Two Mayo locations among top five most popular in Ireland to have featured onscreen
New data has revealed the most popular locations in Ireland that have famously featured onscreen – including two in Mayo.
Following the Cliffs of Moher in top spot and the Wicklow Mountains in second came Achill Island, while Ashford Castle in Cong also featured in the list at number five.
Ireland’s film sector has boomed exponentially in the last decade, producing various critically acclaimed films, television series and 15 Academy Award nominations in the past two years alone. According to Screen Ireland, the total production spend in the Irish economy reached a record high of €500 million in 2021, despite challenges facing the industry due to the pandemic.
Sports betting and casino site Tonybet decided to investigate which of 20 Irish filming locations are the most popular according to Instagram and Google search data.
The study looked at the average number of monthly searches for various terms relating to each location (for example, ‘Cliffs of Moher’, ‘Visit Achill Island’, ‘Ashford Castle Ireland’) in addition to the location with its most famous onscreen appearance (such as ‘Skellig Michael Star Wars’). This was combined with the number of Instagram posts featured under the location’s respective hashtag, and an equal weighting was applied to both criteria to create a total index score out of 100.
Achill is the largest of Ireland’s islands, home to tranquil beaches and a distinct coastline that recently provided the setting to 2022 film The Banshees of Inisherin, which went onto become a critical hit and receive nine Oscar nominations.
Ashford Castle sits near Cong on the Mayo/Galway border, and has operated as a hotel since the mid-20th century. While it serves more contemporary purpose now, it has provided the historic setting on films such as The Quiet Man (1952) and television period drama Reign.
The top 10 locations in Ireland are: Cliffs of Moher, Wicklow Mountains, Achill Island, Powerscourt, Ashford Castle, Skellig Michael, Malin Head, Lough Tay, Trim Castle, Inis Mór.
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for Tonybet said: “With the Irish film industry on an upswing, it’s expected that there would be so much interest in the filming locations of some of the most successful films and TV shows in recent years – but it is excellent news for the Irish tourism industry, nonetheless.
“With Irish actors such as Collin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott and recent Oscar winner Cillian Murphy receiving acclaim for their performances in major studio films over the past few years, the Irish film industry has become synonymous with a sense of prestige and widespread online popularity, both of which translates to an intrigue in Ireland and what it has to offer.
“This isn’t limited to niche productions either, and Ireland’s appeal as a filming location has grown exponentially in recent years, which has consequentially allowed Irish talent to flourish more than ever. The Banshees of Inisherin produced four Oscar acting nominations alone – almost a quarter of the total acting nominees of that year. Not to mention the TV miniseries Normal People, adapted from Sally Rooney’s hit novel and starring Emmy and Oscar nominee Paul Mescal, has become an instant classic among Gen-Z.
“Hopefully, this will only lead to more opportunities for the Irish film industry, and more film crews will consider Ireland when choosing their filming locations. Many of these locations are well worth a visit, even if you haven’t seen the films in which they appear. For those who are cinephiles, a lot of them offer guided tours that share the secrets of producing such iconic films and will be sure to inject the experience with some special movie magic.”