Ireland’s dramatic landscapes, historic villages and wild Atlantic coastline have made it one of the world’s most popular filming destinations. From Hollywood epics and fantasy blockbusters to romantic dramas and classic cinema. The island of Ireland continues to provide unforgettable backdrops for stories seen around the world. Read on to find out more about Filming Locations in Ireland.
Many of these locations in Ireland can be visited today on our tours. Travelling through the country reveals landscapes that may already feel familiar. You’ll be charmed by windswept cliffs along the Atlantic, quiet villages that seem untouched by time, and green plains that have doubled as historic battlefields.
Ireland has featured in a remarkable number of international productions over the years. These range from major Hollywood movies to globally successful television series. Many well-known films shot in Ireland have used the country’s landscapes as their backdrop. Travellers often discover that the places where their favourite scenes were filmed are real locations that can still be explored today.
Some of the most famous filming locations in Ireland include:
- Slea Head, Dingle Peninsula – Star Wars: The Last Jedi
- Coumeenoole & Inch Beaches – Ryan’s Daughter
- The Cliffs of Moher – The Princess Bride and Harry Potter
- Cong, County Mayo – The Quiet Man
- The Wicklow Mountains – Vikings
- The Curragh, County Kildare – Braveheart battle scenes
- The Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland – Game of Thrones
Exploring these landscapes offers a fascinating way to see Ireland — through places that have already captured imaginations on screen.
The rugged coastline of Slea Head on the Dingle Peninsula has formed the backdrop for films including Ryan’s Daughter, Far and Away and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Slea Head, Dingle Peninsula — Star Wars, Ryan’s Daughter and Far and Away
Along the far western edge of the Dingle Peninsula, the Slea Head Drive follows one of the most spectacular coastal routes in Ireland. The narrow road curves around cliffs and sandy coves, with sweeping views across the Atlantic towards the Blasket Islands.
This dramatic stretch of coastline became part of the Star Wars universe when filming for The Last Jedi took place at Ceann Sibéal, along the Slea Head route. For the production, filmmakers recreated the distinctive beehive-style huts seen in the films, building them into the hillside above the sea.
The Dingle Peninsula had already appeared on screen decades earlier in Far and Away, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. While the film showcased some magnificent scenery, it is perhaps remembered just as much for Cruise’s famously questionable Irish accent. To this day that raises a smile when the film is mentioned in Ireland.
Today, travelling the Slea Head Drive unveils the same wild Atlantic landscape that first drew filmmakers here.
Coumeenoole & Inch Beaches — Ryan’s Daughter
Few films have captured the raw beauty of Ireland’s Atlantic coastline as powerfully as David Lean’s Ryan’s Daughter.
Much of the film was shot on the Dingle Peninsula. This included scenes filmed at Coumeenoole Beach, a small but dramatic cove tucked beneath steep cliffs along the Slea Head Drive. Nearby Inch Beach, a vast stretch of sand extending into Dingle Bay, was also used extensively during filming.
Standing on either beach, with waves rolling in from the Atlantic and mountains rising in the distance, it’s easy to see why these landscapes felt so cinematic on screen.
The Cliffs of Moher — The Princess Bride and Harry Potter
Towering above the Atlantic Ocean along the coast of County Clare, the Cliffs of Moher are among Ireland’s most iconic natural landmarks.
The cliffs featured in the cult classic The Princess Bride, where they were transformed into the fictional “Cliffs of Insanity”. In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, Westley climbs the seemingly impossible rock face while his pursuers look on from above.
Years later, the cliffs returned to cinema screens in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when Harry and Dumbledore travel to a remote sea cave in search of one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes.
With waves crashing far below and seabirds wheeling overhead, the cliffs possess a natural drama that needs little help from filmmakers.
You can visit both the Dingle Peninsula and the Cliffs of Moher on our ‘The Full Irish’ 12 day All-Ireland tour and our 6 Day Southwest Ireland tour.
