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29/04/2024

'At night, the Claddagh is most beautiful.

There are no street lamps. You find your way through the maze of houses by the light that falls through windows and open doors.

The path of earth has been beaten hard by the feet of generations going back to the Norman conquest of Ireland.

The limewashed houses, with the peat reek and the smoke coming from their chimneys, shine in the half light. The children, who in daylight play on the squares of beaten earth and before the cabin doors, have been put to bed.

It is quiet and watchful and full of the chirping of crickets.

Figures of men stand in little groups in the dusk talking in Irish. Sometimes
they pause and cry out softly: 'Good night.'

Lights shine in the small windows. Through open doors, you see little rooms with low ceilings.

They are warm, clean and comfortable, and beyond every little open door, you see a woman bent about some task, sometimes with the fine colour of scarlet on her.

Now and again, an infant cries, and a woman's tender voice soothes it, singing an Irish lullaby like little waves falling on a shore; and in these rooms, warm with the peat fires and loud with crickets piping in the ashes, a red light is burning before the Sacred Heart.'

Taken from HV Morton's 'In Search of Ireland' (1930)

Pictured is the Claddagh at around this time.

24/04/2024

Arguably the most famous movie ever shot in Connemara was 'The Quiet Man' of 1952.

The film starred John Wayne as a retired boxer, Sean Thornton, haunted by his past.

He travels to the fictional town of Innisfree in Ireland and buys a house before falling for Mary Kate Danaher, played by Maureen O’Hara.

Director John Ford first revealed in the summer of 1950 that he intended to make a film based on Maurice Walsh's bestselling book, 'The Quiet Man' and that he was planning to use Connemara as the backdrop.

Ford's parents were of the Feeney clan from Spiddal and he said he had always intended to film a movie in the country.

In advance of the filming, Ford travelled to the west of Ireland where he was ferried around Connemara and Mayo by Lord Killanin of Spiddal.

Using knowledge gained from this journey, Ford picked all the locations which were to be used in the filming.

The filming itself was done in six weeks of June and July of 1951, the cast and crew flying into Shannon Airport in early June where they told waiting media that the film would be worth £200,000 to the Irish economy, much of it being spent in the area around south Mayo and Connemara.

There were multiple locations in the film.

The famous fight scene took place partly on the streets of Cong and partly on the grounds of Ashford.

The horse races were filmed mainly at Lettergesh Beach.

White O’Morn or The Quiet Man Cottage was at Teernakill North in Maam, the Quiet Man Bridge was at Leam, near Oughterard, and the railway station was at Ballyglunin in north Galway.

The tower at Thoor Ballylee near Gort, made famous by WB Yeats, was also in the film, as was Ross Erilly friary in Headford.

The pub in the film was that of Mr. John Murphy, Cong, Co. Mayo and that village was the main backdrop for much
of the comic love story.

At least 100 extras were employed during the filming, including some actors from the Taobhdhearc Theatre in Galway.

John Wayne even brought his children with him to Ireland for the duration of the filming and all four had cameos in the movie as young people attending the horse races.

The unbroken sunshine the crew had hoped for did not materialise, unsurprisingly, and there were just four days with no rain in the six weeks. Nevertheless, it was generally only a mild drizzle and the filming was only rained off on one occasion.

Many of the cast and crew stayed in Ashford Castle and praised the food, drink and hospitality.

Their only grumble was that none of the pubs offered ice for their drinks, one publican reportedly telling them 'What's the use of ice? It will only melt anyway.'

The final scenes were shot on the Galway Mayo border on 12 July before over 500 kilos of film were flown back to Hollywood.

The Quiet Man was released the following year and was a huge financial success, grossing $3.8 million in its first twelve months.

It was one of the most popular movies in Britain in 1952.

Its release also began an enduring love affair for many Irish Americans.

As early as the summer of 1952, it was stated that thousands of tourists were coming to the west of Ireland because of the film and visiting the various locations.

A party of 13 Swedish teachers visited the west of Ireland in 1953 for example, telling the Connacht Tribune that they came solely because of their love for the film.

This link continues to this day and thousands of tourists continue to visit Cong and parts of Connemara to see for themselves the landscape that inspired John Ford, son of Connemara.