A large film studio has opened its doors in County Wexford, according to reports.
Located at the 154-acre Borleagh Manor estate in North Wexford, Tara Studios is now open for location shoots, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The Hollywood Reporter additionally reports that there are plans to build seven studio stages providing a total of 150,000 sq ft of space. The largest space will measure 30,000 sq ft, while there will also be a further 90,000 sq ft of workshop and office space.
Work on the stages is set to commence next spring and is due to be completed by July 2025.
The development would make Tara Studios the largest studio in Ireland once completed, according to film industry veteran Ivan Dunleavy, who is fronting the project alongside Irish film financier John Gleeson.
The Irish Independent reports that the project will create around 120 jobs during construction, while it will also create roughly 30 permanent jobs.
Once completed, the studios will cater for around 400 cast and crew and 200 extras.
Wexford County Council is also hopeful that the studio will generate spin-off jobs in tourism, hospital, and other services, according to the Independent.
Dunleavy, who ran Pinewood Studios in the UK for 17 years before departing in 2017, said the development will cost "tens of millions of dollars" and said it will help to meet a significant demand for stage space in Ireland.
Dunleavy told the Hollywood Reporter that Ireland currently lacks the studio space to keep up with the number of films and TV shows being shot in the country.
"The most recent projection is that around one million square feet of stage space is needed, and currently there’s about a quarter of a million," Dunleavy told the Hollywood Reporter.
Dunleavy and Gleeson spent two years searching for a location for Tara Studios, seeking a location that provided proximity to Dublin, airports, and four and five-star hotels to house cast and crew. They also sought a location that provided "complete privacy", shielding productions from prying eyes.
The duo eventually settled on Borleagh Manor, noting that the 18th-century estate was once owned by Richard Greene, a famous British actor who starred in the TV series "The Adventures of Robin Hood" during the 1950s.
"There are lots of reports of Hollywood celebrities turning up at the house and enjoying dinners," Dunleavy told the Hollywood Reporter, adding that various images have been erected at Tara Studios paying tribute to Greene.
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