The Martin McDonagh movie ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ was filmed on location on Achill Island, Co. Mayo, and also on Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands in Co. Galway. Both destinations are on the west coast of Ireland.
Read on for details of the sites and a map of the locations used on Achill Island.
Quick links to content:
- Map of Achill Locations
- Cloughmore (JJ Devines pub)
- Cloughmore (Statue / Fork in Road)
- Purteen Harbour (Village street / O’Riordan’s shop)
- Keem Bay (Colm Doherty’s house / beach scenes)
- Corrymore Lake (Mrs. McCormick’s cottage)
- St. Thomas’s Church (used for Mass scenes)
- Guided Tours
Map of Achill Locations
Cloughmore (JJ Devines Pub)
Cloughmore, on the south-eastern corner of Achill Island, was the setting for JJ Devines pub (‘Jonjo’s’). The building was constructed – and later removed – by the film crew at this popular local beauty spot. It is the location for the publicity photo from the movie showing Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson’s characters talking at a wooden table outside the pub.
Cloughmore (Holy Statue / Fork in Road)
A few hundred metres along the road (westwards) from the site of Jonjo’s pub at Cloughmore is the location of a fork in the road, denoted in the movie by a statue of the Virgin Mary. The statue was a film prop, and in real life the road does not actually fork – the short path created for the film leads straight to a cliff edge! This location was the setting for several road scenes, including the cart journey as Colm brings Padraic home after a beating in the village.
Purteen Harbour (Village street & O’Riordan’s shop)
Purteen harbour, located between Keel and Pollagh villages on Achill Island, was transformed into a portside street scene complete with Post Office and shop for the film. The shop building – O’Riordan’s – was constructed entirely for the movie and the row of cottages was a facade erected in front of existing fishermen’s buildings.
Keem Bay (Colm Doherty’s house & beach scenes)
Keem Bay, home to one of Ireland’s most popular beaches, is the location for the home of Brendan Gleeson’s character Colm Doherty. The beach at Keem is also the setting for the final scene of the move. The building used in the movie was made over by the crew. It is a private building and not open to the public. Note also that the interior scenes were filmed in a set, not within this building.
Corrymore Lake (Mrs. McCormick’s cottage)
Corrymore lake (Lough Acorrymore) is the setting for one of the film’s tragedies, and also the location of Mrs. McCormick’s cottage.
St. Thomas’s Church, Dugort (Mass Scenes)
St. Thomas’s Church in Dugort is a nineteenth century church of Ireland building that was used as the setting for Mass scenes in the film. Please note, this is a working church building and not open to the public outside of worship service times. Also if visiting please be respectful of the graves in the grounds of this church. For a fuller history of this church, and the surrounding area of ‘The Colony’, we recommend booking The Colony Tour, a fascinating two-hour historical walking tour.
Guided Tours
Tour guides can be provided for coach parties to give a first-hand account of the locations and the stories surrounding the filming of The Banshees of Inisherin on Achill Island. Contact Achill Tourism for details – info@achilltourism.com or phone 098 20400.
An Achill Island Day Tour is available from Achill Coaches, offering a driver-guided tour of Achill including several locations used in The Banshees of Inisherin. The Tour starts with pickups at several Westport hotels, plus Newport and Mulranny, before spending the afternoon in Achill and returning to Westport.