There’s also a pint behind the bar for Taylor Swift, if she decides to show up.
Martin McDonagh’s Banshees of Inisherin has heartened a fresh wave of tourism to the west of Ireland – the cartoonishly beautiful landscapes sang against the grim storyline, and over €500,000 has been invested by Tourism Ireland in marketing campaigns “leveraging” the Banshees overseas.
And tourists can now add a new stop off to their list, as the film’s iconic JJ Devine’s Pub has been rebuilt and opened to the public in Co. Galway.
Family-run business Mee’s Bar in Kilkerrin have created a carbon copy of JJ Devine’s, the setting for a large chunk of the action in the Oscar-nominated film.
The pub is owned by Luke Mee, his sister Kathleen and her partner Pat Igoe. According to The Independent, Luke’s wife Carmel is from Achill Island and some of her family worked on the Banshees set during filming.
Publican Luke wanted to preserve the bar as part of the Banshees history, and closely inspected the film to make sure he reassembled it accurately.
Photo: Mike Shaughnessy
“We’ve spent every spare minute putting it together, Luke told the Independent. “We watched the film just to make sure we had everything correct because it was a jigsaw.
“Obviously when it was taken down, there was no plan to rebuild it and that’s really how it came about”.
The original JJ Devine’s, image via Facebook/Ireland from the roadside
The rebuilt JJ Devine’s now stands proudly outside Mee’s, complete with thatched roof and and even a resident donkey called Holly.
“He’s just like the donkey in the film, he’s constantly walking around after you and he would rest his chin on your knee when you sit down, he’s a wee pet,” Luke told the Independent.
An invitation for pints and a round of cards has been extended to all the stars of the film, as well as Taylor Swift who previously called for the pub to be opened to the public.
Header image via Searchlight/20th Century Studios
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