The release of the new film, The Banshees of Inisherin, is set to provide a massive tourism boost to Achill Island, where much of the movie was filmed on location.
The release of the new film, The Banshees of Inisherin, is set to provide a massive tourism boost to Achill Island, where much of the movie was filmed on location.
The Banshees of Inisherin has received rave reviews from critics all over the world and leading actor Colin Farrell has been tipped for the Best Actor Oscar at next spring’s Academy Awards.
Representatives from Achill Tourism were invited to take a walk down the red carpet at last Friday’s Irish premiere at the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield, Dublin. Achill Tourism worked closely with the production team of the film.
Colin Farrell and Brendan reunite for The Banshees of Inisherin
Chris McCarthy, manager of Achill Tourism, said the movie is sure to be a hit and the premiere was an unbelievable experience.
“It is an amazing film. The scenery is stunning and the cinema work to merge the two islands, Inishmore and Achill, was seamless. The whole storyline is very true and very sad and the acting is powerful.
“The premiere had real glitz and glamour. Brendan Gleeson was there and so was Colin Farrell and Bono made an appearance as a special guest. Martin McDonagh [the director] was there and I thanked him for choosing Achill as a filming location and for the tourism boost it is going to give us.”
Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan in The Banshees of Inisherin.
Mr McCarthy said the tourism office is already receiving queries from fans of the film about visiting Achill and are expecting even more in the weeks ahead. Plans are already in the pipeline at Achill Tourism to run a ‘Banshees’ tour to help the west Mayo island capitalise off the success of the movie.
“If the impact Banshees has on Achill is even half the impact Star Wars had on the Skellig Islands in Co Kerry, we’ll be delighted,” he remarked.
A special Mayo premiere will be held this Friday at Mayo Movie World in Castlebar.
“We decided it is too important not to mark this occasion and so we arranged a special screening in association with Mayo County Council. We are delighted with the reaction to Achill from The Banshees of Inisherin thus far,” said Chris.
The Banshees of Inisherin was released on Friday, October 21, in cinemas nationwide.