Ireland | ‘Banshees’ islands soak up the Oscars light

(Achill) Among those he thanked by receiving a Golden Globe for his role in The Banshees of InisherinColin Farrell cited the residents of Achill Island and Inis Mor, Irish islands who are already benefiting from the exposure offered by the film.

“We are a big family”, underlined the Irish actor, before quoting Jenny, the miniature donkey of the film. Since then, the feature film, made on the two islands off the west coast of Ireland, has won ten nominations for the Bafta, the British awards presented on Sunday, and nine for the Oscars in March.

“Of course we keep our fingers crossed,” says Achill Island tourism manager Chris McCarthy. “We take any of the nine nominations, we are not difficult! »

Between July and November 2021, the island’s awe-inspiring landscape of rugged cliffs, bogs and charming beaches was transformed for the purposes of filming.

Purteen Harbour, in the east of the island, has traded its fishermen to become a port street with 1920s shops.

The pub where much of the plot plays out was created from scratch above windswept cliffs on the southwest coast of Achill Island.

Ocean atmosphere

According to Chris McCarthy, director Martin McDonagh wanted the actors to “feel the atmosphere of the Atlantic” when opening the door.

“It’s something they couldn’t recreate in the studio,” he explains from the vantage point, where the spray whips the cliff.

The filming boosted the local economy by injecting 1.7 million euros into an area of ​​less than three thousand inhabitants.

The island is now looking to take advantage of the exposure given by the film to boost tourism. Every time footage from the film or an awards speech goes viral online, bookings soar.

Mick Lynch, owner of Lynott’s, a pub on Achill Island, recounts over a pint that the film has already piqued the curiosity of visitors.

Among the memories that adorn the walls of the establishment, the shears with which Colm, a character played by Brendan Gleeson, cuts his fingers.

According to Mick Lynch, his little pub – originally a 16th century prison with dry stone walls topped with a thatched roof – is the real-life version of the one created for the feature film.

“If these walls could talk, what stories would they tell us?” he muses. During filming, the pub was used as a den by Brendan Gleeson and Pat Shortt, the owner of the film.

Guided tour

Fan of the “Banshees”, the American singer Taylor Swift asked in December that the pub of the film be reassembled so that she could go there.

“No need”, says Mick Lynch, “she can come here”.

Manager of a coach company, Achill Coaches, Alan Gielty, has created a ‘Banshees of Inisherin’ guided tour around the locations of the film.

One of its vehicles should soon be equipped with a new livery in the image of the feature film.

“Last month, many people came to see the points of view of the film,” he explains. “He’s already arousing a lot of interest, it’s going to be very, very busy”.

Madeline Condell, one of the film’s 120 extras, points out that the island is already buzzing while waiting for the Oscars.

She owns two donkeys which ultimately do not appear on screen alongside Jenny. According to her, there will be more than one party the night of the delivery of the statuettes.

“You almost feel like you deserve an Oscar for the beauty of the area too,” she says, “it’s such a lovely place and anyone who visits it falls in love with it.”