Celtic Routes on the big (& small!) screen

Celtic Routes on the big (& small!) screen

Such is the beauty and drama of the Celtic Routes that they have been used as the backdrop for dozens of films (and TV shows) over the decades.

Enniscorthy, Wexford, Ireland

Brooklyn, 2015

Based on the novel of the same name by Colm Tóibín, ‘Brooklyn’, starring Saoirse Ronan, was filmed on the streets of Enniscorthy and features many iconic areas from around the town. Witness this beautiful Irish town through the eyes of Nicky Hornby’s adaption of Brooklyn and get a picture of Enniscorthy Castle, iconic and steeped in a turbulent history.

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Curracloe Beach, Wexford, Ireland

Saving Private Ryan, 1998

This Blue Flag Award-winning beach stretches over 11km from Raven Point to Ballyconigar, near Blackwater. Famous for its soft sand, the sprawling dunes and endless blanket of marram grass, all of which are a magnet for both wildlife and the visitors who take great delight in rolling down them! Curracloe Beach provided a suitable substitute for Omaha Beach in Normandy in the dramatic opening scenes of ‘Saving Private Ryan’.

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The Copper Coast, Waterford, Ireland

The McKenzie Break, 1970

Set during WWII, this gritty storyline follows the plot of German prisoners of war trying to escape the McKenzie war camp. Despite being set in the north of Scotland, the movie is predominantly filmed in Ireland, with the grand finale being shot on Ireland’s spectacular Copper Coast.

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Blessington Lakes, Wicklow, Ireland

P.S. I Love You, 2007

Let this picturesque film be your guide to Wicklow. Irish born Cecelia Ahern is the author of worldwide best-selling novel ‘P.S. I Love You’ which was later adapted into an extremely successful movie. The story is inspired by, and features, many locations in Wicklow including the iconic Blessington Lakes, Lacken, and the Wicklow Mountains, which were all used as filming locations.

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Lough Tay, Wicklow, Ireland

Vikings, 2013 – Present (series)

Lough Tay is one of the most iconic – and most photographed – locations in Ireland. Fitting then that this location should be used to set the scene for one of history’s most enduring heroes, Ragnar Lothbrok in the TV series, ‘Vikings’.

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Freshwater West Beach, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

This beach is known for numerous reasons, the fantastic surf, the abundance of a specific type seaweed used to make the Welsh speciality of Laverbread, and also famously as the location of the burial site of one of Harry Potter’s most beloved friends, the house elf Dobby. Freshwater West was used as the breathtakingly beautiful backdrop for Shell Cottage in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’. The cottage was built on site down to the smallest detail including the seaweed. The cottage has now been taken down of course, but you can relive the moment through the film again and again.

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Marloes Sands, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Snow White and the Huntsman, 2012

Set during WWII, this gritty storyline follows the plot of German prisoners of war trying to escape the McKenzie war camp. Despite being set in the north of Scotland, the movie is predominantly filmed in Ireland, with the grand finale being shot on Ireland’s spectacular Copper Coast.

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Aberporth and Penbryn Beaches, Ceredigion, Wales

Die Another Day - James Bond, 2002

Vast with beautiful golden sand, Penbryn beach is unspoilt, rugged and natural. Not many viewers will recognise the beach, but it featured in the Bond film, ‘Die Another Day’. Watch closely, and some may be able to spot that Bond is not in North Korea as led to believe, but instead on one of Ceredigion’s most beautiful beaches, Penbryn.

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Cambrian Mountains, Ceredigion, Wales

Man From U.N.C.L.E, 2015

From the Cambrian Mountains, on a clear day at the summit, the whole of Wales unfolds before the eyes. To the west, Snowdonia links to Preseli via the sweep of Cardigan Bay and, to the east, the Berwyn and Aran ranges connect to the Brecon Beacons along the English border. Chosen perhaps because of these views, the Cambrian Mountains and surrounding areas were the filming locations for the epic car chase in action film, ‘Man from U.N.C.L.E’. This comedy spy film, based on the television series of the same name from the 1960s, stars actor Henry Cavill. Get a faster, adrenaline fuelled view of the Ceredigion mountains from your sofa.

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Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Wales

The Edge of Love, 2008

Famously known as the home of renowned writer and poet, Dylan Thomas, Laugharne has appeared on the big screen more than once. ‘The Edge of Love’, a film that loosely depicts the life events of Dylan Thomas, was filmed in Laugharne and at several other locations across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.

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Pendine, Laugharne, St Clears, Whitland, Carmarthen, Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire, Wales

Keeping Faith, 2017 – present

Fans of Keeping Faith (and the Welsh language version of the show Un Bore Mercher) can follow in the footsteps of Faith herself with the Keeping Faith Super Fan Trail, which encompasses key locations used in the hit BBC/S4C drama. ‘Faithfuls’, as fans of the show are known, have been flocking to the beautiful Laugharne estuary, where the fictional town of Abercorran, Faith’s home, is based.

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