Achill should host Banshees of Inisherin première

A photographer with a long association with Achill is hoping to see Hollywood return to the island for the launch of Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin.

The film was largely shot on Achill, featuring A-listers Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan in the cast.

It is set to have its première at the Venice Film Festival in September and will go on general release in Ireland in October.

Now Terry O'Brien, a photographer who is no stranger to local film sets, has suggested the Irish première should take place at Keel Sandybanks, drive-in style, with a reception afterwards in the Annexe Inn.

He has shared his idea on social media and hopeful production company Searchlight Pictures will buy into it and roll out the red carpet in Keel.

Back in the 1980s Terry, then living in Achill, was behind the scenes with his camera when the famed Ballroom of Romance was filmed in nearby Ballycroy.

He recently exhibited fascinating photos from the film set, which was set in the 1950s, telling the tale of a woman looking for love, while no longer in the first flushes of youth and all the best men having been snapped up already.

McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin tells the story of two lifelong friends who find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both.