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Meet Robert Boake

Dramatic cliffs where waves crash against jagged pyramids of rock. Thick forests with ancient trees covered in moss. Rolling green hills dotted with crumbling castles and stone towers. These are the kind of landscapes you’ll find all over the island of Ireland — and why it’s such a perfect backdrop for an epic movie or TV show.

Over the years, many a production has made Ireland a supporting star, from films like The Banshees of Inisherin to television series like Game of Thrones®. It was on the latter that Robert Boake worked as a location manager, scouring every corner of Ireland for dramatic, otherworldly settings to serve as a backdrop for the fantasy series.

“It was an absolute dream job for me,” says Boake, who started work on the show in 2008. Over a ten-year period, he found 63 shooting locations — mostly in Northern Ireland — and even won several Location Managers Guild International awards for his work.

“The island was my playground. You get the sense that it's a very old place, with castles and ruins among the landscapes. You could find trees that are hundreds of years old, intertwined inside a rocky cliff face. Or you could drive round a corner and find the blue Burren, this lunar landscape that’s crazy cool. There’s just so much here.”

Visitors don’t need to venture far to be swept away by Ireland’s living history, or immersed in its awe-inspiring vistas. Here are just a few places where you can discover the cinematic heart of Ireland.

“I had the wonderful task of checking out pretty much every beach or sea cliff on the whole island of Ireland,” Boake recalls. One of his all-time favorite discoveries? The sea cliffs of Fair Head in Moyle, on the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland.

“It is a breathtaking location,” he says. “It’s one of those incredible places you can’t believe, with rolling green cliffs looking down on to the Irish Sea, with Rathlin Island below. Some of the scenes I was scouting for entailed dragons landing and taking off, so having a sense of height above the sea, where a castle might be perched, was really good.”

This entire stretch of Northern Ireland, known as the Causeway Coast, is dotted with tiny coves, bays, and caves that are every bit as picturesque as Fair Head. Take a road trip along this winding route and you’ll find spots like The Gobbins, a Victorian cliff path that clings to the rocks, or the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, where you can walk above the crashing waves as the bridge sways underfoot.

Malin Head in Donegal

Boake was often seeking locations that were every bit as dramatic as the show’s plot. Malin Head in Donegal — with its rocky outcrops and arches reaching out of the Atlantic Ocean — fit the bill perfectly. “It’s absolutely beautiful. It almost felt like a visual effects location that you'd stumbled upon. It felt supernatural to me.”

The most northerly point on the island of Ireland, Malin Head feels like another world. In fact, this location also appears in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Head out on one of the hiking trails along the cliffs and you’ll feel like you have the whole place to yourself.

The Dark Hedges in Antrim

A key element of Boake’s scouting technique is finding unique shapes and silhouettes to set the stage. “If you’ve got a ready-built frame, you know the Director of Photography is going to love it,” he explains. 

That’s exactly what he found at one of the best-known locations from the show, the Dark Hedges. Dating back to the 18th century, this avenue of beech trees has a mythical aesthetic. The twisted branches intertwine to create a symmetrical arch over the quiet country road in County Antrim. 

“The requirement was for a really grand road, denoting a massive highway,” recalls Boake. “I remember lying down on the road with beautiful light streaming in, and photographing it uninterrupted. I had butterflies in my stomach.”

Nowadays, the Dark Hedges is a popular spot visited by many Game of Thrones® fans; visitors are encouraged to be respectful and leave no trace in order to preserve the area’s natural beauty. There are plenty of other Game of Thrones® shooting locations nearby, too, from the Cushendun Caves to Ballintoy Harbor. At each site, you’ll find a plaque that shows how it appeared on screen.

Alternatively, set out on one of the many guided tours departing from Belfast. You can go cycling around Winterfell or take a closer look at set pieces, props, and costumes on the Game of Thrones Studio Tour.

The Cliffs of Moher in Clare

Ireland is filled with evocative landscapes that look like they’ve been plucked from a cinematographer’s storyboard. At the Cliffs of Moher in Clare, along the Wild Atlantic Way, you can walk along the cliff tops and gaze out at miles of black rock cutting into the sea. Birds flit between sea stacks and ocean spray clings to your face, while the Atlantic swirls over 700 feet below.

“The rocks look like they’ve been put there perfectly symmetrically, like these dark foreboding foreground shapes,” says Boake. While they didn’t end up shooting there for Game of Thrones®, the cliffs appear in films like The Princess Bride and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

More than just a screen-worthy backdrop, directors and scouters like Boake are also drawn to Ireland for the local culture and kindness of the community. “I really love the sense of community in Ireland,” says Boake. “Many a time I'd be stumbling around trying to find things, and I’d meet a friendly farmer and have a chat. And he calls his mate and says, ‘There's a guy here looking for a giant tree.’ The word spreads and the next minute the whole community's helping out.”

That generous spirit extends to all visitors to the island; whether you’re walking in Luke Skywalker’s footsteps or imagining dragons flying overhead, you’ll encounter friendly locals who are more than willing to share recommendations.

Of course, you don’t have to be a film or TV buff to appreciate the island’s wild beauty. “You've got deciduous and coniferous forests, white cliffs, shiny black cliffs, volcanic landscapes and rolling green pastoral land. There’s so much on offer,” says Boake. Wherever you choose to explore, the island of Ireland will make you feel like you’re in your very own movie.

More Cinematic Places to Visit in Ireland

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Northern ireland Wild Atlantic Way Dublin Ireland’s Ancient East

Dublin

The latest hit from Sharon Horgan (creator of Catastrophe and Pulling), Bad Sisters shows a different side of Dublin, with long sweeping shots that show off the verdant coastline. The characters take a dip at the Forty Foot, a popular swim spot in Sandycove, and walk along the shores in Howth.

Ireland’s Ancient East

With over 5,000 years of history, this corner of Ireland has long been the backdrop for the TV show Vikings, with scenes shot on the banks of the River Boyne in Meath, in Blessington Lakes and Lough Tay in Wicklow, as well as the Luggala Estate.

Wild Atlantic Way

The Banshees of Inisherin is one of the most recent films to put Ireland on the world’s stage. While the island portrayed was fictional, the landscapes were very much real, with scenes set along the white sands and turquoise sea of Keem Bay on Achill, and the spectacular prehistoric hill fort of Dún Aonghasa on Inishmore. Further along the Wild Atlantic Way on the Sligo coast, the beach of Streedagh was a highlight of the TV series Normal People.

Northern ireland

While many films and television shows utilize the natural landscapes of Northern Ireland, the series Derry Girls turned the spotlight on the city of Derry-Londonderry. The characters walk along the 400-year-old city walls, take a trip along the coast, and dance in the streets. A mural dedicated to the show is one of the most popular selfie spots in the city, while a new Derry Girls exhibition will launch at the Tower Museum this summer.

Fill your heart with Ireland and feel like the main character.

Visit Ireland.com to start planning your trip.