we will be in a position to make a recommendation to Councillors by the end of the year, if Phase 2 is successful,” said Mr Lehmann.

“We are about to enter Phase 2 as laid out in the Expression of Interest.

“We hope to be in a position to complete the process before the end of the year if a suitable tenant can be found.”

The Pálás is a production that never quite ran smoothly with many twists to the plotline.

For Galway audiences who enjoyed arthouse films, the hope is that the big screen will light up once again — this time for good.

However, 78% of arthouse films presented at the cinema in 2024 attracted less than 100 viewers, according to an independent review commissioned by Galway City Council.

The site, valued at €1.8 million, was originally donated by the City Council to the Solas Picture Palace charity with ambitious plans to open in 2009.

Public funding from the Irish Film Board, the Department of Arts, the Western Development Commission and others eventually reached €8.4 million, before the project stalled.

In 2015, Galway City Council stepped in to take over the management of the project, and a year later Element Pictures signed a 30-year lease to fit out and operate the venue.

The cinema finally opened to much fanfare in February 2018, giving the city a state-of-the-art space.

But behind the scenes, Element Pictures’ Light House Cinema Group announced it could no longer sustain annual losses of approximately €239,000.

The independent review revealed the cinema needed 32,000 more admissions a year just to break even.

It suggested three possible futures: a one-screen cultural hub, a tourist-focused repurposing, or a hybrid of community space and commercial units generating annual rent.

Galway City Council will provide the building on a long-term lease without charge, but no extra financial supports will be extended to the successful tenant.

Report funded by the Local Democracy Scheme

Pictured: The Pálás cinema: Shortlist of candidates to take over its running will be drawn up soon. PHOTO: JOE O’SHAUGHNESSY.