New research has found the very best films to be shot in Ireland, with Steven Spielberg’s ‘Saving Private Ryan’ coming out on top.
Using data from several sites, online entertainment experts from Irish casino Slotbox.com compiled ratings for all films that have been shot in Ireland to see which were fans’ and critics’ favourites alike.
The study found 1998’s ‘Saving Private Ryan’ to be the best film shot in Ireland, with an average rating of 90.8 out of 100 on the sites used in the study. Directed by Steven Spielberg, it’s one of the most well-known World War 2 movies. The D-Day landings scene, one of the most iconic scenes in the film, was shot on Ballinesker Beach in County Wexford, Ireland, as Spielberg thought it was a close replica of Normandy’s Omaha Beach.
Second place goes to Jim Sheridan’s 1989 comedy-drama ‘My Left Foot’, based on the 1954 memoir of the same name. It comes with an average rating of 89.8 from the sites used. The film focuses on the Irish writer and painter Christy Brown and was filmed mainly at Ardmore Studios in Bray, County Wicklow, as well as on the city streets of Dublin.
Coming in third place is the 1975 period drama ‘Barry Lyndon’ directed by Stanley Kubrick. The film received an average rating of 87.6 in the study. Based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray, many exterior shots were filmed at numerous parts of Ireland, including Dublin Castle, Powerscourt House in County Wicklow and Castletown House in County Tipperary.
Fourth place goes to ‘Once’, the 2007 Irish romantic drama directed by John Carney. Primarily funded by the Irish Film Board and based in Dublin, filming conveniently also took place in Dublin. Many scenes were filmed without permits; therefore, passers-by did not know something was being filmed during production. It received critical acclaim upon release, with it coming in with an average rating of 87.4 out of 100 in the study.
Rounding out the top five is ‘In The Name of The Father’, Jim Sheridan’s 1993 biographical crime drama. It comes in with an average rating of 87.2 out of 100 from the sites studied. Despite the film’s setting being split between Belfast and Dublin, most scenes were shot in the Republic of Ireland. Jail scenes were shot at Kilmainham Jail in Dublin.
The highest rated films shot in Ireland
| # | Movie | IMDB Rating | Rotten Tomatoes (Critic) | Metacritic (Critic) | Rotten Tomatoes (User) | Metacritic (User) |
| 1 | Saving Private Ryan | 8.6 | 94 | 91 | 95 | 8.8 |
| 2 | My Left Foot | 7.9 | 98 | 97 | 92 | 8.3 |
| 3 | Barry Lyndon | 8.1 | 89 | 89 | 92 | 8.7 |
| 4 | Once | 7.8 | 97 | 89 | 91 | 8.2 |
| 5 | In the Name of the Father | 8.1 | 94 | 84 | 95 | 8.2 |
| 6 | Sing Street | 7.9 | 95 | 79 | 92 | 8.4 |
| 7 | Brooklyn | 7.5 | 97 | 88 | 87 | 7.9 |
| 8 | The Quiet Man | 7.7 | 91 | 85 | 91 | 7.2 |
| 9 | The Banshees of Inisherin | 8 | 97 | 87 | 76 | 7.5 |
| 10 | The Wind that Shakes the Barley | 7.5 | 90 | 82 | 87 | 7.9 |
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for Slotbox said: “While the majority of the entries in the list are either Irish films are films set in Ireland, Saving Private Ryan may come as a shock to some, especially as most of the blockbuster takes place in France. Some even more surprising entries that didn’t make the top ten include ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ and the William Wallace historical drama ‘Braveheart’ showing that the country is an ideal filming location for many top-grossing films to this day.”
The study was conducted by Slotbox, which is a one-stop-shop for all your slots needs, with each slot hand-picked by a dedicated team, providing a huge variety and quality assurance.
