In the Summer of 2021, "Joyride", starring Academy Award Winner, Olivia Colman, shot in Kerry. "Joyride" was directed by Emmy Award Winner, Emer Reynolds & written by Kerry based screenwriter, Ailbhe Keoghan. "Joyride" opened the Galway Film Fleadh 2022, had it's Kerry Premiere in July & subsequently went on general release in the Summer of 2022. In Oct 2021, the Irish Language Feature Film, "Tarrac", shot on the Dingle Peninsula. "Tarrac" was produced by Icebox FIlms, directed by Declan Recks and written by Eugene O'Brien. "Tarrac" won Best Cinematography at the 2022 Galway Film Fleadh & had it's Kerry premiere at Kerry International Film Festival in Oct 2022. "Tarrac" is one of the Cine4 stable of productions and is due to go on general release.
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" (2017), "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015) & "The Lobster" (2015) have also shot in Kerry in the last number of years. Film productions have in fact been shooting in the county for almost a century! In 1910 the New York based O’Kalem Company made history by shooting almost 30 feature films here, the earliest fiction films to be shot in Ireland. In the 1930s a local Killarney man, Tom Cooper, himself made history by shooting “The Dawn”, the first indigenous sound production in Ireland, released in the US as “The Dawn Over Ireland”.
In the intervening years well known productions such as David Lean’s “Ryan’s Daughter” (1969), John Boorman’s “Excalibur” (1981) & Ron Howard’s “Far & Away” (1993) have all shot in Kerry. The dramatic scenery has always been a draw but the level of film production support in the county enables productions to keep coming back.
