Song Sung Blue in cinema Tuesday night

Song Sung Blue is the final film of the Kilcullen Bridge Cinema Spring/Summer season, showing tomorrow, Tuesday 16th. It is an entertaining crowd-pleaser, based on the true story of two down-on-their-luck musicians—Mike (Hugh Jackman) and Claire (Kate Hudson) — who start a Neil Diamond tribute act called Lightning & Thunder.

The duo begin a romantic relationship and achieves unexpected success as a cover band. But health challenges and accidents unexpectedly disrupt their musical journey. Together, Mike and Claire are determined to follow their dream and get Lightning & Thunder back on stage— even though the odds seem stacked against them.

Song Sung Blue is a charming underdog story that’s warm, sweet, heartbreaking, and one that earned Kate Hudson a well-deserved Oscar nomination. A perfect film for a June summer evening.

Come early for a complimentary glass of wine. Doors open 7.30. Film 8pm.

All tickets €7 are available in Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

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The Song Cycle coming to Kilcullen cinema

A reminder that the next film at Kilcullen Bridge Cinema on TOMORROW, Tuesday, May 12th, is a unique event of film, chat, and song, writes Teresa Nurse of Kilcullen Lions. The Song Cycle is a new film from Nick Kelly, acclaimed musician (The Fat Lady Sings) and filmmaker (The Drummer and the Keeper). 

It opened at the Irish Film Institute on May 1st to great reviews, and the film is now showing at selected cinemas across Ireland. Each event screening will involve Nick travelling sustainably to the location (primarily by bicycle) to attend the screening, and then performing live after the screening. The result will be a unique mini-touring programme incorporating cinema, music, and sustainability.

The Song Cycle is a charming documentary that tells Nick’s story of how, in 2022, he decided to cycle from his home in Dublin to the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England — carrying his guitar, tent, and all the other essentials. He was accompanied by his friend and ‘Dogs’ collaborator, Sean Millar, who was following the same route on public transport. The pair stopped to perform in different venues along the route, making their way towards a grand finale at Glastonbury. 

The journey proves a celebration of sustainability in its many forms, while also allowing the filmmaker to thoughtfully reflect on his relationship with his late father, the esteemed politician and academic, John Kelly. Inspired by environmental concerns, the film also explores music and friendship and is uplifting, humorous, and thought-provoking. 

Come for the film and stay for the chat and music. It promises to be a wonderful event. Tickets are now on sale in Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

Doors open at 7pm. Film 7.30pm followed by a concert at 9pm. 

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Warm hearted film in Kilcullen, Tuesday

The next film showing is TOMORROW, Tuesday, April 14th at Kilcullen Bridge Cinema is The Kitchen Brigade, writes Teresa Nurse of Kilcullen Lions Club. French stars Audrey Lamy and François Cluzet lead a fantastic cast in this big-hearted feel-good comedy from Louis-Julien Petit.

Disgruntled sous-chef Cathy Marie leaves her job at a high-end gourmet restaurant to pursue her dreams of becoming a head chef at her own restaurant. But when her plans don’t quite work out, she finds herself strapped for cash and with a new job running the cafeteria at the local migrant shelter. 

In charge of a run-down kitchen and needing to make food for hungry young men, Cathy hates her job, but it’s not long before she realises that she can provide valuable life skills – and maybe learn something herself too!

Charming and brilliantly performed by a talented ensemble cast, The Kitchen Brigade packs mouth-watering food, big laughs and a valuable message into its runtime.

Tickets on sale in Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite. Tickets bought for the February screening are still valid and will be accepted. 

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Monday night cinema season in Newbridge

A new season of Monday night cinema at the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge begins on 20 April with Hamnet, starring Oscar-winning Jessie Buckley, writes Brian Byrne. The opening event will feature an introduction by actor Cillian Sullivan, the Newbridge actor who stars in the Irish film Spilt Milk on 18 May.

A special screening of In Time – Dónal Lunny, focusing on Newbridge-born Dónal Lunny’s musical journey, takes place on 23 April at 8pm, featuring rare performances and a reunion with fellow Newbridge star Christy Moore.

On 25 April at 4pm, Labyrinth returns for its 40th anniversary screening, delighting David Bowie fans.

