\u00a0did not receive good reviews overall, and has just a 31% rating on movie review website, Rotten Tomatoes.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nFilming Locations:<\/b><\/h4>\n
Even though the film was not well received some of the scenery and cinematography was impressive. Many of Arthurs scenes take place on Hadrian\u2019s wall. A replica of which was built in Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare. A small town close to the border of County Wicklow.<\/p>\n
A crew of over 300 craftsman and technicians recreated the wall, a fortress, and 2 villages using real stone and thatch for the roofs, attempting to make it all look as realistic as possible for the production. The wall reached over 35 feet high and 10 feet wide. Enough width was needed for the actors to walk upon. It was the largest movie set that had ever been constructed in Ireland.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
5<\/b>.\u00a0<\/b>Braveheart<\/b><\/h3>\n
The epic blockbuster which starred, and was directed and produced, by Mel Gibson. Set in the late 13th century the movie tells the story of the uprising of William Wallace and his followers against the British in Scotland.<\/p>\n
Re-telling the events of the First War of Scottish Independence. The fight is waged against the British Army and King Edward I, known throughout history as \u2018Longshanks\u2019.<\/p>\n
Released in 1995 Braveheart was well received by critics and moviegoers alike, and the picture has grossed in excess of $210 million worldwide. The movie was nominated for a total of 10 Academy Awards and won 5 of them, including Best Picture and Best Director.<\/p>\n
Originally Mel Gibson was not to take part in Braveheart\u2019s \u2018mooning\u2019 scene where the Scots bare their naked bottoms in derision and defiance of the British. However, after much peer pressure and mocking from his cast and crew, Gibson relented and participated in the movies famous scene.<\/p>\n
Filming Locations:<\/b><\/h4>\n
Even though the entire movie is about the country of Scotland and\u00a0its\u00a0historic events, as well as featuring scenes taking place in England, the majority of the\u00a0movie\u00a0was actually filmed on location in the country of Ireland.<\/p>\n
Trim Castle\u00a0located in County\u00a0Meath\u00a0was\u00a0used to replicate the ancient city of York, England for many of the\u00a0film’s\u00a0most important\u00a0scenes. The castle is the largest Anglo-Norman Castle in Ireland dating back to the 1100s and taking over 30 years to build.<\/p>\n
Bective Abbey\u00a0was also used as a filming location for the film. Scenes of the princess talking to her maid take place at the site within the\u00a0buildings\u00a0historic\u00a0walkways.\u00a0The structure is\u00a0a\u00a0Cistercian\u00a0Abbey located on the River Boyne and was founded in 1147.<\/p>\n
The large and intense battle scenes of Braveheart were filmed on the\u00a0Curragh, a\u00a05000-acre\u00a0flat tract of land in County Kildare. The area is used for horse racing events and as a racehorse training ground.<\/p>\n
6<\/b>.<\/b>The Italian Job<\/b><\/h2>\n
This 1960\u2019s classic was a comedic movie about a gold heist starring Michael Caine. Released in 1960 and voted as one of the Top 100 British Films by the British Film Institute.<\/p>\n
Originally\u00a0The Italian Job<\/i>\u00a0had a choice of 4 different endings but producer Michael Deely was unsatisfied with all of them and devised the \u2018cliffhanger\u2019 ending that the film leaves us with today.<\/p>\n
The film was a comedic romp featuring a typically British style of\u00a0humor\u00a0and was ranked 14th\u00a0most popular movie in 1969. It was unsuccessful in America, but still remains well known in the United Kingdom. It was remade in 2003 with an\u00a0entirely\u00a0new cast but it never gained the popularity of the original.<\/p>\n
Filming Locations:<\/b><\/h4>\n
During the course of the movie, Michael Caines character ends up being sent to prison. The prison that was used for these scenes is, in fact, a real building, and is located in the city of Dublin, Ireland.<\/p>\n
Kilmainham Gaol\u00a0is an\u00a0unoccupied\u00a0jail\u00a0and one of the largest in Europe. Built-in 1796 its\u00a0unfortunate history\u00a0includes\u00a0the hanging of criminals, overcrowding and poor conditions, with women, men and children being crammed 5 to a small cell with no heat or light. Most\u00a0recently the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were imprisoned and then executed there.<\/p>\n
