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The Banshees of Inisherin set made into a permanent pub
The set of JJ Devine’s Public House from Martin McDonagh’s critically-acclaimed The Banshees of Inisherin has been relocated, rebuilt and opened as a pub in Galway.
The film, which was released last year and garnered numerous plaudits, including nine nominations at the Academy Awards, also marked the long-awaited reunion of McDonagh with actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson after 2008’s black comedy In Bruges.
JJ Devine’s is where much of the drama concerning the sudden animosity of Colm (Gleeson) towards Pádraic (Farrell) plays out. The set for the traditional Irish watering hole was constructed on Achill Island, County Mayo, where much of the film was shot.
After shooting concluded, the set was dismantled, but publican Luke Mee, who runs Mee’s Bar in Galway, didn’t want the structure to go to waste, as RTÉ reported: “I’d heard the set was dismantled and the parts were lying in a yard in Achill for months with nobody showing any interest…All the structural parts were in good condition, so I took them back to the yard at the back of Mee’s Bar here in Kilkerrin in Galway and set about returning the iconic pub to its former glory.”
The pub was moved some 180 kilometres to its new home in Galway.
“Everything, down to the windowpanes, was meticulously rebuilt with the help of family, friends and neighbours. Hours upon hours went into this project which now stands on the site of our bar in Kilkerrin,” added Mee.
The famous Banshees of Inisherin pub has been rebuilt in County Galway thanks to Luke Mee of Mee’s Bar in Kilkerrin!
Luke transported the pub over 180kms. JJ Devine’s Public House will open this weekend to the public
Mike Shaughnessy pic.twitter.com/ZJ3oqsjPDF
— VFI (@VFIpubs) June 29, 2023
In tribute to Pádraic’s pet Jenny, a donkey was also present at the reopening.
The set of JJ Devine’s also sparked debate after a sign with the word ‘whisky’ appeared in the film, rather than the usual Irish spelling ‘whiskey’ – however, far from an error, the sign is actually a nod to a historical quirk concerning the naming of the spirit.