Riverbank’s Pride screening is The History of Sound (22 June), starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor. Other Monday titles include Sound of Falling (27 April), My Father’s Shadow (25 May), The Testament of Ann Lee (8 June), The Love That Remains (15 June), and Resurrection (29 June).

The Irish Film Institute offers a free screening on 14 May at 7pm — Local Films for Local People: A Kildare Kaleidoscope, showcasing archival films from the 1900s to the 1970s, with an introduction by Sunniva O’Flynn.

The season's programme is presented in partnership with Access Cinema and Europa Cinemas.

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Looking Back: Kilcullen Cinema in 1962

While the revived Kilcullen Bridge Cinema is bringing a curated series of excellent films to local audiences, it only has one or two screenings in a month, writes Brian Byrne. How different it was in the heyday of the cinema in the 1960s, when it was managed by the late Paddy Melia, a man never short of a hyperbolic phrase, and regularly providing cinematic entertainment every night of the week.

Thanks to the continuing archival delvings of Joe Murray, we have here the Leinster Leader advertisement's lineup of a typical week of cinema in Kilcullen, beginning Friday 21 September 1962, on "KILDARE'S W-I-D-E-S-T SCREEN." The offerings began with the adventure of Swiss Family Robinson in Super Cinemascope 55, on Friday, Saturday, and a special Sunday matinee. Sunday also featured "for laughs", Strictly for Pleasure, a Technicolour comedy starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, along with the 20 hits song-filled Teenage Millionaire in a "Smash hit Sunday Show." 

Monday and Tuesday brought "fast and furious action" from the "Magnificent Three" of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr with Peter Lawford, (Yes, they are four. Go figure.) in a "Walloping Western", with "tremendous pace from start to finish", Sergeants 3 in "stunning Super Cinemascope 55 and Technicolour." 

Midweek audiences were to be treated to the "High Drama on the High Seas" of HMS Defiant, a stirring epic in the vein of The Guns of Navarone, featuring Dirk Bogarde, Alec Guinness, and Anthony Quayle, "the screen's most talented actors". The week would reach its dramatic peak with "something entirely new in cinematic entertainment", The Unfrocked, a "searing, searching study of an unfrocked priest." 

The blurb went: "However controversial its subject may be, this film has been hailed by the press as the best film ever shown in this country. The Catholic Herald said: 'It may be distasteful to the squeamish, it may horrify many, it may shock others, but it is THE BEST FILM WE HAVE EVER SEEN.' As this picture is being withdrawn from this country on 30th Sept., IT WILL NOT BE SEEN IN ANY OTHER CINEMA IN IRELAND. Don't miss this only opportunity of seeing the most talked-about film in years. We have obtained a Special Censor's Certificate for the final presentation. STRICTLY ADULTS ONLY. NOBODY under 18 years will be permitted to see this film." That it was a French film, originally released eight years before, probably added to the mystique. 

Looking ahead to the following week, the cinema promised screenings of Johnny Nobody, Taste of Fear, and Twist Around the Clock, and no doubt Paddy had already pencilled his purple prose for the next issue of the Leader.

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Saipan screening in Kilcullen

Saipan, starring Steve Coogan and Éanna Hardwicke, is the next film showing at Kilcullen Bridge Cinema on Tuesday 10 March, writes Teresa Nurse of Kilcullen Lions. Saipan revisits the infamous row between Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane in the weeks before the 2002 World Cup. 

Led by coach McCarthy and captain Keane, the Irish team travels to Saipan for a key preparation camp. However, Keane grows frustrated with the quality of the facilities and resources available to them. McCarthy attempts to reassure his star player, but soon the two men are embroiled in a heated and very public dispute-one that escalates when Keane threatens to return home.

Saipan is a compelling and vibrant dramatisation of one of the most infamous sporting sagas in Irish history. Éanna Hardwicke (Keane) and Steve Coogan (McCarthy)are both superb as the men at the centre of the row. 

Tickets are €7 and are now on sale in Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

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Compelling finale to Brigid Film Season

The final film in the Kilcullen cinema Brigid Film Season is The Voice of Hind Rajab, screening on Tuesday night next, 24 February. Nominated for Best Foreign Film at this year’s Academy Awards, it is a compelling watch. 