Kilmainham\u00a0Gaol\u00a0despite its dark history has been used for the filming of several movies with\u00a0The Italian\u00a0<\/i>Job<\/i>\u00a0being the 3rd\u00a0production that shot scenes at the location. Other\u00a0notable movies including\u00a0In The Name of The Father,\u00a0The Escapist<\/i>\u00a0<\/i>and the animated film\u00a0Paddington 2<\/i>\u00a0<\/i>have used the interior of the\u00a0jail\u00a0to record scenes.<\/p>\n7<\/b>.\u00a0<\/b>Excalibur<\/b><\/h3>\n
Most people do not know that before the blockbuster series of The Lord of The Rings was released starting in 2001, another\u00a0filmmaker\u00a0had planned to make a movie based on the J.R.R Tolkien book.<\/p>\n
Academy Award nominee John Boorman had wanted to make the Lord of the Rings into a full feature film.\u00a0Unfortunately,\u00a0there was an issue with the funding of the film and he instead turned his hand to making\u00a0Excalibur<\/i>, a film\u00a0based\u00a0upon the legend of King Arthur.<\/p>\n
It was an epic fantasy film released in 1981 and the production was filmed entirely on location in Ireland. Excalibur is regarded as a film of some importance in movie circles and is credited for launching the careers of several\u00a0well-known\u00a0actors including Patrick Stuart, Gabriel Byrne, and Liam Neeson.<\/p>\n
The film also did much to boost Irish tourism with visitors arriving to see some of the\u00a0recognizable\u00a0filming locations that were featured in the movie.<\/p>\n
Filming Locations:<\/b><\/h4>\n
As Excalibur was shot exclusively in and around the country of Ireland there are numerous locations that were employed for the\u00a0film’s\u00a0scenes. The sites were mainly located in the Counties of\u00a0Tipperary, Kerry, and\u00a0Wicklow.<\/p>\n
Cahir Castle\u00a0in County\u00a0Tipperary\u00a0was\u00a0constructed\u00a0in 1142 on an island in the river Suir and the\u00a0building\u00a0is\u00a0quite well preserved to this day. It was used for a battle scene during the filming of\u00a0Excalibur.\u00a0<\/i>The castle is a National Monument and has also been used to film television productions, most recently the Showtime series\u00a0The\u00a0Tudors has shot\u00a0some\u00a0of its scenes at Cahir Castle.<\/p>\n
Powerscourt Estate\u00a0in County\u00a0Wicklow\u00a0was used to film a fight scene with Lancelot. It is a\u00a047-acre\u00a0site featuring a striking country home and landscaped gardens. The house was originally a 13th-century castle and the owners began conversions in the 1700s. A fire devastated the building and it was left derelict\u00a0for\u00a0many years until it was finally renovated in 1996.<\/p>\n
Powerscourt Waterfall\u00a0is also part of the Powerscourt Estate and was used for\u00a0Excalibur<\/i>\u00a0scenes. The waterfall is the highest in Ireland and flows continuously all year round.<\/p>\n
Derrynane, County Kerry\u00a0much of the rest of Excalibur was filmed at a location in and around\u00a0Derrynane\u00a0in County Kerry.\u00a0Derrynane\u00a0is located on the\u00a0Iveragh\u00a0Peninsula and famous for being the home of the Irish political leader Daniel O\u2019Connell. His house is still located there and is a popular spot for visitors to Ireland.<\/p>\n
8<\/b>. E<\/b>ducating Rita<\/b><\/h3>\n
Another film starring\u00a0Michael\u00a0Caine, this time as a university professor. The movie also features Julie Walters as Rita, \u2018an eager to learn but older than the usual student\u2019. Rita is somewhat uneducated in the traditional sense but wants to better herself by understanding literature.\u00a0 Caine\u2019s character is initially reluctant to help, and someone jaded. Rita helps him regain his love of literature through her limited knowledge but boundless\u00a0enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
Educating Rita was released in 1983 and was an instant success appealing to audiences far and wide. Caine and Walters both won BAFTA\u2019s and Golden Globe awards for their performances as professor and student.<\/p>\n
Financing for the film was difficult to get in the beginning, and there were some artistic difficulties with Colombia originally wanting to cast singer Dolly Parton in the role of Rita.\u00a0Finally,\u00a0Walters, who had already played the role of Rita on stage was cast for the part.<\/p>\n
Filming Locations:<\/b><\/h4>\n
