Guest Post from Bill Duffy, Really Great Tours
If you grew up in County Mayo, you could be forgiven for taking the incredible scenery for granted.
We live on the Mullet Peninsula and drive past the most amazing scenes on the way to the shop. But there’s nothing quite like the pride that wells up inside a Mayo man like myself when we see our county on the silver screen.
There’s no denying that County Mayo is among the wildest of places left in Ireland.
Locations spotters have everything they could ever dream of, acres of desolate blanket bog, the tallest cliffs in Ireland (on Achill Island) and an intricate Atlantic coastline complete with lighthouses, ruins and ancient places.
Thanks to Colette from Ireland on a Budget for enquiring about my favorite movies set in County Mayo. She might wish she never asked!
After a couple of hours-long YouTube sessions, 10 cups of coffee, and a few sleepless nights, I’ve narrowed it down to my top 4. Phew!
Without further ado…
The Quiet Man (1952)
Probably the quintessential Irish movie, The Quiet Man, directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, certainly put Cong, County Mayo, on the map.
This movie has everything: matchmakers, misogyny, bookmakers, dowries, and deception, all set in the stunning surroundings of the exquisite medieval Ashford Castle.
Throw in a fiery redhead, bareknuckle boxers, plotting priests, and a good old bar fight (or ‘donnybrook’, if you prefer), and you’ve got the ingredients for an Irish American blockbuster of its time, one that would never be made today!
If you’re a huge fan, or maybe you’ve never seen the nostalgic movie, get to Cong post haste. It’s screened daily in a room in the Quiet Man Museum that’s actually featured in the film. Talk about immersion!
The Field (1990)
Jim Sheridan is probably Ireland’s most celebrated writer/director, and this, his most celebrated film.
Adapted from the 1965 John B Keane play, The Field is a sharp take on Irish society, complete with jealousy, guilt, unresolved trauma, and an isolated community in disarray.
Richard Harris as the Bull McCabe really is outstanding… in his field!
Shot in the quaint village of Leenaun, County Galway, but with some truly epic scenes and central plot elements filmed in lovely Mayo (like the roaring Aasleagh Falls), the cinematography requires no tricks or enhancements, and the scenery does all the work here.
The plot portrays the grim reality of working the land, the lasting legacy of suicide, and the deep rural fear of improvement and regeneration that comes along with strangers. This movie makes the list because the disputed field itself is located in County Mayo, and if it weren’t, it might as well be… if you know what I mean.
Although there is no venue showing The Field daily like The Quiet Man, there are still versions of this very story playing out live, in fields and townlands all over rural Ireland. Some things never change.
The Banshees of Inisherin
This bleak, dark, tragicomedy, set on a remote County Mayo island in the 1920s with the backdrop of the Irish Civil War, really doesn’t mess around, dealing with such huge topics as male loneliness, emigration, familial trauma, mental illness, and the undeniable connections to the land felt by those who farm it for generations.
With much of the movie filmed on our own incredible Achill Island, renowned writer/director Martin McDonagh took full advantage of what the industry calls the ‘golden hour’ – just before sunrise and just after sunset, when the natural light is perfect for filming.
The results? A stunning landscape, every time.
I really enjoyed this weird, macabre tale of friendship and love. Watching The Banshees of Inisherin might break your heart, but it will at least make you laugh along the way. Who needs fingers anyway?
Wild Mountain Thyme (2020)
This strange and silly rom-com will definitely keep you smiling, if you can get past the awful forced Irish accents!
Starring an unexpected crew of A-Listers, like Emma Blunt, Jamie Dornan, John Hamm, and Hollywood royalty Christopher Walken, and set in rural Crossmolina, North County Mayo, the movie follows neighbors Anthony and Rosemary as they grow up in adjacent farms and flits between the hard life of the homeland and the much more metropolitan New York City.
Thoroughly panned by critics and fans alike, I actually liked it, not least for the beautiful (and very familiar) scenery.
Enniscoe House and its walled garden are places I take guests regularly. There is a wonderful reveal at the end, which will have you scratching your head, and the lovely story won’t leave you quickly.
Isn’t that the point of cinema after all?
There are many more movies, either set in Mayo or made by Mayo writers, actors, and creatives that I could recommend (such as Into the West, The Irish Wish, and My Sailor My Love); however, these are definitely my four favorites.
The way Ireland is portrayed on the silver screen directly affects the country’s tourism numbers, brings guests to our shores in search of such famous locations, and, at the end of the day, gives people like me something to talk about.
As for this blog post, it’s a wrap.
About Bill
Bill Duffy is a tourism professional based in Erris, County Mayo. His business, Really Great Tours, showcases the very best of County Mayo and promotes sustainable tourism. When not out guiding visitors around the spectacular sites, you’ll find scouting out new hidden gems along the Wild Atlantic Way or buried in a book about history or folklore!
hmmm…. not sure how County Galway will feel about The Field being included on this list… personally I liked Wild Mountain Thyme, it was suitably silly and twee, the story was fun and Christopher Walken is amazing as always!