Ireland’s dramatic landscapes have quietly served as a backdrop for some of Hollywood’s most beloved films. The Cliffs of Moher, for instance, appear not only in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as a horcrux-hunting location, but also in the 1987 classic The Princess Bride, where they stood in for the fictional “Cliffs of Insanity.”
Braveheart staged its Scottish independence battles at Trim Castle in County Meath, with Irish Army Reserve members serving as extras. Saving Private Ryan recreated the D-Day beaches of Normandy on the County Wexford coast, again using Reserve forces as extras. Star Wars found its remote alien planet on Skellig Michael and the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry.
Lighter fare also found a home there: Anne Hathaway’s Ella Enchanted filmed at Powerscourt Estate and Kilruddery House, while the 2005 Lassie used the Wicklow Mountains and Dublin as its setting. P.S. I Love You, adapted from an Irish novel, brought the Sally Gap and Blessington to international audiences.
Ireland’s combination of ancient castles, wild coastline, and rolling countryside has made it one of cinema’s most versatile — and underappreciated — filming destinations.