A docudrama centred around the 2024 audio recording of a call between Hind Rajab — a young girl seemingly alone in a car in Gaza after a firefight — and dispatchers at a Red Crescent emergency centre. As hours pass, the call centre team becomes increasingly desperate as they try to save Hind by coordinating a risky rescue. 

Tickets cost €7 and are available at Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite. 

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Film screening for seniors, Saturday night

A reminder that a special free screening of the film Thelma for Kilcullen seniors will take place on Saturday, 21 February, writes Brian Byrne. The showing at Kilcullen Town Hall is courtesy of Kilcullen Lions in partnership with Kilcullen Bridge Cinema. 

Duped by a phone scammer, Thelma is inspired by action hero Tom Cruise to reclaim her money on her own Mission Impossible. It's a feel-good film about resilience, described as refreshingly original, warm, funny, and empowering. 

The film night will start at 7pm with refreshments and is part of the Brigid Film Season 2026, supported by Kildare County Council.

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Souleymane’s Story in Kilcullen cinema tonight

Cinema is back in Kilcullen tonight, 17 February, with Souleymane’s Story. This award-winning film is the story of an asylum seeker living day to day in Paris.

A raw, compassionate, and quietly devastating portrayal of a man forced to live on the fringes of society. 

Tickets are available at Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

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Cinema on Tuesday: Souleymane’s Story

Cinema is back on in Kilcullen next week after an unplanned interruption, writes Teresa Nurse of Kilcullen Lions. Showing next Tuesday, 17 February, is Souleymane’s Story.  

This is an award-winning film about an asylum seeker living day to day in Paris. A raw, compassionate and quietly devastating portrayal of one man forced to live precariously on the fringes of society. 

Tickets on sale in Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

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Brigid events 'bringing people together'

At the opening evening of the Brigid Film Season on Tuesday night, Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer spoke about the many events taking place in Kilcullen to celebrate Brigid, writes Teresa Nurse. She remarked on the power of these events in bringing people together. 

The cinema evening was very successful. There was a lot of fun and laughter at the film, and the audience really enjoyed Four Mothers.

The next film in the Brigid Film Season 2026 is The Kitchen Brigade, showing on Tuesday, 10 February at 8pm. This film is a guaranteed crowd pleaser: French, funny, and with a valuable social message.

It tells the story of a disgruntled sous-chef who leaves her job at a high-end restaurant and ends up running the cafeteria at a local migrant shelter. It is a warm film that cleverly blends upbeat entertainment with social issues, examining the plight of young immigrants and the challenges they face. 

Tickets are €7 and on sale in Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

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Four Mothers film tonight

A drinks reception at Kilcullen Heritage Centre this evening will precede the first evening film of the Brigid season, presented by Kilcullen Bridge Cinema. The film is Four Mothers, an Irish film set in Dublin. 

The story follows Edward, an Irish novelist whose career has stalled due to the demands of caring for his ailing mother, Alma. He finds solace in a group of friends in similar situations — until those friends spontaneously decide to escape to a Pride festival in the Canaries, leaving Edward alone to care for all their mothers at once. 

It is a touching film that explores themes of ageing, caregiving, loneliness, and sexual identity. Tickets are available at Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

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Kilcullen cinema Brigid season

A special Brigid-themed film season has been chosen for Kilcullen Bridge Cinema through February. The cinema is operated by Kilcullen Lions, who normally screen one or two films a month through which audiences can experience lives, cultures and perspectives different from their own.

Supported by Kildare County Council, the February initiative will host a selection of films that embody Saint Brigid's values and celebrate her legacy. It starts on Sunday afternoon, February 1st, with a much-loved family film, The Wild Robot. This will be followed on Tuesday evening, February 3rd, by a special screening of Four Mothers, a heartwarming Irish film set in Dublin that explores themes of ageing, caregiving, and loneliness. 

On Tuesday, February 10th, preceded by a reception and official opening of the season, the presentation is The Kitchen Brigade, a French comedy about a disgruntled sous-chef who leaves her job at a high-end restaurant and ends up running the cafeteria at a local migrant shelter. It cleverly blends upbeat entertainment with social issues, examining the plight of young immigrants and the challenges they face. 

