Ireland (The Quiet Man)

There are 89 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 109,816 times. The latest Post () was by chester7777.

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!

  • IRELAND
    County Mayo, Ireland


    Cong, County Mayo, Ireland,
    was the setting and the filming location
    for John Ford's 1952 Oscar-winning film,
    The Quiet Man


    Cong


    9398d04384faa158e038b16987439315.jpg


    Cong (Conga Fheichín or Cúnga Fheichín in Irish) is a village in County Mayo,
    Republic of Ireland, next to the Galway border.
    It is located on the north shore of Lough Corrib, near the town of Ballinrobe
    and the villages of Neale and Cross. Cong is known for its underground streams
    that connect Lough Corrib with Lough Mask to the north.
    It was also the home of Sir William Wilde, historian and father to prominent playwright,
    novelist, poet, and short story writer, Oscar Wilde.


    This picturesque village lies on the shores off Lough Corrib, just within County Mayo.
    It is on the edge of Connemara. Cong, (in Gaelic Cung) means isthmus,
    the village lies on the strip of land between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask.


    For more photographs:-
    Cong- Photos
    _________________________________________________________________________
    White O'Morn Cottage



    The original cottage above showing the owner
    at the time holding a baby and look at the chickens pecking
    just outside the half door and the roses growing in the flowerbeds.


    The tourist board are trying hard to make the owner of the derelect White O'Morn
    see the sense of restoring the ruin to it's former glory.
    That is something I would dearly love to see.
    The owner is an American and has so far not agreed to allow restoration to go ahead.
    The film brings thousands of tourists to Cong, Mayo every year
    and most of the buildings used are still in good to perfect condition.


    The original White O’Morn cottage is in a state of ruin.
    All that remains on this tufted patch of earth is shaped pile of housing stones.
    The thatch appears to have gone first, after which water seeped
    into the 18-inch-thick stone walls and washed out the mortar,
    peeling off the whitewash as the breakdown progressed season by season.



    As it is now..........................................With kind permission of Patrick McCormick


    During a visit in July of 2001 there was rumblings that the original cottage
    would be restored and made into some kind of tourist attraction.
    However, as recently as June 2003 it was still found crumbling
    to the ground with no evidence of any construction project.
    The word is that a Californian has owned the property
    for 22 years and remains unmoved by requests to sell
    so the cottage can be restored.
    So sad that no one saw fit to preserve this lovely cottage for future generations.


    It is just a pile of stones now and even they are disappearing as tourists
    take them for souviniers.
    ____________________________________________________________________________
    Cohan's Bar


    .
    An old photo of Pat Cohen's Bar.


    It was actually a shop not a bar
    but now it has been refurbished
    and recreated faithfully as the bar.


    It was beautifully outfitted by Gus Martin , GM Carpentry, Dublin
    and is a faithful recreation of the one in the film.
    Gus is a fervent fan of the film too so it must have been a labour of love.
    they used stills of the film to make sure they got it just right.
    _________________________________________________________________________________
    The Quiet Man Bridge



    The Quiet Man Bridge


    Over 50 years ago John Wayne and Barry Fitzgerald
    sat on this bridge in a horse drawn carriage.
    _______________________________________________________________
    Cong Church
    St. Mary's Church Of Ireland



    This is the pretty little church where Sean Thornton and Mary Kate Danagher
    played "pattie fingers" in the holy water font.
    _________________________________________________________________________________
    Ashford Castle



    Just south of Cong is Ashford Castle, built in a Gothic revival style
    by Arthur Guinness (Lord Ardilaun), is now a five star hotel with Golf Course.
    One of Ireland's finest hotels, converted from a medieval lakeside castle,
    and a tourist attraction in its own right.
    Much of the movie was filmed on the grounds of Ashford Castle.
    Duke, John Ford, and the other major stars, also stayed there during filming.
    The famous fight scene was shot in the grounds of the castle,
    Much memorabilia and special tours are available to commemorate the film.


    The town and castle area remain little changed since 1952,
    and Cong's connection with the movie make it a major tourist attraction
    in that part of Mayo.


