Ireland's remote ‘Banshees of Inisherin’ islands reap Oscars tourism boom
Colin Farrell had many people to thank following his best actor win at the Golden Globes for the riveting dark comedy ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’. He made a point of mentioning the locals of Achill Island and Inis Mor. "We were just one big family," the Irish actor said. Now, the inhabitants of these remote islands are hoping to capitalize on the film's success as the Brendan Gleeson and Farrell starrer garners nine Oscar and 10 BAFTA nominations.
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Sheep seen standing on a cliff near the Keem beach on Achill Island, on January 31-- the filming location of the movie ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, which is up for 10 BAFTA awards, this Sunday. Among those whom he thanked for receiving a Golden Globe for his role in the film, Colin Farrell cited the inhabitants of the Irish islands, who are already benefitting from the exposure offered by the movie. (Paul Faith / AFP)
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Owner of the Lynotts pub, Mick Lynch, seen at the Purteen harbour, one of the filming locations of the movie, on January 31. Usually a working fisherman's wharf, it became the location for a portside street scene with a 1920s shopfront. The pub, where much of the film's action takes place, was built from scratch atop windswept cliffs on Achill's southwest coast, AFP reported.(Paul Faith / AFP)
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One of 120 extras in the film, Madeline Condell, poses with her donkeys on Achill island, on January 31. Condell owns two donkeys that missed out on appearing alongside the miniature donkey Jenny. Suggesting that the island was in the grip of an Oscars buzz, she told AFP, “We almost feel like we deserve an Oscar as well, because of the beauty of the area.”(Paul Faith / AFP)
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A view of the fisherman's cottage used in the film as the home for Brendan Gleeson's character. Between July and November 2021, Achill Island's dramatic landscape of rugged cliffs, peat bogs, and sandy beaches was transformed. "They couldn't create this in the studio," Chris McCarthy, the manager of Achill Tourism, told AFP, adding that the director, Martin McDonagh, wanted the actors “to feel the atmosphere of the Atlantic”.(Paul Faith / AFP)
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