Game of Thrones® - the absolute biggie
Dragons, dwarves, swords and swordsmen! Game of Thrones® has the whole shebang and Northern Ireland definitely put the bang in the shebang. HBO didn’t have to look too far for jaw-dropping landscapes to recreate Westeros. For Thronies, you’ll find the world’s first and only Game of Thrones Studio Tour, as well as genuine locations including Dragonstone, Winterfell, the Iron Islands, Pyke Harbour, the Haunted Forest, and the Kingsroad to name but a few. There are guided and behind-the scenes insider tours, self-drive tours, immersive experiences and food experiences that every fan should check out. Even if you’re not a fan, you’re still standing in some of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Step into Narnia
Before Westeros there was Narnia. It’s still here in all its glory. C.S Lewis wrote of the scenery around the Mourne Mountains that "it made me feel that at any moment a giant might raise its head over the next ridge". You can follow the Narnia Trail at Kilbroney Forest in Rostrevor where the story of Narnia is brought to life. Just one look at the area and you’ll understand how it inspired his mythical land. In Belfast, get on C.S Lewis’s trail where he spent the first ten years of his childhood. At C.S. Lewis Square you’ll find seven sculptures of characters from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Visit St. Mark's Church where he was baptised or drop into the C.S Lewis Reading Room in Queen's University where a replica wardrobe door marks the room’s entrance. A must for fans young and old.
Legends of the big and small screens – Derry Girls, The Fall and more
Whether it’s films and shows specifically about Northern Ireland or ones where it features as a scenic backdrop, you’re spoiled for choice.
With its unique blend of humour, 90s nostalgia and teenage angst, Derry Girls struck a chord with people everywhere. The multi-award winner was shot in Derry-Londonderry and Belfast so keep a beady eye out for the Guildhall, Bishop’s Gate, and the Bogside shops. There’s a selfie-friendly mural beside the city’s Foyleside Shopping Centre and a walking tour of places that popped up in the series, like Dennis’s Wee Shop.
Line of Duty, the tense anti-corruption cop drama stars local hero Adrian Dunbar, and also Belfast’s BT Tower and the Invest NI building. Belfast also featured heavily in the gripping thriller The Fall starring Northern Ireland actors from Holywood, Co. Down’s Jamie Dornan and Armagh-native John Lynch. Look out for the city’s Merchant Hotel, Botanic Gardens, Waterfront Hall and Malmaison Hotel.
Belfast’s thriving music scene was the subject of Good Vibrations, based on a true story of a record shop and label that championed the city’s underground punk scene. Locations including the Tavern Bar, Oh Yeah music centre, and Queen’s University.
Blockbusting movies in blockbusting locations
Much of blockbuster movie The Lost City of Z, the story of Percy Fawcett who led explorations into the Amazon in 1925 in search of a lost civilisation was filmed at Castle Ward Estate in County Down and Antrim Hills which doubled as the Somme battlefields.
Disney’s 2020 blockbuster Artemis Fowl, based on the bestselling books by Eoin Colfer and starring Dame Judi Dench was partly filmed along the Causeway Coast at Whiterocks Beach near Portrush and at Dunluce Castle.
These are just a few of the cinema and TV shows filmed around these parts, yet every one of our six counties has inspired writers, directors, producers and showrunners to use them as stunning location or backdrops. So you’ll always find somewhere to satisfy your fanboy or fangirl worship, or somewhere here which becomes your gateway to discovering your next favourite legend of the silver or small screen.
