You Can Now Have A Drink In The Pub From The Banshees Of Inisherin

1 year ago

J.J. Devine Public House is officially open for business

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You Can Now Have A Drink In The Pub From The Banshees Of Inisherin

Fancy sinking a pint at J.J. Devine Public House and telling your bestie ‘I just don’t like you no more’, just like Colm did to Pádraic in The Banshees of Inisherin? Despite the pub being built for filming, a Banshees superfan has made your movie dreams a reality. Here’s how.

How To Have A Drink In The Pub From The Banshees Of Inisherin

Though The Banshees of Inisherin just missed out on winning the Oscar for Best Picture earlier this year – and Colin Farrell is still waiting on his career-first Best Actor win – the film lives long in our hearts. It’s a quietly devastating, dark comedy: following two best friends, Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), The Banshees of Inisherin tracks the disturbing fall out when Colm wakes up one morning and decides he doesn’t want to be friends with Pádraic anymore. The epicentre of the fallout is, perhaps, the pub: the J.J. Devine Public House, manned by shared friend Jonjo (Pat Shortt).

Earlier this year, C&TH reported that the pub was constructed for the film – like most of the filming locations, actually, including Pádraic and Siobhán’s house. It was pieced together in Cloughmore on Achill Island, where director Martin McDonagh wanted to ‘capture the beauty of Ireland‘ . ‘We wanted the visuals and the locations to be as cinematic as possible,’ he told Disney.

How, then, can the pub possibly be visited? Well, according to The Irish Post, a Banshees superfan has made the impossible possible.

The superfan in question is Luke Mee, a publican from Galway, and owner of Mee’s Bar in Kilkerrin. Luke retrieved the original set, rebuilt it with the help of friends, family and neighbours, and has now reopened J.J. Devine for business. According to Luke, the set had been lying in a yard on Achill Island since filming wrapped; hearing this, and hearing it remained in good condition, he ventured to the island to collect the goods and transport them over 180 km.

Where Is The Pub From The Banshees of Inisherin?

J.J. Devine Public House is now located in Kilkenny, East Galway, Ireland at the back of Mee’s Bar (Main Street, Lehinch, Kilkerrin, County Galway, H53 D2E2, Ireland). The set was originally constructed for the film in Cloughmore on Achill Island. Now, 180km south east, J.J. Devine is officially open for business.

‘I waited for a period of time to see if anyone else showed any interest before taking it to Kilkerrin,’ landlord Luke told The Irish Post of the set. ‘I had the space to put it out the back of Mee’s Bar and knew that I would be able to restore it and preserve it, so I brought it here.’

Luke has stayed true to the film and kept the structure as close to the original as possible, including using the same glass panes.

‘It would not have been possible without the help of family, good friends and neighbours who have given up their time and energy to come and help this very important project,’ Luke said. ‘The pub is such a big part of film history and it is important to maintain it and make it into something that people can come to visit with their friends and enjoy – although we have a ban on cutting fingers off and throwing them.’

So, fancy heading to Galway for a pint, Banshees style? You’ll have to get in line. An unexpected fan of J.J. Devine’s is none other than Taylor Swift, who claimed she would pay a visit if it was ever rebuilt.