Deirdre O Meara 
Tourism Ireland has announced plans to invest over €500,000 on marketing campaigns that leverage the Oscar-nominated film, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, overseas.
Last year, €250,000 was spent on promotional activity related to the movie, with €73,000 already spent in 2023. The body is now planning “another push in the run-up to the Oscars”” with a budget of €200,000.
The movie, directed by Martin McDonagh and starring Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, is nominated for nine Oscars next month and has already won several Golden Globe and BAFTA awards. It was filmed on location on Inis Mór and Achill Island, which have been thrust into the Hollywood spotlight.
Tourism Ireland has created a short, behind-the-scenes featurette to take advantage of the film’s success, which has already been viewed 10.6 million times.
The video is intended to showcase the West of Ireland’s stunning scenery and its home-grown talent. Press trips and a separate publicity push resulted in coverage worth €2.2 million in EAV (equivalent advertising value).
The body’s new global campaign – ‘Fill your heart with Ireland’ – aims to further boost Irish tourism by featuring ads with Sharon Horgan from Bad Sisters, and Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell from Derry Girls.
With a budget of €78 million for 2023, Tourism Ireland is hoping to capitalize on the success of The Banshees of Inisherin by leveraging it in overseas markets.”
