Opportunities for Pop Culture Tourism in Mayo

In this series of blogs, we will tell you more about the OUTPACE project from a North West of Ireland perspective. In this post we are taking a look at two of the pop culture opportunities in Mayo.

The Quiet Man

The Quiet Man put the small village of Cong in Co. Mayo on the map and took Ireland to the big screens worldwide. Starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, The Quiet Man was released in 1952 and single handedly turned Cong into one of Ireland’s major tourist destinations. The village know has a Quiet Man statue, you can have tea in The Quiet Man Café, and you can stay in one of the many hotels named after film locations. Or if the budget fits, the majestic Ashford Castle which is also in Cong Village.

Even as recently as 2019 the railway station used in the film was re-opened due to actor Liam Neeson and a crowd funding project:

https://www.irishcentral.com/travel/best-of-ireland/quiet-man-railway-station-reopens

Cong is also known as the West of Ireland’s answer to Disneyland: https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/the-quiet-man-changed-cong-forever-26671775.html

The Quiet Man Museum is in the centre of Cong Village and open from April to October each year. The Quiet Man Museum is the hub for fans of the movie. Located in a replica of White O Morn cottage and offering many different services including a cinema showing the movie, chauffeured tours, memorabilia and more. You can also enjoy walking tours of the filming locations, and no visit to Cong is complete without a visit to The Quiet Man statue.

Wild Mountain Thyme

Wild Mountain Thyme was filmed in 2019 in Crossmolina, very close to Ballina in North Mayo. Starring Jamie Dornan, Emily Blunt, Jon Hamm, Christopher Walkin and Dearbhla Molloy, the movie got attention for some of the slightly dodgy accents more than the film itself. Due to Covid, the film didn’t get the cinema attention it would have done in normal times, but locals say they will speak to visitors in the accents if they have to. https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/when-tourists-visit-our-town-because-of-wild-mountain-thyme-if-we-have-to-speak-with-that-accent-well-do-it-39745733.html

Eamon Moore, who runs The Thatch Inn. suggests there could be a ‘Wild Mountain Thyme Trek’ taking in some of the locations seen in the movie. It’s certainly something to think about. Tourism Ireland released a ‘Behind the Scenes’ video where they found out what the stars of the movie loved most about Ireland.