Cong, County Mayo — The Quiet Man
Few films are as closely associated with Ireland as Oscar winning The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.
Filmed largely in the village of Cong, on the Mayo–Galway border, the movie introduced international audiences to Ireland’s rural scenery and village life. Many of the locations used in the film remain unchanged today, including the famous Quiet Man Bridge just outside the town of Oughterard.
Walking through Cong today, visitors can easily recognise the settings that appeared on screen — stone bridges, colourful cottages and quiet rivers that give the village its timeless charm.
The Wicklow Mountains — Vikings, Leap Year and P.S. I Love You
Just south of Dublin, the Wicklow Mountains have long been a favourite location for filmmakers.
The region’s rolling valleys, quiet lakes and remote mountain roads provide a striking contrast to Ireland’s Atlantic coastline. One of the most recognisable locations is Lough Tay, often called the Guinness Lake, which featured prominently in the historical television series Vikings.
The Wicklow landscape has also appeared in a number of romantic films. The popular drama P.S. I Love You, featured several locations in the Wicklow Mountains and along Ireland’s east coast. Another well-known romantic comedy, Leap Year, followed a fictional road journey across Ireland and showcased many of the rugged Irish landscapes visitors love most.
Driving through Wicklow today reveals a landscape that feels both expansive and atmospheric — heather-covered hills, winding mountain passes and mist drifting across the valleys.
The Curragh, County Kildare — Braveheart
The sweeping grasslands of the Curragh in County Kildare provided the setting for several of the large battle scenes in Braveheart.
This vast open plain has been used for centuries as a training ground for horses and military manoeuvres. Its wide, uninterrupted horizon made it ideal for recreating the scale of medieval battlefields.
Today the Curragh remains one of Ireland’s most distinctive landscapes, where racehorses still train across the open plains. A tour of the Irish National Stud and Gardens in the heart of the Curragh is included in our ‘The Full Irish’ 12 day All-Ireland tour – you can channel your inner Braveheart as we wind our way through the Curragh.
Northern Ireland — Game of Thrones and How to Train your Dragon
Northern Ireland became globally recognised as the primary filming location for the epic television series Game of Thrones.
Several iconic sites can be visited along the spectacular Antrim Coast. Among the most famous is the Dark Hedges, an atmospheric avenue of intertwined beech trees that appeared in the series as the Kingsroad.
Other locations nearby include Ballintoy Harbour and Castle Ward, which served as the setting for Winterfell during the early seasons of the show.
The rugged landscapes of the Causeway Coast provided the perfect backdrop for the fictional world of Westeros.
Experience Ireland’s Filming Locations for Yourself
One of the pleasures of travelling around Ireland is discovering landscapes that feel instantly familiar. Whether that be the dramatic coastline of the Dingle Peninsula or the village of Cong made famous by The Quiet Man. Along with the striking scenery of Northern Ireland used in Game of Thrones, they all lie along some of the country’s most scenic routes.
Visitors on our ‘The Full Irish’ 12 day All-Ireland tour and 6 Day Southwest Ireland tour will always experience the Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula. Further north, the village of Cong continues to attract film lovers drawn by the legacy of The Quiet Man. We often pop in there on our 7 Day Northern Ireland and Best of the West tour, on which we also get a flavour of Game of Thrones filming locations.
Travelling through these regions offers the chance to experience the landscapes that have inspired filmmakers for generations. And, for our clients, we believe it’s an added bonus being able to experience these filming locations Ireland along the way.
We’re going to let you in on a little secret to finish – the original Hollywood is a tiny village in Co. Wicklow. And, just below the hill in the picture below, is yet another filming location in Ireland – the closing ambush scenes from Michael Collins were ‘shot’ here.
If you’re planning a trip to Ireland, you’ll find more great information in our Ireland Itinerary for first-time Visitors and a Traveller’s Guide to Real Costs in Ireland.