The stunning west of Ireland plays a starring role in a new movie, providing the dramatic setting for the darkly comedic story.
The Banshees of Inisherin, from Searchlight Pictures, is the latest film from Academy Award and BAFTA winning director Martin McDonagh.
Starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, the film takes place on the fictional island of Inisherin, and is set in 1923, during the Irish Civil War. It follows lifelong friends Pádraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship.
Filmed predominantly on Achill Island and Inis Mór on the Wild Atlantic Way, the drama of the story is heightened by the spectacular west coast of Ireland setting.
Achill Island in County Mayo is a landscape of rugged beauty with the highest sea cliffs in Ireland and five Blue Flag beaches. These include gorgeous Keem Bay which was recently named best wild swimming spot in the UK and Ireland.
Keem beach features in the official poster for the film as well as providing the shoot location for some of the key scenes.
Inis Mór is the largest of the three Aran Islands that lie off the coast of County Galway. The Irish-speaking islands were once described by playwright J M Synge as “the last outpost of ancient Europe”.
The islands are known for their distinctive scenery which has flat expanses of limestone criss-crossed by miles of drystone walls, visible frequently in The Banshees of Inisherin.
Inis Mór is also home to over 50 monuments of Christian, pre-Christian and Celtic mythological heritage including the 3000-year-old fort Dún Aonghasa (Dun Aengus), and the extensive ruins of an eighth-century monastic site called Na Seacht dTeampaíll (The Seven Churches).
The Banshees of Inisherin is the first feature McDonagh has shot and set in Ireland and he chose a landscape near to where his parents live in County Galway, familiar to him from visits as a child.
The movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September with great success, with McDonagh winning best screenplay and Farrell best actor. It will go on general release on 21 October.
A behind the scenes look at the making of the movie is now available.