    Fancy a holiday!:-
    Ashford Castle
    ______________________________________________________________________________
    Cong Abbey



    Cong also has a fine example of a ruined medieval abbey,
    and Celtic art in the form of a stone High cross called the Cross of Cong,
    which shows Viking influences.
    The majestic remains of Cong Abbey are the relics of the Augustinian abbe
    y founded in the 12th century by Turlough O'Connor,
    King of Connaught and High King of Ireland.
    The Market Cross of Cong in the village commemorates tow
    former abbots of the monastery.
    The Cross of Cong, an ornate processional cross intended for the abbey,
    is now in Dublin's National Museum.


    The Cong Canal, also known as the "Dry Canal" was a failure,
    primarily due to its inability to hold water. Now used as a drainage channel only,
    the water level can vary between 6 inches and 12 feet depending on the time of year
    (summer dry, winter full). Built heritage features of the canal remain.


    Only two weeks of the production was spent in Ireland
    because the local hotels couldn't accommodate the American crew.
    _________________________________________________________________
    Playfairs Cottage



    Then we have a truly beautiful cottage
    that is still exactly the same today.
    It was the location for the Playfairs-( actually the gate-house to Ashford Castle)
    the Church of Ireland reverand and his wife.
    ______________________________________________________________
    Danagher House



    Above is the Danagher house.


    It also survives and is located on the estate of Ashford Castle.
    Just the same except in the film there was no glass porch at the front door.


    6073834912_24db83af7a_b.jpg
    As it is today


    This beautiful house is exactaly how it looks today as it did in the movie back in 1951
    Its located on the grounds of Ashford Castle , and is very well taken care of
    by the lovely May and Joe Murphy.
    I hasten to add the house is not open to the public at any time and is strictly private.
    With special thanks to Mike Ward
    of Save The Quiet Man Cottage for the photograph and the above
    ________________________________________________________________
    Ballyglunin Station
    (Castletown Station)



    The station used in the opening sequence and during the scene where John Wayne
    slams the train doors looking for 'Maureen OHara later in the film is
    Ballyglunin Station- south of the town of Tuam, Co. Galway.
    It looks the same today as it did in 1951,
    when the film was shot (although released in 1952).


    The only major difference is that the bridge which crosses
    the railway tracks is now gone.
    This bridge was moved to Ballinasloe station, East Galway
    (where it still stands today), after Ballyglunin closed down as a main line.
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
    The Stepping Stones



    With kind permission of Gary McEwan- STQMC Group- Facebook
    ________________________________________________________
    Lettergesh Beach- Commera



    The Inisfree Race Meet


    The horse racing sequence was shot at
    Lettergesh Beach- Commera
    on the west coast of Ireland
    _________________________________________________________________________________
    Cong River Fight Scene



    Look towards the big tree on the banks of the Cong river on the right.
    This is the location where Danagher is knocked into the river by Sean.
    Danagher then says "you've had enough," Sean replies No,
    so Danagher says "Well give a man a hand then"
    Sean pulls him out of the river only to receive another punch from
    Danagher which sends him reeling, the next time you watch this scene again
    you will see the stones on the wall of Cong Abbey as the fight continues.
    ____________________________________________________________________________
    Emily O'Connor's Shop


    When Sean and Mary Kate take their wagon into town a store called
    "Emily O'Connor" can be seen in the background.
    This is actually a crafts store and is still in business to this day.


    In the film, Cong Village doubled as both Innisfree and Castletown. One side of Cong was Innisfree and this side of the village was CastleTown. The scene shot here was a cattle fair, cast your mind back to the film as Mary Kate and Sean arrive in Castletown to do their shopping. It was here that Mary Kate spot's Danaher selling his crossbred sheep and says to Sean "now's a good time to get my money" Sean replies, "Money, money I'm sick of the talk of it! is that all you Danaher's think about money?". With that Mary Kate whips up her horse and leaves Sean to walk back to Innisfree. When Mary Kate leaves Sean in Castletown to walk back to Innisfree we see him walking up hills through fields, when in fact all he had to do was walk up the street, that's Hollywood for you. In the background we see Emily O'Connor's Craft shop and next to it is the post office which is still the same as in 1951.
    _________________________________________________________________________________
    Fr.Lonergan's Gate



    Now sadly stolen!!
    _______________________________________________________________________________
    White O'Morn Replica Cottage



    A replica of the famous thatched cottage in the movie is located at Maam Cross
    County Galway, in the west of Ireland.


