The remote Irish islands that everyone wants to go to thanks to the Oscars

Among Colin Farrell's many thanks when he receives an award for his role in the film "The Banshees of Inisherin", the actor does not forget

and

(or Inishmore), two Irish islands that already benefit from the

.

"We are all one big family," said the Irish actor upon receiving a Golden Globe in January for this film titled "

" in Latin America and "Inisherin's Wretched Souls" in Spain.

Two weeks later, the feature film, shot on these two remote islands

, was nominated for nine Oscars.

"Of course, fingers crossed," says Chris McCarthy, Achill's tour manager, who doesn't mince words: "We'll take

, we're not picky!" he jokes.

A scene from the film that put two remote Irish islands in the spotlight worldwide,

irish landscape

Between July and November 2021, Achill Island's

vast landscape of

,

Purteen Harbor

, a fishing port on the east coast, became the location for a harbor street lined with 1920s-style shops.

The rugged cliffs of Inishmore.

Photo Shutterstock

And high on the windswept cliffs of the southwest coast, the pub where much of this noir tragicomedy takes place was built from scratch.

The film's director, Martin McDonagh, wanted the actors to "

" when they opened the door, McCarthy says.

"It's something they couldn't recreate in a studio," he explains from the viewpoint, where the wind throws drops of seawater against the cliffs.

Achill Island landscape.

Photo Shutterstock

The filming boosted the local economy by injecting

into an area of ​​less than 3,000 inhabitants.

Now the island enjoys spreading the film to boost local tourism: every time images from the film or an award-giving speech go viral on the internet, bookings

.

walls that tell stories

Over a beer, Mick Lynch, owner of Lynott's, a pub on Achill Island, says the film

.

Stone pens on Inis Mor or Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay.

Photo Shutterstock

Among the mementos that adorn the walls of his establishment is the scissors with which the violinist Colm, a character played by Brendan Gleeson, cuts his fingers.

According to Lynch, his little tavern - originally a 16th-century prison with dry-stone walls topped by a thatched roof - is the

of the one created for the film.

"If these walls could talk, what stories would they tell us," he reflects, recalling that during filming, Brendan Gleeson and his co-star Pat Shortt frequented this pub.

The American singer

, asked that the pub in the story be rebuilt so that she could visit it.

"You don't have to," Lynch replies, "you can come here."

The captivating setting of Achill Island.

Photo Shutterstock

Guided visit

Alan Gielty, manager of a bus company Achill Coaches, has created a

that goes through the filming locations.

"In the last month a lot of people are traveling to the island

," he explains.

"It's already getting a lot of interest from abroad and it's going to be very, very crowded," she says.

Madeline Condell, one of the 120 extras in the film, says the island is already

.

The film has nine Oscar nominations.

She owns two donkeys that were about to appear in the film along with little Jenny, the endearing pet of the character played by Farrell.

She will be here more than one party the night of the awards ceremony, she assures herself.

"We almost feel like

," he argues.

"It's such a lovely place that anyone who visits falls in love with it."

Callum Paton/AFP

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