Larrybane | The Stormlands & Nagga’s Hill, Old Wyk
Northern Ireland Starringon screen Northern Ireland has gained a global reputation as the go-to location for TV and film productions. Production companies are making use of its unique unspoiled natural beauty and highly skilled creative industries.
Our very own Derry Girls was filmed here too, of course. The coming-of-age comedy follows four teenage girls from Northern Ireland and the wee English fella as they navigate their adolescent dramas in mid-1990s Derry.
Undoubtedly the most high-profile screen success to date is HBO’s epic fantasy television series, Game of Thrones®, which was filmed largely in Northern Ireland for a decade.
The first series received such an overwhelmingly positive reaction from viewers across the UK and Ireland that it was Channel 4’s biggest comedy series launch in 15 years. The show has growing numbers of fans internationally, now that series 1 & 2 are available on Netflix. It became an instant hit and was picked up for another series before its second episode had even aired.
An adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s series of fantasy novels, Game of Thrones® was filmed at Titanic Studios, Belfast, and Linen Mill Studios, Banbridge. It also used spectacular outdoor locations across Northern Ireland including Ballintoy, Tollymore Forest, Castle Ward, Cushendun Caves, Murlough Bay, Larrybane, Inch Abbey and Downhill Beach. While Northern Ireland has hosted a number of major international film and television productions, Game of Thrones® has been transformative for the country as a screen tourism destination. But it’s not just filming locations drawing fans here. The Glass of Thrones is six beautifully crafted, freestanding stained-glass windows. Each one depicting the world’s most searched, shared and talked-about moments from across the entire Game of Thrones® story. And the Doors of Thrones are 10 beautifully crafted doors – made from fallen trees at the iconic Dark Hedges filming location – these can be found at pubs and hotels across the region. Fans of the show can download the Game of Thrones® Filming Locations Northern Ireland App to navigate their way around Northern Ireland and find all 10 doors and filming locations. For more information on all the Game of Thrones® experiences, visit: DiscoverNorthernIreland.com/GameOfThrones
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Known for its characters, soundtrack and sharp oneliners, the programme has been showered with awards, winning the Radio Times Comedy Champion Award, plus both Best Comedy and Best Comedy Writer at the 2018 IFTA Awards. The show’s popularity also sparked a demand for behind-the-scenes guided tours and the much-loved cast were even immortalised with their very own mural near the city’s famous walls. Game of Thrones® actor Sean Bean, returned to Northern Ireland for the filming of The Frankenstein Chronicles. Jamie Dornan and Gillian Anderson reprised their starring roles in The Fall for the BBC here. Line of Duty is also largely filmed in Northern Ireland, with Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar. Other notable productions to be filmed in Northern Ireland in recent years include the movies Disney’s Artemis Fowl, Ordinary Love, The Last Right, A Bump Along the Way and BAFTA award-winning Boogaloo and Graham, as well as TV dramas Dublin Murders, The Deceived and Mrs Wilson.
