New "Quiet Man" movie trail takes visitors on a tour of the classic Irish film

West of Ireland tour stops by these great spots immortalized in the movie - VIDEO

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KERRY O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

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Still of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara from "The Quiet Man"

Photo by GoneMovie.com

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‘The Quiet Man,’ a now equally classic and iconic Irish film from 1952 starring Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne, has been loved by fans for decades now. When John Ford, the director of the film, went ahead with the project, he paid well due homage to his ancestral home land of the West of Ireland.

Now Hello! Magazine breaks down the prime locales of some of the film’s most prized moments. While the film itself is set in fictional Innisfree, it’s real-life hometown of Cong on the border Co Mayo and Co Galways has become a shrine for lovers of the Irish film.

Cong, like many other places in Ireland, is not short on beautiful scenery and landscapes, which appear to take on a character of their own within the film. In fact, there is not one scene in the movie that doesn’t have a bit of green in it - to the dismay of the studio head at the time, but much to the pleasure of critics and movie-goers alike. In fact, the film won the Oscar in 1953 for Best Cinematography, Color.

Director John Ford, whose parents hail from Galway, won for Best Director for the film.

Hello! Magazine goes on to write that the film not only captured the hearts of those who watched it, but the film’s cast and crew. Stars Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne were “fast friends” upon meeting for the first time.

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The entire cast and crew of ‘The Quiet Man’ was housed at the famous Ashford Castle, which made a few appearances in the movie, during filming. Ashford Castle is still ranked a five-star luxury hotel, a perfect stop for any visiting ‘Quiet Man’ fan.

Looking for a bite to eat and a pint while in Cong tracing the film’s tracks?  Pat Cohan's Bar, which was a grocery store at the time of filming but has since been converted to a traditional Irish pub, is the perfect place to refuel and reflect on the film. The bar was used to house a brawl scene in the film.

Nearby to Pat Cohan’s Bar is the beach at Lettergesh which is where the horse race in the movie was filmed.

Over in Galway, the station at Ballyglunin was used to create the scene where John Wayne’s character arrives at the train station, and where locals comically attempt to direct him to Innisfree.

Despite nearly sixty years having passed since the filming of ‘The Quiet Man,’ much of Cong remains the same visually. “The bridge, the church and some of the typical village houses claim their part in the great romance,” writes Hello!.

The Quiet Man Cottage and Museum, which displays clippings and other memorabilia from the beloved film for the curious fan, features a steeply pitched thatch roof and a ground floor design to be an exact replica of ‘White-o-Mornin’ Cottage from the film.

Hello! Magazine goes on to recommend that the best time to retrace ‘The Quiet Man’ trail is in summer when the weather is (hopefully) at it’s best. It suggests visiting The Quiet Man Cottage Museum, as well as the Innisfree Experience to learn more about the film. 

Here's the original trailer for "The Quiet Man":

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