Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) is a masterpiece of dark comedy about two aging men on an Irish island, where their lifetime friendship mysteriously ends. The film received multiple Oscar nominations and won hearts for its perfect blend of humor, tragedy, and perfectly captured Irish characterization. The real locations where this story unfolds—primarily the Aran Islands and Achill Island—are as much characters in the film as the people inhabiting it.
Understanding Martin McDonagh’s Vision
Martin McDonagh is a Londoner of Irish descent who writes with deep knowledge of Irish culture, dialect, and character. His films including In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths are known for brilliant dialogue, dark humor, and characters trapped in circumstances of their own making. The Banshees of Inisherin continues this pattern but with a peculiar Irish specificity.
The film is set on a fictional island called Inisherin, but it was filmed primarily on Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands. The story of two elderly men whose friendship ends abruptly, one refusing to explain why, resonates particularly in an Irish context. The isolation of island life, the weight of history and familiarity, the peculiar logic of Irish relationships—McDonagh captures all of this with precision.
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson deliver career-best performances as Pádraic and Colm, the central characters. Their performances are deeply tied to the locations—the film wouldn’t work in an urban setting. The island becomes essential to the emotional landscape.
Inis Mór: The Banshees’ Island
Inis Mór (also spelled Inishmor) is the largest of the three Aran Islands, located about 12 kilometers off the Clare coast. The island has a population of around 800 people and is accessible only by boat (a 40-minute journey from Doolin) or small plane (10 minutes from Connemara Airport).
The Aran Islands have been inhabited for thousands of years. They’re known for traditional Irish culture, the Irish language (still widely spoken), distinctive knitwear, and dramatic Atlantic coastlines. The islands have an otherworldly quality—they exist somewhat outside normal Irish time and space.
Inis Mór features prominently in the film with its distinctive landscape of grey limestone, stone walls, and sparse vegetation. The island feels appropriately isolated and edgy. The small village on Inis Mór became the film’s main setting, with various local buildings doubling as the island’s pub, shop, and houses.
Visiting Inis Mór
Getting to Inis Mór requires either a boat or plane journey, which adds to the commitment of visiting. This is good and bad—the difficulty of access keeps the island less touristy than it might otherwise be, but it means you need planning.
The main boat operator is Aran Islands Ferry, running from Doolin in County Clare. Ferries run multiple times daily during peak season (May-September), with reduced schedules in winter. The journey takes 40-45 minutes and costs around €15-20 return. The boat experience itself is memorable—you’re traveling across open water with Clare’s dramatic Cliffs of Moher visible in the distance.
The small plane option (Aer Arann Islands) takes just 10 minutes and costs around €35-50 but operates subject to weather. On clear days, the flight offers spectacular views.
Once on Inis Mór, you move around by foot, bicycle, or minibus. There are no cars on the island (though a few locals have vehicles). Renting a bicycle is common and costs around €10-15 per day. Walking is pleasant given the island’s small size (about 13 kilometers long).
The island has basic accommodation—a few guesthouses and bed-and-breakfasts. Book ahead, especially in summer. There’s one main pub and a few places to eat. The infrastructure is minimal but adequate. You’re coming here for the experience and the landscape, not for modern amenities.
Key Banshees of Inisherin Locations on Inis Mór
The main village where Pádraic and Colm live is filmed in Kilronan, the largest settlement on Inis Mór. The pub where they drink daily is based on a real pub but is a composite of several. The schoolhouse, the coastline, and the general landscape are all actual Inis Mór locations.
Walking around Kilronan and the rest of the island, you’ll recognize specific views and landscapes from the film. The grey stone walls, the wind-blown landscape, the sparse settlement pattern—it all looks exactly like the film because that’s where the film was made.
The most dramatic locations are the coastal cliffs and the raw Atlantic landscape. Inis Mór’s northern shore faces the ocean directly with dramatic cliff formations. The film uses these landscapes repeatedly to reinforce the isolation and exposure of the characters’ emotional situation.
Key sites include:
- The village center of Kilronan
- The coastal cliffs on the northern shore
- The landscape between settlements
- The general sense of isolation and exposure
You can visit these areas freely, though be respectful of the working island community. Local people live here year-round, and the island is their home, not just a movie set.