Trinity College\u00a0in Dublin was used for the large majority of the\u00a0film’s\u00a0scenes. The college was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, and is one of the oldest in the world. Its library is a legal depository that houses many printed works\u00a0and\u00a0manuscripts including \u2018The Book of\u00a0Kells\u2019. Locations\u00a0used\u00a0at\u00a0the college in Educating Rita were the rooms of the University Philosophical Society and the College Historical Society.<\/p>\n
University College\u00a0also located in Dublin was used as the site of Rita\u2019s summer school in the production. It was founded in 1854 and was originally \u2018The Catholic University of Ireland\u2019.<\/p>\n
Houses on Hogan Avenue and Burlington Road in the city of Dublin were used for the Caine and Walters\u2019 homes in the movie. There was also a scene filmed in the\u00a0Stags Head Pub\u00a0on Dame Court, but the frontage of a different pub was used for exterior shots.<\/p>\n
8. Far and Away<\/b><\/h3>\n
This epic romance drama adventure film starred Tom Cruise and his then-wife Nicole Kidman. Released in 1992 to mixed reviews, the critics were less than complimentary about the production. The movie was praised for the cinematography but somewhat\u00a0criticized\u00a0for the weak script and shallow storyline.<\/p>\n
The story follows 2 Irish immigrants trying to make a life in America, hoping to claim free land in Oklahoma during the 1890s. Much of the movie was filmed in the USA in the state of Montana around Billings. After completing the needed scenes in\u00a0America,\u00a0the entire cast and crew traveled to Ireland to film the remainder of\u00a0the production in\u00a0Dublin.<\/p>\n
Filming Locations:<\/h4>\n
Ardmore Studios\u00a0in Bray, County\u00a0Wicklow\u00a0south of Dublin was used to film the interior scenes of\u00a0Far and Away.\u00a0<\/i>Ardmore is Ireland’s only 4 walled studio and has been used in the filming of many\u00a0well-known\u00a0productions.<\/p>\n
City of Dublin\u00a0– the streets of Ireland capital city were used to recreate the streets of 1800\u2019s Boston,\u00a0USA. Cruise and Kidman\u2019s characters arrival in the city of \u2018Boston\u2019 was actually filmed behind the famous Guinness brewery on Market Street in Dublin.<\/p>\n
Kilruddery Estate\u00a0– was used for scenes in Far and Away to create the wealthy\u00a0landowner’s\u00a0estate.\u00a0Kilruddery\u00a0is a working house and farm that has been home to 16 generations of the Brabazon family.<\/p>\n
Dingle Peninsula\u00a0– a\u00a030-mile\u00a0mountain covered peninsula in County Kerry that contains the 2nd\u00a0largest mountain peak in Ireland. Far and Away used locations on the peninsula to shoot Cruise and\u00a0Kidman’s\u00a0coastal scenes.<\/p>\n
Summary:<\/b><\/h2>\n
It’s\u00a0easy to see that for many film production companies, producers, and directors that Ireland is firmly on their list of viable movie locations.<\/p>\n
Currently, there are multiple films awaiting the green light to go ahead with their production. Many others are actively being filmed in and around the country, while some have already\u00a0been\u00a0completed and are now in\u00a0post-production.<\/p>\n
The list of actors, directors, and celebrities that have visited the shores of Ireland to film or produce\u00a0their\u00a0movies is almost unlimited.<\/p>\n
The landscape of the Emerald Isle provides amazing backgrounds, wild seascapes, and historic castles, that in the movie would translate\u00a0to on-screen dramatic effects, and stunning cinematography. Given that kind of impact, it\u00a0would appear that the movie\u00a0industry\u00a0will continue to visit Ireland and record their epic feature films\u00a0for many years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ireland, the Emerald Isle, is an untamed place of unrivaled\u00a0beauty, towering mountains, rugged cliffs, and impressive terrain.\u00a0 With\u00a0its\u00a0historic stately homes, ancient castles, monastic ruins, miles of coastline, and green lush landscapes.\u00a0 It is easy to see why Ireland is a natural choice for filmmakers in the movie industry,\u00a0seeking unique, spectacular […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/overinireland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/starwars-ireland-beautiful.jpg?fit=800%2C425&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pauohh-xF","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2087"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2087"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2378,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2087\/revisions\/2378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}