Gallery: 12th-century castle in Ireland wins top European film location of the year

Cahir Castle has been a stand-in for Camelot in multiple productions, including ‘Excalibur’, ‘The Tudors’ and ‘The Green Knight’

Yesterday, the European Film Commissions Network announced that Cahir Castle in Ireland is the winner of the European Film Location of the Year award. The castle is located in the town centre of Cahir in County Tipperary.

The award comes as recognition for the castle’s longstanding film history. It was the main location in David Lowery’s The Green Knight (2021) a fantasy retelling of the famous medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The castle was also featured John Boorman classic, ‘Excalibur’ (1981) and in both films, it was a stand-in for the role of Camelot.

Fierce Competition 

During the selection process for the awards, members of the European Film Commission had the opportunity to submit a location from a film or TV series, shot between September 2020 and September 2021.

This year the competition for the top stop was fierce, with entries like the city of Berlin, a central location in The Queen’s Gambit and the City of Malaga from Season 4 of The Crown. It also featured the picturesque fjords of Norway’s Stadlandet, featured in Dune and Kornati National Park in Croatia, a location from the film Murina.

One of Ireland's most preserved castles

Cahir Castle was built in the mid-12^th century and is one of Ireland’s most well-preserved castles. It was a state-of-the-art defensive structure and has been subjected to many sieges and bombardments over the centuries.

Appearing to grow from the actual rock on which it stands, the castle features battlements, heavy gates, turrets, towers and a stunning courtyard. The complex was enlarged and remodelled between the 15^th and 17^th centuries, but it fell into disrepair in the following centuries. Then, it was partially restored in the 1840s. Now, Cahir Castle is a designated National Monument and is currently the property of the Irish government.

Eleanor Morrissey, Site Manager at Cahir Castle, was quoted in a press release, after accepting the award plaque on behalf of the castle, underlining the significance of the castle both for Ireland and Europe.

She commented: “Anybody who has visited it will easily see how its impressive battlements rising above the River Suir makes it a dream location for internationally acclaimed fantasy films.”