Locations
The untamed Wicklow Mountains and rugged coastline, secluded cottages and urban streetscapes, stately country homes and modern architecture all combine to provide a spectacular range of variety of locations to choose from.
“We are really fortunate to be filming in Wicklow for a lot of reasons, the most notable of which being the range of landscapes available in close proximity to the studios. It is a very accommodating world.”
Michael Hurst, Creator of Vikings
Wicklow, called “Europe’s Hollywood” by Jane Seymour, is home to a slew of well-known film and television locations, from Michael Collins (1996, featuring a crucial scene in Rathdrum Square) to Dancing at Lughnasa (1998) and Camelot (2001). Kilruddery House and Gardens (The Tudors, Camelot, Far and Away, and My Left Foot, among others) and Powerscourt are two of the best big house movie locations.
Rugged
Mountains
The beautiful Wicklow Mountains have served as the backdrop to many productions across a range of genres from post-apocalyptic science fiction classic ‘Reign of Fire’ starring Christian Bale, to historic epics such as ‘Vikings’, to romances such as ‘P.S. I Love You’ or ‘Irish Wish’.
Mysterious
Forests
The classic John Boorman film ‘Excalibur’ showcased the magic and mystery of the Wicklow woodlands while 2024 horror film ‘The Watchers’ directed by Ishana Shyamalan highlighted the potential for atmospheric scares. From dark coniferous plantations to sunlight dappled oak woodlands, Wicklow has it all.
Dramatic
Coastline
Cliffs, coves and beaches are all on show along Wicklow’s 60km of coastline. From the long sandy beaches and sparkling waters on Brittas Bay and Magheramore to the atmospheric coves and cliffs near the Black Castle at Wicklow Town and a lot more besides.
Picturesque
Villages
and Towns
Wicklow offers everything from gritty urban streetscapes to picture-postcard villages. The cult classic TV Series ‘Ballykissangel’ put the village of Avoca on international screens in the 1990’s while Wicklow Town has long featured on screen, appearing in classics such as ‘The Blue Max’ in 1966 starring George Peppard, to more recent films such as ‘The Guard’ in 2011 starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle.
Our very own Hollywood village, known locally as ‘the real Hollywood’, has appeared in Dancing at Lughnasa starring Meryl Streep and more recent productions such as ‘The Mayfair Witches’ and ‘Baltimore’. Rathdrum has anchored key scenes in ‘Michael Collins’ while also serving as the backdrop for a music video for hit song ‘Stop’ by The Spice Girls in 1998.
Historic Houses
Kilruddery House and Gardens played host to The Tudors, Camelot, Far and Away, and My Left Foot, among others.
Powerscourt Estate is one of the most filmed locations in Ireland with recent productions including Cocaine Bear and Vikings to classics such as Henry V, starring and directed by Laurence Olivier to Stanley Kubric’s Barry Lyndon.
Other stunning historic landmark houses in Wicklow include Coolattin House, Russborough House and Avondale House.
Wild
Waterscapes
Wicklow’s wild rivers, lakes and waterfalls play a regular part on the big and small screens. Powerscourt waterfall appears in films such as Into the West, Willow, Excalibur and Cocaine Bear while Lough Tay has doubled as a Fjords for ‘Vikings’ and Lough Dan has featured in spooky TV Series ‘The Unreal’.
Memorable
Monuments
Wicklow has a huge range of unique sites to match your needs, from lighthouses to historic jails to ancient castles. Old, modern and everything in between.