Achill Island: The Broader Banshees Filming
While Inis Mór provides the primary setting, additional filming took place on Achill Island in County Mayo. Achill is Ireland’s largest island and, unlike the Aran Islands, is connected to the mainland by a bridge, making it more accessible.
Achill Island is about 90 minutes southwest of Inis Mór by car and boat. It’s a larger island with a population of around 2,600 and a bit more tourism infrastructure than the Aran Islands. The island features spectacular coastal scenery, including Croagh Patrick (a famous pilgrimage mountain) visible across the water.
Achill was used for specific exterior scenes requiring particular landscape characteristics different from Inis Mór. The island’s cliffs, beaches, and moorlands provided varied backgrounds for filming.
Visiting Achill Island
Achill Island is much more accessible than the Aran Islands. It’s connected to Mayo by the Achill Bridge, so you can simply drive there. There are towns and villages with proper accommodation, restaurants, and services.
Achill Head is the most dramatic location, with spectacular cliff-top views and hiking trails. The island also features Keem Bay (a stunning beach), Croagh Patrick viewpoints, and various coastal walks.
If you’re doing a film location pilgrimage, Achill could be incorporated into a broader western Ireland exploration. It’s within driving distance of Connemara, Sligo, and Donegal.
The Island Context: Isolation and Irishness
Part of what makes The Banshees of Inisherin resonate is the deeply Irish context of islands themselves. Islands in Irish culture represent isolation, tradition, and a particular way of life. The Aran Islands especially are known for preserving Irish language and culture.
McDonagh’s film uses the island setting to explore the weight of familiarity, shared history, and the peculiar logic of Irish relationships. On a small island where you must see the same people daily, the breakdown of one relationship becomes existentially significant.
This context matters for understanding why the film works in this location. An urban setting would be completely different emotionally. The island isn’t just scenery—it’s essential to the story.
Practical Planning for a Banshees Pilgrimage
A basic Banshees pilgrimage would involve: staying 2-3 days on Inis Mór, visiting key locations, experiencing the island, and potentially a day trip to Achill Island.
Inis Mór requires ferry access from Doolin in Clare. Plan 4-5 hours for the ferry journey plus time on the island. If you’re also visiting Achill, that’s another 2-3 hours driving from Doolin via Galway.
A comprehensive trip combining both locations would take 5-6 days, including:
When to Visit
Inis Mór is accessible year-round, though winter can be rough—wind, rain, and rough seas are common. Summer (June-August) has the most stable weather and ferry schedules, but is also most crowded.
Spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October) are ideal. You get better weather than winter without peak summer crowds. The landscape is beautiful year-round—even grey, stormy days capture the film’s mood.
The Broader Western Ireland Context
Both Inis Mór and Achill are worth visiting regardless of the film. The Aran Islands are culturally significant and beautiful. Achill offers spectacular coastal scenery and mountain views. The areas around Doolin and Achill are scenic and offer broader Irish exploration options.
You could easily build a larger western Ireland trip incorporating these locations alongside other attractions like the Cliffs of Moher (15 minutes from Doolin), Connemara National Park, or the Wild Atlantic Way coastal route.
Beyond Tourism: The Real Islands
Visiting these locations means entering actual Irish island communities. These aren’t theme parks or tourist attractions—they’re places where people live, work, and have lived for generations.
The Aran Islands especially preserve aspects of traditional Irish life and language. This preservation is genuine and admirable, but it also means visitors should approach respectfully. The islands aren’t museums, though they have historical significance.
Achill Island, being more accessible and larger, has more tourism infrastructure without losing authenticity. The landscape is genuinely dramatic and beautiful regardless of its cinematic connection.
The Film’s Achievement
The Banshees of Inisherin works because it captures something true about Irish character—the way humor coexists with tragedy, how relationships can be both intimate and baffling, how isolation sharpens human emotion. The island settings are essential to this truth.
Visiting these locations lets you experience the landscape and isolation that shaped the film. You’ll understand viscerally why McDonagh chose these settings. You’ll feel the wind, see the grey stone walls, experience the limited horizon of island life.
Whether you’re a devoted fan of the film or simply interested in Irish islands and landscape, Inis Mór and Achill offer authentic experiences. The film provides a lens for understanding these places, but the locations are rewarding on their own merit. Plan ahead, book ferries in advance, and prepare for weather. You’ll leave with memories of some of Ireland’s most dramatic and isolated landscapes.
Leave a Reply