Movie Magic – Famous scenes shot at the Cliffs Of Moher
Over the years, there have been many movies made at the Cliffs of Moher, and more recently, music videos from artists around the world.
Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince (2009)
Harry and Dumbledore appear standing on a rock which is moving towards a sea cave in the face of a towering cliff. Through the miracle of modern technology the rock in the sequence is actually Lemon Rock, off the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry over 150 kilometres to the south of the Cliffs of Moher. The footage was filmed in September 2007 when a film crew were based at the Cliffs of Moher for almost a week. Our boat, the Jack B, was used by the location crew during production, so technically, we “appeared” in a Harry Potter movie, fame at last….
Other Movies Made at the Cliffs of Moher:
The Princess Bride (1987)
Ryan’s Daughter (1970)
The Mackintosh Man (1973)
The Cliffs of Moher featured in the 1992 Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman movie Far And Away. Home-grown productions like Into the West and Hear My Song also included scenes filmed at the Cliffs of Moher as did several episodes of the immortal Father Ted comedy series and a Westlife music video for the hit single My Love.
The Bounty II sailed passed Doolin pier on her way to Galway on September 23, 2009. Our vessel the Doolin Discovery gave our passengers a bird’s eye view of the magnificent boat which was featured recently in the movies Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
TV Shows:
Father Ted
Location shooting for popular Father Ted TV series was done mostly in County Clare, including locations at Ennis, Kilfenora, Ennistymon, and Kilnaboy. The Parochial House is McCormack’s at Glenquin, on the Boston road from Kilnaboy. The opening sequence (including shots of the Plassey ship wreck) were filmed over Inis Oírr – the smallest of the Aran Islands.
In January 2007 a dispute arose between Inis Oirr (pop. 250) and Inis Mór (pop. 1,200) over which island can claim to be Craggy Island, and thereby host a three-day Friends of Ted Festival. It was decided that (in appropriate Father Ted fashion) the dispute would be settled by a five-a-side football match held on 25 February 2007. This was won by Inis Mór in a 2-0 match allowing them to use the title of Craggy Island until February 2008, whilst Inis Oírr was given the title of Rugged Island.
Music Videos:
Maroon 5 video of their song Runaway has amazing footage of surfing at the Cliffs
Westlifes video of “MY LOVE” features the band members waiting at Shannon Airport, where Nicky Byrne informs the band members that the last flight out has just been cancelled. After the end of the first chorus, the scene shifts to Colbert train station in Limerick. Then again during the second chorus, the scene changes to Lahinch Beach, Co. Clare and in Kilkee, (Co. Clare) During the final chorus, the band members sing atop the Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare.
The song itself, combined with the video is portraying the band missing their native Ireland and, in particular, a love interest that was left behind.