Offaly is 10th most popular county in Ireland for film locations

OFFALY is now the 10th most popular county in Ireland for film locations.
The September meeting of Birr Municipal District was told by Deardriu Lally of the County Council's Community & Culture Section that a number of major productions have chosen to film in Offaly during recent times.
This includes Season 2 of “Wednesday”, on Netflix, which was partly shot in Charleville Castle.
An upcoming American adventure TV series, “Wayfinders”, also used Charleville Castle as a location.
The American dark comedy, horror movie “Scream Queens” was partly shot in Charleville and Birr Castles.
Ms Lally said a number of noteworthy documentaries have been filmed in the county. This includes The Square Route with Hannah Fry (a Travel series for National Geographic which featured Tullamore). Leap Castle has also featured in programmes about haunted castles. Ms Lally also mentioned various tourism programmes that have been shot in Offaly.
She pointed out that Offaly's Film Commission “FilmOffaly” is a successful project run by Offaly County Council and is currently co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund Programme 2021-2027. On its website FilmOffaly points out that, “Situated in the heart of Ireland, Offaly boasts a unique landscape, good road and rail infrastructure and plenty of experience and enthusiasm in hosting film productions. We are delighted to welcome your crews here. Offaly boasts some amazing and atmospheric locations, including 22 monastic sites and approximately 90 castles, as well as typical Irish towns with plenty of character. The north eastern part of the county is situated within the commuter belt of Dublin with the southern and western parts bordering the Slieve Bloom Mountains and the Shannon River. FilmOffaly is Offaly's Film Commission and a project of Offaly County Council. Up and running since 2008, we are one of the first local film offices in Ireland, and our annual Film Award is now in its fifteenth year.”
FilmOffaly has a full time Film Officer resource since October 2024. The Film Officer's primary goal is to support and grow the film sector in Offaly by attracting filmmakers, supporting local talent, and increasing the cultural and economic value of the film industry to the county.
Ms Lally added that FilmOffaly and the County Council “work with and welcome Film and TV productions to make the most of what our county has to offer, as well as developing local talent by providing training & employment opportunities. We aim to use film to drive local economic growth and opportunities in the area.”
She said FilmOffaly's annual Short Film Award is worth €12,000 for new and emerging filmmakers and has been running since 2008.
She outlined a number of major highlights in the last 12 months including: Screen Networking and Careers Panel with the National Talent Academies. Podcasting Workshops. Smartphone Filmmaking Course. Galway Film Fleadh. “Eden” Filmmakers Q&A and Screening. “Big Foot Lover” – Winner of this year’s FilmOffaly Short Film Award. “Closed for Lunch” – Documentary commissioned as part of the Documentary Mentorship Scheme.

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