Iconic pub in Oscar-nominated ‘Banshees of Inisherin’ goes up for sale in Galway

Mike Kelly, Martin Kilroy, Denny Connolly, Pat Diskin, Teresa Mannion, Pat Igoe, Grainne O'Gorman, Kathleen Mee, Luke Mee, Katelyn Mee and Jenny the Donkey at Mee's Bar. Photo: Mike Shaughnessy/GalwayPix.ie

Cian Ó Broin

A Co Galway pub where the main set of Oscar-nominated film The Banshees of Inisherin was rebuilt is up for sale.

The family run Mee’s Pub, located in the village of Kilkerin in Galway, bought the set of JJ Devine’s Pub last summer, where the majority of Martin McDonagh’s dark Civil War dark comedy was filmed.

JJ Devine’s Pub, as depicted in the movie, had a dark wood bar and glass panes and became the futile battleground between Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) and Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson).

The entire interior of the set was transported from Achill Island, where the movie was filmed in 2021, to the family-run Mee’s Pub in east Galway, which has been in operation since 2005, but is now up for sale.

Proprietor Luke Mee, who got the movie set in early 2023, had heard about the movie wrapping from his wife, who is from Achill Island, after her sister visited the area.

“I knew about the pub being built – it was only a temporary structure – and I remember thinking after, 'I wonder what became of that pub?” Mr Mee told RTÉ.

After filming wrapped, the set was brought to a yard belonging to his brother-in-law Tom for a year and a half.

Mr Mee asked if he could purchase it, with his brother-in-law instead giving the entire set of the film to him for free, after nobody in Achill Island showed any interest in it.

Following that, the set was re-constructed in Mee’s Pub just as it had appeared in the film.

“We used a lot of screengrabs from the movie to put it all back together correctly. Everything was all there," he told RTÉ.

A thatched roof from the set was also added at the pub and authentic signs resembling those from the movie were also added.

Mr Mee indicated that he would like to see the pub developed by the new owner as a tourist attraction for visitors who are familiar with the film.

He stressed that it has already seen visitors from all over the world, including from England, Scotland, Australia and America.

“One Australian couple came from the Blarney Stone to us, and then onto the Giant’s Causeway."

"One bus tour said it was one of the things that they all wanted to visit. An amazing amount of tourism. We get musical bus tours and sessions too,” he told RTÉ.