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coast, perhaps the most famous and one of the most spectacular film locations on the island. Skellig Michael, the rocky outcrop seven miles off the Kerry coastline, with its well-preserved 6th-century monastic settlement, provided the perfect retreat for Luke Skywalker in 2015 blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
A STEP BACK IN TIME
Not to be outdone, Ireland’s Ancient East is a region that’s as varied as it is arresting. The stunning coastline of Co Wexford’s Curracloe Strand in Ballinesker was evocatively transformed into Normandy’s Omaha Beach in Saving Private Ryan, and later starred in Brooklyn, which also made much use of Co Wexford’s medieval landscapes and the picturesque town of Enniscorthy. And it’s on the east
coast that Ireland’s garden county is best encapsulated in the romantic grounds of Powerscourt Estate in Co Wicklow – so elegant that it’s starred in a whopping 25 productions harking back to the 1944 film Henry V. Nearby, Co Meath’s Trim Castle, the largest Norman castle in Ireland, is famed as the home of Braveheart, while the atmospheric 12th-century ruins of the lovely Boyne Valley’s Bective Abbey nearby also made their mark in the film, as did locations in Counties Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow, which all filled in for Scotland.
HOUSEHOLD NAMES
Offering a 21st-century counterpoint to the miles of ancient coastline, the city of Dublin has had its own fair share of movie stars treading its cobbled streets. With its beautiful grounds and 16th-century buildings,
Trinity College Dublin has been a temporary home to everyone from Michael Caine and Julie Walters in Educating Rita to, more recently, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal in Normal People. Head southeast along the coast and the landscape changes again, as shown to great effect in the 1956 film Moby Dick, filmed in the historic walled seaside town of Youghal. But exploring parts of Ireland
Powerscourt Estate, Co Wicklow
that haven’t been discovered by the location scouts reaps its own rewards. In the Hidden Heartlands region, stretching from Leitrim to Limerick along the River Shannon,
the focus on nature, lakes and soft adventures takes you away from it all. And who knows, in Boyle, you might even bump into local boy-turned- Hollywood-star Chris O’Dowd, who filmed part of his comedy series Moone Boy around the town. Whether your clients are avid
cinema-goers or just want to admire location hotspots, press the green button and book their trips now.
Skellig Michael, Co Kerry
The Dark Hedges, Co Antrim
trade.ireland.com
PICTURES: Failte Ireland & Tourism Ireland/Chris Hill; Tourism Ireland/Tom Archer; Tourism Northern Ireland; Chris Hill Photographic
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