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Matt LeBlanc praises "beautiful" Kerry

Updated / Sunday, 17 Apr 2016 12:26

Matt LeBlanc has praised "beautiful" Kerry after he completed filming scenes for the upcoming series of Top Gear in the county.

Speaking to RTÉ News, the former Friends star said of his experience filming in Ireland, "It was nice, beautiful roads to drive that car on, the people were lovely, I had a really nice time."

When filming had wrapped, he wound down in true Irish fashion, with a pint of the black stuff.

"At the end of the day when we were all done and back at the hotel I had my first pint of Guinness... It was delicious, delicious," he added.

LeBlanc's co-host Chris Evans revealed their reasons for choosing to film there saying, "We ended up here because it's over the water, we had to come and film in Ireland, we had to have the Rolls Royce, we had to have one of the most beautiful backdrops in the world, and we knew the weather was going to be like this (clear blue skies), because it always is isn't it."

On his travels around Kerry, LeBlanc seemed to be having a great time taking in the sights and meeting fans - he even managed to gatecrash a hen party.

Sarah Jayne Murphy was celebrating her hen party in Kenmare when LeBlanc drove up behind her and posed for a picture.

One of the hens, Lisa Marie Keane, posted the snap to Twitter, writing: “Thanks for making our hen’s day!!! #kenmare #topgear”

The actor happily posed for a quick photo with another fan in The Killarney Oaks and signed an autograph on a napkin.

Image via Kerry's Full Breakfast/ Facebook

The official Twitter account for The Wild Atlantic way tweeted LeBlanc a video of the coastal touring route, which shows 38 Porsche enthusiasts driving the 2,500km length of the west coast of Ireland.

He seemed to be very impressed, retweeting it along with the message: "Looks like an awesome drive."

When LeBlanc and the Top Gear crew rolled into Kerry, fans seized the opportunity to snag a few selfies with the star, including our very own Kathryn Thomas who was in Kenmare doing a spot of shopping!

Picture of LeBlanc in a royal blue Rolls Royce have been doing the rounds with locals turning out in their droves to catch a glimpse of the man at work.

Chris Evans revealed that Top Gear would be coming to Ireland his BBC Radio 2 show on Wednesday.

"Matt LeBlanc and I are going to Ireland on Friday to make a Top Gear film," he said. "And we're thinking of going to the Dingle area. Is that a good thing to do?".

LeBlanc and Evans are Kerry bound

After being told about some of the delights of Dingle, he added that the duo might sample some local hospitality, while pointing out that "technically we'll be working, obviously."

The 50-year-old presenter also mentioned Killorglin as a destination for Top Gear, adding that they "don't want to go inland" and would rather "go on the coast road" as it is "better for shots".

Some of the stunning sights that await Top Gear

Former Labour TD Michael McCarthy had previously written to the BBC and the head of Fáilte Ireland to ask Top Gear to feature the West coast and the Wild Atlantic Way on the show.

"We’re inviting them over to do a show here which would be a wonderful promotion of the Irish tourism industry and I think also it will be very good for the programme itself", he said.

“As well as the very vibrant tourist sector in the area, there’s a very fine road network".

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