The Banshees of Inisherin, from Searchlight Pictures, scored a hat trick at January’s Golden Globes Awards in Beverly Hills, winning Best Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actor for Colin Farrell and Best Screenplay for writer-director Martin McDonagh.
The black comedy, which was filmed on two islands off Ireland’s west coast, had led the shortlist with eight nominations.
Starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, the film takes place on the fictional island of Inisherin, during the Irish Civil War in 1923. It follows lifelong friends Pádraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship.
The film shows the incredible scenery, mountains, coastline and greenery of the Wild Atlantic Way. In a behind-the-scenes featurette created by Tourism Ireland, the actors and director are in full agreement that the drama of the story is more than heightened by its west of Ireland setting.
Using footage shot during filming for The Banshees of Inisherin, the featurette highlights the backdrops, scenery and why the islands were chosen as a location, with Martin McDonagh saying: “What we wanted to capture in the film was the beauty of Ireland and the cinema of it. We just wanted to make one of the most beautiful Irish films we could possibly make.”
The acclaimed film was shot mainly on Inishmore (spelled Inis Mór in Irish), County Galway, which has a population of around 760, and Achill Island, County Mayo, the largest Irish island with a population of around 2,500. Both are idyllic places to really escape the world for a while.