Star of Emerald Screen – Around Ireland in 10 and a half movies
Around Ireland in 10 and a half movies
Arriving in Ireland, you may already have a sense of déjà vu from seeing it depicted in movies over the years. Thanks to Ireland’s rugged natural beauty a few tax breaks, the Irish film industry goes from strength to strength and is one of our great exports. Grab your popcorn as we’ve rounded up 10 (and a half) of the best movies to get you in the mood and give you a taste of the landscape and complex personality of Ireland.
We start where many people begin their travels – in the capital city of Dublin.
1 - The Dead is a beautiful movie depicting of a poignant story of marital epiphanies, love and loss based on what has been called the best short story ever written. It is also an easy entry to the works of James Joyce. Director John Huston showcases his daughter Angelica in this period piece about a snowy December dinner party. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dead_(1987_film)
John Huston's "The Dead" (1987)
The closing lines have become famous
“Snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, further westwards, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling too upon every part of the lonely churchyard where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.”
Dublin is steeped in literature and to follow in the footsteps of Ireland’s rich literary traditions visit MOLI – the Museum of Literature Ireland. This museum celebrates the long tradition of Irish writing in a beautiful Georgian building in the city centre on St. Stephen’s Green and does a superb job in bringing the written word to life. https://moli.ie/
2 - Dublin in the 80s and the burgeoning music scene that emerged from economic hardship can be seen in the iconic movie, The Commitments. This movie marked the start of new era of Irish movie exports and the director Oliver Stone catapulted local author Roddy Doyle to fame with this unique and funny musical.
Dublin city centre is full of live music venues of all sizes and if an intimate and authentic experience appeals to you, keep an eye on the music listings to see what is on during your stay in such low-key supper-club style clubs such as Whelan’s https://www.whelanslive.com/events/ and The Sugar club (a beautiful converted cinema). https://thesugarclub.com/tc-events/
Whelan's Live Club, Dublin, Ireland
3 - County Wexford showcases its beautiful beaches and a young Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn. This film is based on the Colm Tobin book and is a beautiful period piece and gentle tale of the push and pull of emigration set in the 50s in New York and Wexford.
Colm Tobin's Brooklyn (2015)
When in the south-east explore more about immigration by visiting the Dunbrody Famine ship in New Ross https://www.dunbrody.com/
The Dunbrody Famine Ship, New Ross, Ireland
Hook Head peninsula in County Wexord is home to Hook Head lighthouse, the oldest intact operational lighthouse in the world https://hookheritage.ie/
Hook Head Lighthouse, County Wexford, Ireland
4 - Into the West is a lyrical fantasy story of the odyssey of two young boys on the run across Ireland on their magical horse, featuring youthful Gabriel Byrne and Colm Meany.
Into The West (1992)
A trip across the middle of Ireland takes in the majesty of the Shannon and can include stops such as 6th Century monastic site Clonmacnoise.
Clonmacnoise Monastery, Ireland - Photo by José Pablo Iglesias
https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/clonmacnoise-monastic-site/
5 - Other movies take us on a tour of the Wild Atlantic Way along the west coast of Ireland. Ryan’s Daughter showcases such Kerry stars as Inch Beach, Slea Head and Dun Chaoin. The movie tells the tale of a young married Irishwoman who falls for a British soldier during WWI despite much moral opposition.
Ryan's Daughter (1970)
It won 2 academy awards (one for cinematography) and was a hit at the box office in 1970.
Irish Seaside photo by K. Mitch Hodge
Driving around Kerry and taking in the spectacular scenery while perhaps stopping for world-class golfing and unique hotels is one of the unforgettable experiences of a visit to the south-west https://www.corkkerry.ie/
Longer stays could take in a visit to the Skellig islands (also featured in the Star Wars movies) . This UNESCO World Heritage site have a 6th Century monastery perched high on jagged islands rising out of the Atlantic. https://skelligislands.com/
Skellig Islands, Photo by Rachel Lillis
While in Kerry, you could add on something completely different and book a sheep dog demonstration on a traditional working sheep farm https://www.kissanesheepfarm.com/
Photo by Tomáš Malík
6 - Man of Aran is one of the oldest films made about life in Connemara in the west of Ireland, and is a fictional documentary portraying people on the Aran islands (off the coast of County Clare) living in a tough pre-modern fishing and farming culture. The drama and spectacular experimental cinematography make it worth a watch and its launch was a major cultural even in Dublin in 1934
A visit to the Aran islands is a once in a lifetime experience of life on the western fringes. Take a day trip from County Galway and visit the 3000 year old prehistoric fort of Dún Aonghasa perched above the Atlantic.
