Galway on film

Galway on the big screen 🎬

The diverse scenery of Ireland has captivated filmmakers since the establishment of film as an artform and many have used Galway, most notably the rugged landscape of Connemara, as a backdrop to their work. It has often been said that when a production is shot in Ireland the true star of the movie is the countryside itself and the Galway landscape has certainly been used to great effect in many popular films.

Man of Aran

Filmed in stark black and white, Robert J. Flaherty’s “Man of Aran” condenses a life of hardship into 75 minutes. It follows an Aran Island family as they wrestle an unforgiving sea. Their days are filled with perilous fishing expeditions on high cliffs, backbreaking labor coaxing potatoes from meager soil, and the daring hunt for basking shark to fuel their lamps. The film portrays a way of life seemingly untouched by modern times, highlighting the islanders’ resilience in the face of constant struggle. Visitors to Inis Mór will still find a daily screening of this monumental film.

The Quiet Man

The most famous movie to originate from the Galway area is the 1952 John Ford classic; The Quiet Man. The film relays the love story of returned emigrant Séan Thornton (John Wayne) an Mary-Kate Danaher (Maureen O’Hara). The movie was nominated to seven Academy Awards and won four, including the Best Director Award. While much of the film was shot in Cong, county Mayo, the heart of the movie lies in Tully Strand in Connemara where Séan and Mary-Kate embarked upon their married life at the cottage White O’Mornin’. The horse racing sequence in which Sean holds back and waits his turn before winning was filmed at Lettergesh Beach in County Galway, another location.

Also visit the Quiet Man Bridge where John Wayne’s character, Sean, and Victor McLaglen’s character, Red, battle each other. On the N59 road traveling west, the bridge is situated 8 kilometers (5 miles) past the town of Oughterard.

Ballyglunin Railway Station, which served the Limerick to Claremorris line, opened in 1860 and closed in 1976 also featured in the movie. In the first chapter of The Quiet Man, Sean arrives in County Galway by steam train to the fictional place of ‘Castletown’ which was in fact Ballyglunin Station, which has been rebuilt and turned into a history and visitor center.

The Field

In 1990 Jim Sheridan’s adaptation of the John B Keane play The Field brought Richard Harries, John Hurt and Tom Berenger to Leenane, in north county Galway. Based on true events, the film tells the story of ‘Bull’ McCabe and his quest to retain a field that his family had farmed for generations, and which his mother had died upon. Harris portrayal of ‘Bull’ McCabe earned him a 1991 Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Prominent movies partly filmed in Galway