Madam, – What a shame the beautiful Light House cinema has closed (Home News, April 16th). It was indeed a beacon of light in the Smithfield area of Dublin, offering a great mix of different kinds of films.
The Light House was a friendly, stylish haven and a wonderful social centre for people living in the area, even to the extent of periodically offering “baby-friendly” film showings.
In hard economic terms, the cinema contributed to the nation’s cultural capital by helping to define Dublin as a cultural-tourism city, and as an attractive destination for foreign direct investment. (Decisions on location, or re-location, by multi-nationals are not made solely on a tax basis, but also on whether the city in question is a culturally vibrant place for employees to live.) With the closure of the Light House, 20 people have lost their jobs, and Dublin is poorer both artistically and economically. The most prominent cultural attraction in Smithfield will now be the horse fair. – Yours, etc,