Gorey Cinema

Located in the small town of Newtownstewart, County Tyrone, the Gorey Cinema is a rather obscure cinema. It was never listed in the Kinematograph Year Books, and it is not known when it opened. But it is a good size, and appears to have been purpose-built, being set back from the road beyond a fairly substantial car park.

A newspaper advert held in the Cinema Theatre Association archive confirms it was operating in July 1961, but presumably it opened some years before then.

According to comments on social media, the cinema is (or was) owned by Phil Richardson. He opened the Studios in nearby Omagh (see separate Cinema Treasures entry) in October 1975, and there are indications that he closed the Gorey Cinema when the Studios opened.

(The Gorey was certainly open in the mid-1970’s, as the comments include reminiscences about seeing “The Exorcist” there. That was released in the UK in March 1974, but presumably reached Newtownstewart some time later, possibly just before closure.)

It is not known whether the Gorey Cinema has had any further use since closure. I believe it still stands, now derelict.

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