Lights, camera, Achill: How the Co Mayo island has captured hearts in Hollywood

Hollywood's love affair with Achill Island could mean great things for the local community and for the Irish film scene, writes Michelle McGlynn

Chris McCarthy, Manager of Achill Tourism at the filming location that served as a backdrop for JJ Devine's Pub in the Banshees of Inisherin. Picture: Michael Mc Laughlin

Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Jessie Buckley – all Irish stars on the rise. Another to add to the list? Achill Island.

The stunning island off the west of Ireland has always had plenty of character but acting as the location for a number of productions recently, it has become a character in itself.

If you have already seen the critically acclaimed, multi-award winning The Banshees of Inisherin then you have already witnessed this in action.

Depending on the day, the landscape of Achill Island can conjure a feeling of cold isolation or provide the warm feeling of a tight-knit community, it can lend a sense of foreboding and uncertainty or offer a snapshot of all the beauty and possibility the world has to offer.

Director Martin McDonagh wanted to be able to film as much as possible on location rather than having to use a set, according to Manager of Achill Tourism Chris McCarthy.

“McDonagh had said that when you walk in the door from the Atlantic, you bring an atmosphere in with you that can’t be recreated in a studio,” said Chris.

Madeline Condell shows her mum Margaret Kilcoyne the autographs of Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Pat Shortt and John Kenny signed on the back of a cereal box she got at the end of filming a scene. Picture: Michael Mc Laughlin

The lake, cliffs and beaches feature in many key shots of Banshees and the vast beyond signals different things for different characters. 

For Siobhán, it represents a new chapter far from her stifling life on Inisherin; for Colm, an unending quest for peace; and for Dominic, an all consuming despair.

It was the lake which sealed the deal when it came to choosing Achill as a location, said Alan Gielty, who runs Gielty’s Bar and Restaurant.

'IS THIS REAL?'

Location manager Eoin Holohan had been looking at filming in Donegal but couldn’t find a lake close enough to where the rest of the filming would take place. Fortunately, Ireland’s largest island ticked all the boxes.

Many of the cast and crew stayed on the island for the three months of filming, allowing them to immerse themselves in their environment and allowing it to inform their characters.

Filmed in the summer of 2021, this offered a welcome boost for the island in the midst of the pandemic which decimated the tourism industry on which many of the businesses rely.

Following the release of Banshees, interest from both Irish and international visitors to the already popular island has skyrocketed.

Chris said the sheer number of enquiries they have received off the back of it, particularly from those in the US, has been incredible.

One woman from Philadelphia called Achill Tourism having just watched it and said: “Please, ma’am. Can you please tell me, is this real? Like, this isn’t Photoshop?”

She and her family had been promising themselves a trip to Ireland for 20 years and watching Banshees gave them the push they needed and they finally made the trip this month.

Alan has also seen a boost in business as he runs Achill Island Day Tours which offers a trip around the island visiting all the sites, including the filming locations.

As well as having local knowledge, Alan can also provide people with plenty of behind the scenes tidbits as his pub’s car park was used as a unit base during filming.

“It felt a bit unreal to be sitting upstairs above the pub and you’re just watching Colin Farrell or Brendan Gleeson or someone walking across your car park. It was crazy,” he said.

There was no diva behaviour to be seen from the stars with most saying that they fitted in with the locals in no time.

“There is a great grá for the four main actors in Achill and the feeling is mutual."

Gielty's Bar & Restaurant was used as a unit base for the production crew, Alan Gielty, the proprietor, was gifted the frontage of O’Riordan’s shop for his hospitality shown to the crew. Picture: Michael Mc Laughlin

In his Golden Globes acceptance speech for best actor, Farrell thanked the people for the welcome they received saying: “There were lines blurred between all of us so that we were just one big family for the betterment of all of our souls.”

As welcoming as they were, the locals knew that there was work to be done and largely let the cast go about their work in peace.

'I'VE NEVER HAD TO SIGN A CORNFLAKES BOX'

In saying that, sometimes a chance is just too good to pass up as Madeline Condell will tell you. She applied to be an extra on a film after seeing an ad in the local shop.

Little did Madeline know then that she would find herself sitting next to Gleeson in a scene in an Oscar nominated film.

During a lunch break, Madeline decided, “I’m going to have to be really cheeky and get an autograph because I’m never ever going to have this opportunity again.”

Colin Farrell: "In all my years of signing autographs, I've never had to sign a Cornflakes box." Picture: Michael Mc Laughlin

With phones and cameras banned while on set, she had to get creative. After spotting some cereal boxes, she slyly ripped one of them and hid it in one of her boots.

When she whipped the cardboard out and asked Gleeson for his signature he couldn’t help laughing. Later she asked if Gleeson could ask Farrell to sign as well.

“He said, ‘Colin, this lady here has a Cornflakes box and was wondering if you’d sign it’. Colin turned around and started laughing. He goes ‘in all my years of signing autographs, I’ve never had to sign a Cornflakes box’.”

Madeline wasn’t the only person to leave with a unique memento, although Alan’s is slightly bigger than a cereal box.

Chatting to the crew one day, Alan enquired after the front made for O’Riordan’s shop in the film asking if he could buy it after the film wrapped.

He was told it couldn’t be sold to him but a few weeks later, lo and behold, here was the shopfront given to him as a gift.

It now has a home in Gielty’s Bar, which is currently up for sale, and the one-of-a-kind prop is being offered as an added bonus for the new owner.

Fans of the film will be disappointed to learn that, like O’Riordan’s, the pub featured in the film is not real and was taken down after filming.

However, Chris said they are planning to install a bench at the location for people to visit and maybe recreate the now-iconic ‘I just don’t like you no more’ scene. Let’s just hope it doesn’t become a popular break-up spot.

All of Achill will be hoping to avoid heartbreak themselves come Oscar night where Banshees is up for nine awards.

THE ISLAND HOLDS ITS BREATH

There are plans to install a bench where Gleeson and Farrell sat in the now-iconic 'I just don't like you no more' scene. Picture: Jonathan Hession/Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

There will be celebrations into the night as the locals gather together to watch tomorrow night.

“We’re going to have a Banshee holiday on the Monday as opposed to a bank holiday,” said Chris.

The screen’s love affair with Achill Island will not end with Banshees as several projects have since filmed there including Toronto Film Festival-selected My Sailor, My Love which is in cinemas now.

A Discovery series filmed on the island late last year while Netflix rom-com Irish Wish, starring Lindsay Lohan and Jane Seymour shot in nearby Westport.

“Recent productions shooting in Achill have provided an important opportunity to promote its stunning locations and landscapes and particularly to highlight the skill and talent available in Achill and the surrounding area in Mayo,” a spokesperson for Screen Ireland said.

“The creation of new opportunities for skills and career development for crew across the country is an essential part of Screen Ireland’s commitment to growing the screen industry sustainably nationwide, with the agency recently ringfencing €3.5m from its 2023 budget to address the need for further supports in this area.”

With landscapes so stunning they seem too good to be true, a warm and welcoming community and a wealth of Irish talent to choose from, it is no wonder producers have been making enquiries and visiting the island over the past few months.

Who knows which next big project will choose to set their tale on Ireland’s biggest island.

One thing is certain though, Achill Island has certainly won the hearts of Hollywood.