- Streedagh Beach, near Grange: This expansive, windswept sandy beach with dramatic dunes and Atlantic views featured prominently in Normal People (2020 TV series), where it provided the scenic, romantic backdrop for walks and intimate moments between Marianne and Connell; it also appeared in Calvary (2014), enhancing the film’s moody, contemplative coastal atmosphere.
- Tobercurry town: The small inland town stood in for the fictional Carricklea, the main setting of Normal People (2020), with its streets, houses, and everyday rural Irish feel capturing the characters’ hometown life, school scenes, and community interactions in Sally Rooney’s adaptation.
- Benbulben Mountain and surrounding Yeats Country landscapes: The iconic flat-topped mountain and nearby rugged countryside served as a striking, atmospheric backdrop in Calvary (2014), underscoring the film’s themes of isolation, morality, and rural Irish life; the area’s wild beauty, tied to poet W.B. Yeats, adds poetic depth to many scenes.
- Gleniff Horseshoe, near Manorhamilton: This dramatic glacial valley with sheer cliffs, ancient cave legends (Diarmuid and Gráinne’s cave), and sweeping views was used for key outdoor sequences in The Northman (2022), contributing to the film’s epic, mythical Viking-era landscapes and intense action moments.
- Various coastal and town sites (including Strandhill, Easkey, Lissadell, and Sligo town areas): These locations, from surfing beaches to quiet villages and historic spots, supported filming for Calvary (2014), with Brendan Gleeson’s priest navigating moral dilemmas against Sligo’s stark, beautiful scenery; similar rural and seaside elements appeared in The Secret Scripture (2016), where the county’s moody landscapes reflected the story’s themes of memory, trauma, and hidden truths in a period drama starring Vanessa Redgrave and Eric Bana.
These locations showcase County Sligo’s dramatic Atlantic coastline, iconic mountains, and authentic small-town charm, making it a favoured spot for character-driven Irish dramas, literary adaptations, and historical epics rather than large-scale blockbusters.
Movie locations in the county
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County Sligo:
Ireland’s county Sligo is renowned for its poetic heritage and coastal scenery, with the Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery offering one of Europe’s oldest prehistoric sites. The Benbulben mountain provides striking hiking trails, while Strandhill’s beaches are ideal for surfing. Other attractions include the historic Lissadell House and its gardens. Sligo is Ireland’s 22nd largest county by size (1,796 square km) and seventh smallest by population (70,198). Population peaked at 180,886 in 1841 and reached its lowest point, 50,275 in 1971. In terms of hospitality, Sligo is Ireland’s 17th most visited tourist county with around 133,000 international visitors per year.
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