SCOTT DUGGAN, THE man behind the Beggarman pub on Gillabbey Street, had a novel idea for the place when he decided to reopen just over a month ago.
A cinema.
Yes, that’s right – Duggan has converted the upstairs room in the pub, formerly a pool room, into a fully kitted out cinema space. The walls are lined with red crushed velvet, he reclaimed the seats from an old cinema and he projects TVs, movies and art school films for his patrons on the big screen. And, yes, they do do popcorn.
“We’ve a great mix. We have students from the art college, locals, older people, people from the area,” he says, speaking to DailyEdge.ie. “It’s a nice crowd – a brilliant mix.” For this reason, he reports they’ve never had any trouble whatsoever mixing the flicks with pints.
His most popular showing is Game of Thrones – in fact, the screening of the HBO dragon-fest has become so well-attended that he now puts on two per week to meet the demand. He puts on something every single night of the week, and is receptive to suggestions from his varied clientele.
His marathon of vintage David Lynch series Twin Peaks was also a hit. His venture was first reported on in the Cork Independent newspaper.
“One thing I’m thinking of doing is putting on old films in the afternoon, for the older customers,” he says. “The people in their 70s. Movies they might not have seen since their childhood – Casablanca, Some Like It Hot, that kind of thing.”
Duggan also screens films by students in the nearby art school – giving them “a chance to see their films on the big screen for once.”
Aptly enough, this community-focused cinema-cum-pub sounds like something right out of a feelgood movie itself. So, anyone up for a road trip down to Cork?
