The Quiet Man Museum in Cong, Co Mayo.Ireland's Content Pool
The European Film Academy is officially inaugurating The Quiet Man Museum as a "Treasure of European Film Culture" upon the 75th anniversary of the filming of "The Quiet Man" in Cong, Co Mayo.
The Quiet Man Museum is a replica of the exterior of White-o'-Morn cottage and interior Hollywood set, with original artefacts, costumes, and history of John Ford’s award-winning film. Thousands of film enthusiasts from across the globe visit every year.
The ceremony will take place on museum grounds on Friday, June 12, with four original Cong villagers who were involved in the 1951 filming of the iconic movie set to attend.
They are: Brendan Farragher, who was a child when he was an extra in the film; John Joe Mullins, who was a waiter who served leading lady Maureen O'Hara at Ashford Castle; Seamus Morrin, who was an extra in the fight scene who lived in 'the Dying Man's house'; and Eileen Lydon, who lived in Reverend Playfair's house.
Renowned film producer David Collins, representing the European Film Academy, and local councillor Damien Ryan will unveil a commemorative plaque during Friday afternoon's event.
Since 2015, the European Film Academy has curated the Treasures of European Film Culture registry to protect and celebrate locations with exceptional symbolic significance to global cinema history. The Academy established this initiative to help safeguard these vital locations, landscapes, and institutions for future generations.
With this designation, The Quiet Man Museum in Cong joins the likes of Austria’s Felsenreitschule theatre, where the Von Trapp family performs before their daring escape in "The Sound of Music," and Rome’s Trevi Fountain, which was immortalized in Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita."
It also joins another Irish location - Cahir Castle in Co Tipperary - on the registry.
Presidential Commendation
On hearing of the designation, former President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins extended his warmest congratulations to Gerry, Margaret, and Lisa Collins, the local family who have dedicated their lives to promoting Cong's cinematic heritage since 1985.
"This singular honour is a recognition of the cinematic legacy of 'The Quiet Man,' a film that has long held a cherished place in the Irish and international imagination in captivating generations with its rich evocation of landscape, language, and longing," President Higgins said.
"It is a tribute, too, to your own enduring stewardship of memory, place, and cultural inheritance. Your museum, with its careful preservation of the original artefacts and evocative recreation of the film’s spirit, serves as a testament to the enduring power of storytelling, and to the profound capacity of film to capture and reflect identity and place.
"The recognition by the European Film Academy affirms this work as being not just of national significance, but of European cultural value. May I express my deepest admiration and gratitude for all you have done to honour this legacy and to share it with the world."
A lasting cultural and tourism legacy
"The Quiet Man" remains a massive tourism driver, drawing thousands of international visitors to the West of Ireland annually. It holds a deeply sentimental place for the Irish diaspora, for whom the film serves as a traditional holiday viewing staple and a visual bridge to their ancestral home. Guided location tours and museum visits in Cong have become bucket-list experiences for global travellers.
The romantic vision of Ireland captured in the movie won two Academy Awards—John Ford for Best Director and Winton C. Hoch for Best Cinematography. Leading lady Maureen O’Hara, who starred alongside John Wayne and Barry Fitzgerald, famously remarked that "Ireland was the real star of The Quiet Man."