In all fairness, it was the last thing I expected to see midway through a horror film set in 1930s Mississippi: a gaggle of vampires, dancing Irish jigs, baring their fangs and giving it socks to Rocky Road to Dublin like they were in the final round of auditions for some weird precursor to Riverdance.
That was only one of the most surprising things about Sinners, the hugely entertaining deep south horror directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan as wheeler-dealer identical twins Smoke and Stack Moore. If you haven't seen it yet, the Rocky Road to Dublin scene is not exactly a spoiler, but it was certainly one of the most unexpected moments I’ve ever experienced in a cinema.
"I’m obsessed with Irish folk music, my kids are obsessed with it, my first name is Irish," Coogler told Indiewire. "I think it’s not known how much crossover there is between African-American culture and Irish culture, and how much that stuff is loved in our community."
We all know about Saving Private Ryan being filmed on Curracloe Beach in Wexford, or Braveheart being shot in Trim, but here are eight other occasions where Ireland has unexpectedly popped up in film…
1. The Frames in Pulp Fiction (1994)
It's funny how one actress’s wardrobe choice can do wonders for a little Irish band’s street cred. Derry native Bronagh Gallagher plucked a Frames t-shirt out of her suitcase for her scene in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction - the one where Uma Thurman overdoses - and Glen Hansard and co. were promptly immortalised on celluloid forever. Gallagher later admitted that she thought "It’s only a wee independent film, you know - nobody will see it!" Watch it here...
2. Jameson whiskey in On the Waterfront (1954)
Product placement wasn't really a thing in 1954 - not in the same way it is today, at least. So we’re going to assume that the warehouse full of crates of Jameson that featured prominently in the background of one powerful scene, all emblazoned with 'Dublin Irish Whiskey’ and the iconic ‘JJ&S’ logo of old, was down to the personal preference of director Elia Kazan, or maybe Marlon Brando. (Spoiler alert: a character is crushed to death when a pallet of crates falls on him - death by whiskey.)
3. Kilmainham Gaol in The Italian Job (1969)
Many films have used the iconic and historical Kilmainham Gaol as a backdrop. The elegant staircases and architecture of the building, built in 1796, is recognisable to anyone who's done the museum tour - but you might not have expected to see it in a movie set in London and doubling as the notorious Wormwood Scrubs prison that housed Cockney criminal Charlie Croker (Michael Caine). Other unexpected films, including 1965’s The Face of Fu-Manchu (starring Christopher Lee) and 2017’s Paddington 2 (yes, really) also featured the gaol’s interior.
4. The Cliffs of Moher in The Princess Bride (1987)
The Princess Bride has become a kids' movie staple over the decades, but if you first watched Rob Reiner’s 1987 masterpiece, you probably weren’t aware of its Irish connection. One of Ireland’s most-visited tourist destinations, the stunning Cliffs of Moher in Co. Clare, temporarily became the 'Cliffs of Insanity’ during the scene where the dashing Westley (Cary Elwes) is in hot pursuit of Vizzini, Fessic and Inigo Montoya as they scale the cliffs with Buttercup. Inconceivable!
5. The Lady in Red in Deadpool and Wolverine (2024)
You may have heard it a bajillion times, but you probably weren't expecting Chris de Burgh’s most famous song to pop up in a Marvel movie. The schmaltzy 1986 tune got another lease of life when it featured in Deadpool and Wolverine, soundtracking the scene where Deadpool first encounters the alternate-universe canine version of himself, Dogpool. The song has also featured in the films American Psycho, Working Girl and Dodgeball.
6. Toner's pub in A Fistful of Dynamite (1971)
If you've ever found yourself in Toner’s pub in Dublin, you may have noticed a few unusual photos framed on the walls. A Sergio Leone film, shot on Baggot Street? It’s true: the legendary boozer was the backdrop of a scene in Leone’s 1971 film A Fistful of Dynamite (also called Duck, You Sucker!). Although the film is set amid the Mexican Revolution (1910 - 1920), one flashback scene sees Irish Republican John Mallory (James Coburn) recalling a moment where he was betrayed by a former friend in Ireland. Funny thing is, the interior of the pub hasn’t changed all that much since 1971.
7. Luas-surfing in Ek Tha Tiger (2012)
Dublin was bestowed with a smidge of Bollywood glamour in 2012 when Indian action/thriller Ek Tha Tiger was largely shot in the capital. The plot follows a spy who is tasked with observing a science professor at Trinity College - but alongside plenty of Trinners footage, one memorable scene involved actor Salman Khan surfing a Luas before coming to blows with an adversary on board the tram. Sure, you'd see worse on the Red Line of a Saturday night. Watch it here...
8. Smithfield Square as Checkpoint Charlie in The Spy Who Came in from The Cold (1961)
Anyone who's seen The Spy Who Came in from the Cold will agree that Martin Ritt’s adaptation of the John LeCarré thriller is a masterpiece - not least due to the superb performances by Cyril Cusack and Richard Burton. Cusack wasn’t the only Irish link to the film, though. While interior scenes were shot at the newly-opened Ardmore Studios in Bray, eagle-eyed viewers may also have noticed that the cobblestoned Smithfield area of Dublin city centre, best known in those days for its horse fair, doubled as Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin (which can be spotted in the trailer). A section of the 'Berlin Wall’ was even built for the film with appropriate signage about ‘Leaving the American Zone’ and ‘Entering East Berlin’ - much to the locals’ bemusement, we’re sure.
Sinners is in cinemas nationwide now