7 - The Banshees of Inisherin is set on a fictional island off the west coast of Ireland and filmed mostly on Inis Mor (Aran Island) and Achill Island.
It divided the critics with a sad story of a friendship gone sour against a backdrop of emigration and the Irish Civil War and was nominated for 9 Academy Awards.
Travellers on the Wild Atlantic Way will not want to miss Achill Island. Keem Beach in particular features on the Lonely Planet’s list of best beaches in the world and on a sunny day can look like the Caribbean. “The verdant green hillsides spill down to a deep-set horseshoe-shaped bay, where a pale-blonde beach sits framed by the Croaghaun Cliffs and the swell of the wild Atlantic. … Launch a kayak from the shore during the warmer summer months for fabulous views of the rural Ireland from the water. You might also catch a glimpse of pods of dolphins, which sometimes swim and feed by the bay.”
https://achilltourism.com/achills-keem-bay-listed-in-top-20-of-worlds-best-beaches/
Photo by Jonas Stolle
This map is an informal tour following a Banshees of Inisherin highlights of the island.
https://achilltourism.com/banshees-of-inisherin-locations-trail/
Shooting locations around Ireland for "The Banshees of Inisherin"
8 - The Field is based on a play of the same name and set in Kerry but filmed in the Mayo village of Leenaun. It is an story of attachment to the land and pits local farmers against a wealthy returning American emigrant.
The Field (1990)
The backdrop to the movie is the wilds of Connemara which boast beautiful beaches, windswept mountains and many lovely little villages. Roundstone sits along the sea with ample opportunity for hiking and exploring local seascapes. Omey Island is a tidal island that can be reached on foot at low tide. The town of Clifton is famous for Guglielmo Marconi building his first high power transatlantic long wave wireless telegraphy station four miles (6 km) south of the town to minimize the distance to Nova Scotia in 1905.
Photo by Stephanie Chriselle
The beautiful isolated course, Connemara Golf Links is designed by Eddie Hackett and lies to the West of Clifden along the Wild Atlantic Ways.
https://www.connemaragolflinks.com/
Take a few extra hours to rent bikes and explore Ireland’s first greenway. The trail between Newport to Achill, passing through Mulranny is regarded as the best section of the route in terms of scenery.
https://www.greenway.ie/great-western-greenway/
8.5 Keep your eyes peeled in 2025 for the upcoming movie, Finnegan’s Foursome, shot in the beautiful Mayo peninsula of Belmullet. Two middle aged brothers and their respective sons travel to Ireland to play the Finnegan Family's annual golf outing, where they distribute the ashes of the family patriarch.
Photo by Johnny Such
A unique stop and a journey to the past in north Mayo is the Ceide Fields - an extensive Stone Age site. A vast network of neolithic fields, walls, tombs and dwellings lie fossilised beneath the wild boglands.
Ceide Fields, North Mayo, Ireland
9 - The Secret of Roan Inis is a sweet fantasy film based in the 1940s on the Celtic myth of the Selkie which are seals that can become human. Critic Stephen Holden, film critic for The New York Times wrote, "The Secret of Roan Inis is the first film directed by Mr. Sayles that could be described as visually rhapsodic. Photographed by Haskell Wexler on Ireland's rugged northwestern seacoast, it is a cinematic tone poem in which man and nature, myth and reality flow together in a way that makes them ultimately indivisible.
Photo by Keith Luke
Donegal is a truly wild and sometimes forgotten county that is worth every minute of the journey. From the natural drama of the Slieve Leagh cliffs, to the mountain glens with some fantastic food and world class golf courses, it is a part of Ireland not to be missed.
Photo by Phil Aicken
10 - A movies for the action Thriller fans, The Land of Saints and Scholars is a tale of a former hitman living a quiet life in the lush grasslands of a Donegal village when an IRA bomber on the run arrives.
When in Donegal, don’t miss Glenveagh National Park and Castle among the rugged Derryveagh mountains.
https://www.nationalparks.ie/glenveagh/
Photo by K. Mitch Hodge
“Where the mountains arise to the oft-changing skies, And the Castle stands stately and grey; Where the calm lake lies still ‘neath that wild rugged hill, In the valley of lovely Glenveagh…” (Herbert W.K. Sterritt)
For golf enthusiasts, Old Sod Travel can arrange for bookings along the entire circuit of Ireland in world class links with breath-taking views of the mountains and the seas so beloved by movie makers from around the world.
Bon Voyage/Enjoy your trip/ Go n-éirí do thuras leat.
* Dedicated film nerds can check out this app to to follow and share their favourite movie locations around the world setjetters.com