From great production companies to stellar sets and iconic green landscapes, there are many reasons why some of Netflix’s hit shows and movies were filmed in Ireland.
In the last five to ten years, Ireland has become one of the most sought after places to shoot movies and TV shows.
Not just local productions, either. Actors and production companies from all over the world have taken to the Emerald Isle in recent years to make their productions.
From independent films and local series to Hollywood blockbusters, here are ten Netflix shows and movies filmed in Ireland.
10. Saving Private Ryan (1998) – one of the movies most iconic scenes was filmed in Wexford
The whole movie wasn’t shot in Ireland, but one of the most iconic and memorable scenes in Saving Private Ryan was.
Directed by EGOT winner Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, Curracloe Strand in County Wexford was used as the filming location for the bloodshed and horror of D-Day on Omaha Beach in the film.
The iconic opening scene, which runs in the movie for a whopping 24 minutes, was said to have had a budget of $12 million.
9. P.S. I Love You (2007) – shot on location in Wicklow
If you’re in the mood for a good tear-jerker, then head over to Netflix to stream P.S. I Love You. Based on the novel by Irish author Cecelia Ahern, the movie stars Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler.
Holly (Swank) and her Irish husband Gerry (Butler) live in Manhattan. After Gerry dies of a brain tumour, Holly receives a cassette from Gerry, the first of many that will lead her on a journey back to Gerry’s homeland.
Some of the film was shot in New York, while some of it was shot on location in County Wicklow, including the famous, remote crossroads of Sally Gap in the Wicklow Mountains as the location for Gerry and Holly’s meet-cute.
Other Wicklow filming locations include Ballysmuttan Bridge and Kilruddery Estate, while the famous scene where Gerry sings ‘Galway Girl’ for Holly was filmed in Whelan’s in Dublin. P.S. I Love You is currently available at the time of writing to stream on Netflix in Ireland and the UK.
8. Derry Girls (2018-2022) – one of the best Irish TV shows of all time
One of the most iconic Irish TV shows of all time, Derry Girls is currently available to stream globally on Netflix.
Across three seasons, various locations across the North of Ireland were used as filming locations for the show. Derry, of course, as well as several places around Belfast, too.
For example, Fionnula’s Fish and Chips was actually filmed in the famous Belfast chippy John Long’s, which has been serving local patrons for 100 years.
Famous locations in Derry, like Guildhall Square, Pump Street, and the Derry City Walls, were used for filming, too. Orla’s iconic dance sequence to Dario G’s ‘Sunchyme’, for example, took us on a journey from Derry’s Castle Street to the City Walls.
7. In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2023) – a classic Liam Neeson movie
In the Land of Saints and Sinners stars Irish actors Liam Neeson and Kerry Condon, and it’s currently available to stream on Netflix in Ireland and the UK.
County Donegal was the primary location for filming the movie, including Silver Strand Beach in Malin Beg, for the coastal images you see in the film.
Furthermore, Killbegs was the location for the main town and street scenes used in the film, while Glencolmcille was used as the setting for the village pub, which was the local pub Roarty’s Bar, and the surrounding area.
It’s a classic Liam Neeson Taken-style, he plays the character of a former assassin living a quiet life in rural Ireland, only to be drawn back into his dangerous and menacing former lifestyle.
6. The Wonder (2022) – landscapes of County Wicklow
Starring Florence Pugh, The Wonder follows the story of an English nurse sent to rural Ireland after the Famine to observe the ‘fasting girl’, who is seemingly able to survive without eating.
While some of the interior scenes were shot in a studio in Dublin, much of the film, which features sweeping countryside and mountain backdrop, was shot on site in County Wicklow.
Locations include the Wicklow Mountains, the village of Hollywood, County Wicklow, and the scenery of Lough Bray.
5. Small Things Like These (2024) – New Ross went back in time
Based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These highlights the historical significance of the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland.
Cillian Murphy gives one of his best performances to date as Bill Furlong, a father and coal merchant who discovers sinister secrets about his hometown and those who were silently complicit.
New Ross in County Wexford was transformed into an 1985 version while the movie was being filmed, with cast and crew adding era-appropriate storefronts and removing any modern signage.
Quay Street and Mary Street in New Ross, in particular, were used significantly throughout the film. It’s available to stream on Netflix in both the UK and Ireland.
4. Kin (2021) – one of the best Irish TV shows
Kin is one of the best Irish crime dramas yet, and filming across the first two seasons was set entirely in and around Dublin.
Following the life and crimes of a Dublin crime family, iconic spots around the city, like Landsdowne Lane, the Poolbeg chimneys, and the Aviva Stadium, frequently feature in the show. Anybody else patiently awaiting the return of the show with series three?
3. The Italian Job (1969) – iconic scenes in Kilmainham Gaol
Only available to stream currently on UK Netflix, The Italian Job prison scenes were filmed in Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin. This is one of the Hollywood movies you may not have known was filmed in Ireland. The East Wing of the prison was notably painted yellow for filming.
Kilmainham Gaol is one of Ireland’s most important historical buildings. The jail, which first opened its doors in 1796, echoes with the memories of some of Ireland’s most important events.
It housed figures like Henry Joy McCracken, Robert Emmet, and Charles Stewart Parnell, as well as leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising who were executed there in the Stonebreakers’ Yard.
The jail famously appears in the opening scene of The Italian Job, when Charlie Croker (Michael Caine) is released.
2. Lift (2024) – shot in Belfast and the surrounding area
Lift stars Kevin Hart as Cyrus, an international master thief who is recruited by his ex-girlfriend and Interpol agent Abby (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) to pull off a heist.
While a lot of the film was shot in Belfast’s Harbour Studios, iconic venues around Belfast also appeared in the film, like the Titanic Hotel and the famous Crown Liquor Saloon.
Other locations in Northern Ireland outside of Belfast used for filming include Ward Park in Bangor, Castleward Estate, and Ardglass Harbour.
During filming, Kevin Hart was seen around town by locals frequently. He even performed several secret stand-up comedy gigs at one of Belfast’s biggest music venues, the Limelight.
1. How to Get to Heaven From Belfast (2025) – one of the most recent Irish series’
One of Ireland’s latest series is How to Get to Heaven From Belfast. From the same creator of Derry Girls, Lisa Magee, the show was largely filmed in the North, with filming taking place in the South as well.
The fictional town of Knockdara was actually Carnlough, where lots of the show was filmed. This includes the ‘Knockdara Hotel’, which was actually The Harbourview Hotel in Carnlough.
Throughout the series, you’ll also be able to spot some of Belfast’s most iconic spots, like The Duke of York Pub, the Titanic Museum, and even the Lyric Theatre.
The comedy drama series is currently available to stream in Ireland, the UK, and the US.
