The Kino rises again
The Kino will be back with a bang next month!
That was the sentiment of Ed O’Leary speaking to the Cork Independent shortly after it was announced yesterday that he and Joe Kelly, both of The Good Room, will be reopening the former cinema next month.
It will reopen in mid-September as a live music venue, theatre space, bar and café. The venue closed recently but its doors won't stay that way for long.
The Good Room are the team behind the award-winning Live At St Luke's concert series, It Takes A Village Festival, Cork Podcast Festival, Crosstown Drift and a host of other events around Cork city and county.
Speaking about why The Good Room has chosen this as its next venture, Ed told the Cork Independent: “We’ve known the building for a long time and did a few gigs there back in 2017.
“We fell in love with it as it’s a great space. The sound is incredible and there was always a nice feeling in there too – almost like a living room type of vibe.”
Ed said bookings are coming in fast and it is booked up most weekends until the end of November.
Ed also confirmed that the Kino will still host a disco once a month for people with intellectual and physical disabilities, adding that it’s a perfect fit for an event of this kind given it’s wheelchair accessibility.
He continued: “We will be back with a bang next month and have some incredibly gigs planned for the Sounds from a Safe Harbour Festival.”
The venue will boast a state of the art PA and lighting system, with full audio visual set up as well as a bar and café. They aim to do as they have done already with Live at St Luke’s; take a space and put the best of local, national and international acts alongside other disciplines like theatre, film, comedy and family events.
“We’re really excited to take on this new venture,” continued Ed.
“The Kino is an iconic landmark building in Cork city going back to its pool hall days through to its life as an arthouse cinema. We’re going to spend a month working on refurbishments and will be installing a brand new sound and lighting set up,” he concluded.
The Kino will be open throughout the weekend of Sounds from a Safe Harbour (13-15 September) but the official launch night will take place on Cork Culture Night on 20 September.