    The first location is one of the last scenes in the film.
    It is located opposite The Quiet Man Heritage Cottage at the flower bed
    and is when the widow Tillane and Danagher start their courting.
    They were on the trap with Michaeleen Og as chaperone.
    "Hold on to your Hats," were Michealeen's strict instruction
    to the courting couple
    as his beautiful horse Napoleon took them passed the now
    Heritage Cottage along Circular road here to your right.


    For more information:-
    The Replica Quiet Man Cottage
    _________________________________________________________________
    Mary Kate's Willow Pattern Dishes



    Mary Kate so loved her crockery and such.
    She used the beautiful Willow pattern dishes.

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 131 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Ireland is just a ferry ride away for me, so I must make the effort to go and see the movies locations

  • Yes, some day I will go to the old sod and see the sites.

    The family has been gone for 4 generations but I plan to go back.

    Tbone



    "I have tried to live my life so that my family would love me and my friends respect me. The others can do whatever the hell they please."

  • Emmanuel Any word on the pub? Does she do a fine business?

    Greetings from North of the 49th

  • Emmanuel,

    What other can you tell us about this ole' Pub? Might want to visit there when I go. It will be a while before I get there. I'll have to save a lot more money before coming.

    Cheers :cool: Hondo



    Quote

    "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it"

    - John Wayne quote

  • It's very interesting. I hope to be there one day too. I visited some English pubs while staying in England, are Irish pubs have the same lovely athmosphere?
    Regards,
    Senta

  • Hi all,

    Sorry for the delay in answering, but we have been
    away on holiday for a couple of weeks.

    Murray, I was down in Cong just before Christmas last year.
    We were staying in Ashford Castle, we celebrated our
    30th wedding anniversary. On one of mornings while
    we were there, we walked into the village. It's a wonderful
    walk along a tree lined lane. After only a few minutes you
    pass the "Church of Ireland" church, where Sean and
    Mary-Kate play "patty fingers in the holy water." Then as
    you continue along the lane it takes only a couple more
    minutes to reach the cottage of the Reverend and Mrs Playfair.
    Then you turn right and you are in the village of Cong. Now
    although the old "Cohan" building has been rebuilt, it has
    not been turned into a pub. It looks just the same as it does
    in the movie, with the name "Cohan's Bar" above the door,
    but that's as far as it goes. I was a wee bit disappointed
    because I was looking forward to one of those "black beers."
    But then again, this is Irelnd we are talking about, so we just
    walked 2 hundreds yards up the street and there was a place
    that had so much of the stuff, they were selling it.

    I did ask the barman about "Cohan's", but he didn't know what
    was happening with it.

    Hondo, just come with whatever money you have, the drinks are
    on me.

    Vera, if you liked English pubs, you will love Irish pubs.

    Emmanuel.


    I'll try one of those black beers....THE QUIET MAN.

  • Shame about Cohans yet I'm sure the Village would more then compensate.

    Greetings from North of the 49th

  • For continuity reasons
    Here are some other posts,I have copied over,
    relating to this lovely area


    Quote

    April 14th, 2005
    Hondo Duke Lane


    What is the name of the pub going to be?


    Cheers B)
    __________________


    .




    Quote

    Old April 14th, 2005
    SXViper



    Emmanuel, sounds like a really nice place to visit and I hope to sometime down the road with my wife.

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited once, last by ethanedwards ().

  • That is no problem for you if you will have a "black beer" on Pat Cohan Bar now when the bar opened September 15, 2008.
    Len

  • I understand that the pubs are dying now in Ireland Len. Is that true?

    Tbone



    "I have tried to live my life so that my family would love me and my friends respect me. The others can do whatever the hell they please."

  • The cottage where sean thorton and mary kate lived in is in ruins. The small bridge is still there.the house where the danahers live is on the grounds of ashford castle.there is a family living in the house.the village of cong is still the same as it was when they were doing the film.

  • I heard there was a movement to try to restore White o' Morn. Has that gotten any where?

    Tbone



    "I have tried to live my life so that my family would love me and my friends respect me. The others can do whatever the hell they please."