Irish Examiner view: Cahir is king of the castles

From 'Excalibur' to 'The Green Knight', the Tipperary castle has played several starring roles as the location for hit movies

Now almost 900 years old, Cahir Castle is both a top-class tourist destination and European film fans' favourite movie location after it starred in David Lowery's 'The Green Knight'. Picture: Denis Minihane

Congratulations are due to the Office of Public Works (OPW) which manages Cahir Castle in Co Tipperary, voted Europe's favourite filming location.

The castle, which overlooks the River Suir, has won the 2021 European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN) Location Award. It was nominated by Screen Ireland as the location for The Green Knight and won by a public vote against Norway ( Dune), Spain ( The Crown), Croatia ( Murina), and Germany ( The Queen’s Gambit).

One of Ireland’s best-preserved historic castles, Cahir Castle has captured the imagination of filmmakers for decades. In David Lowery’s 2021 film – a fantasy retelling of the famous medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight – the 13th-century fortress features as the Camelot of Arthurian legend, a role it also played in the 1981 film Excalibur.

Cahir Castle is also expected to be on the agenda for next month’s visit by Britain’s future king and queen. Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, will follow in the footsteps of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, who visited Ireland in 2011.