Souleymane’s Story is an award-winning film showing on Tuesday, February 17th. Souleymane is an asylum seeker living day-by-day in Paris, constantly chasing beds in homeless centres and earning a tiny income by renting someone else’s food delivery account. It is a raw, compassionate and quietly devastating portrayal of one man forced to live precariously on the fringes of society. 

Senior citizens are invited to a free cinema evening on Saturday, February 21st, with the delightful 2024 film Thelma. Duped by a phone scammer, Thelma is inspired by action hero Tom Cruise to reclaim her money on her own Mission Impossible. It's a feel-good film about resilience.

The season concludes on Tuesday, February 24th, with The Voice of Hind Rajab. A docudrama built around the 2024 audio recording of a call between Hind Rajab — a young girl seemingly alone in a damaged car in Gaza after a firefight — and the dispatchers at a Red Crescent emergency response centre, it's a powerful account of a heartbreaking story from the Gaza War. 

On February 9th, students from Cross and Passion College Kilcullen will attend a special screening of Souleymane’s Story, and on Thursday, February 12th, students from the 6th classes in Scoil Bhride will watch Ocean, a film with David Attenborough which exposes the realities and challenges facing our ocean, from destructive fishing techniques to mass coral reef bleaching. 

Kilcullen Bridge Cinema was established in 2023 by Kilcullen Lions, in association with Access Cinema, to revive a tradition in the Town Hall after 47 years of cinematic 'darkness'. Prior to that, films had been shown in the hall since the 1930s, and Kilcullen Town Hall Cinema was the best known of its kind in Leinster through the 1950s and 1960s.

All film tickets are on sale in Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

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Brigid Film Season 2026 at Kilcullen Bridge Cinema

A reminder that the Brigid Film Season 2026, hosted by Kilcullen Bridge Cinema and supported by Kildare County Council, will feature a selection of films that depict the values of Saint Brigid and celebrate her legacy, writes Teresa Nurse of Kilcullen Lions. 

The season opens on Sunday, 1 February at 2pm with a family film, The Wild Robot. Roz is a curious robot who becomes stranded in the wilderness and must learn to adapt, survive, and form unexpected friendships with the animals around her. Children will love the charming characters and thrilling moments, and adults will appreciate the emotional depth and life lessons.

On Tuesday, 3 February, there will be a drinks reception followed by the film Four Mothers. An Irish Film set in Dublin, it tells the story of Edward, an Irish novelist whose career has stalled due to the demands of caring for his ailing mother Alma. He’s kept sane by a group of friends in similar situations — until those friends spontaneously decide to escape to a Pride festival in the Canaries, leaving Edward alone to care for all their mothers at once. It is a heartwarming film that explores themes of ageing, caregiving, loneliness, and sexual identity.

Tickets for both films are now on sale in Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

Details of further Brigid Film Season screenings later.

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'Christy' kicks off Kilcullen Bridge Cinema for 2026

A reminder that Kilcullen Bridge Cinema begins 2026 with the Irish film Christy, showing TONIGHT, Tuesday, 13 January, writes Teresa Nurse of Kilcullen Lions. Directed by Cork man Brendan Canty, it won the Best Irish Film award at the Galway Film Fleadh.

Set in Cork, it tells the story of 17-year-old Christy, who is thrown out of his foster home for attacking his foster brother. He is released to the care of his half-brother, Shane, and returns to his childhood community. Having tragically lost his mother at a very young age, he feels disconnected from the place and its people, and finds it hard to settle in. However, gradually, the local community begins to connect with Christy, helping him finally feel that he may have found a place to call home.

Christy is an ideal film for the New Year. Genuine and raw, it is an uplifting portrayal of community from the perspective of a teenager seeking his place within it.

Tickets €7 are now available at Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

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Casablanca tonight: "Play it, Sam"

A reminder that the classic Casablanca is showing TONIGHT for the Christmas Cinema evening at Kilcullen Bridge Cinema. Doors open at 7.30pm with festive mulled wine served. The film starts at 8pm.

Casablanca was released in 1942 and stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Directed by Michael Curtiz, it was to become one of Hollywood's most memorable romantic melodramas.

Tickets are €7 and are on sale now on Eventbrite and in Woodbine Books, Kilcullen.

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