It may be small in size but this picturesque Irish village has plenty to offer for the ideal day trip or overnight escape from city life in Ireland – with a history in Hollywood
The village feels frozen in time with its quaint cottages (Image: No credit)
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to this picturesque village on the border between Mayo and Galway, as it was the backdrop to a huge Hollywood film.
A tiny village with huge fame, Cong is known by many as the filming location for a 1952 classic film starring American icon John Wayne. The Quiet Man was both set and filmed in the village, which continues to embrace its on-screen history through film location tours and even a dedicated museum.
The Quiet Man Museum stands as a replica of the film’s fan-favourite White O’Morn cottage. Not only this but a statue has since been placed in the village of the two leading actors to commemorate the moment that made the tiny village a destination for movie buffs.
Cong was the primary filming location for The Quiet Man (Image: REPUBLIC)
Its association with the village and the creator’s depiction of Irish culture helped it to have huge success in the 1950s, establishing itself as a classic.
The director of the film, John Ford, also went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Director at the Oscars following it’s buzz-worthy release.
After visiting the museum, one person shared on TripAdvisor: “Excellent walking tour of The Quiet Man village with a knowledgeable, experienced, and humorous guide.
“We learned a lot about the filming and the villagers that were involved in its production. Now we have to go back and watch the film again to see all the scenes from an enlarged perspective.”
Meanwhile, another shared: “Amazing! Lots of little anecdotes about the filming from a very knowledgeable and charismatic guide, some very poignant singing as well, be prepared. As a huge fan of the Duke, this was a bit of a pilgrimage for me and didn’t disappoint! Highly recommend.”
The statue is based on the theatrical release poster for the film(Image: Ken Welsh/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Alongside this, the village’s charm can also be put down to its cosy cottages and other historic sites, such as the Royal Abbey of Cong.
It was established as we know it today during the 12th century on the same site as a previous seventh-century monastic settlement, now entered by tourists from the village via a grand Romanesque doorway.
The features of the great church ruins, standing at 42.6 metres long, include its three huge windows on the east side, and its tombstone paved flooring. Part of the grounds have been used for burials, with the earliest grave dated as AD 1709.
A recent visitor shared: “Sadly now a ruin, the Abbey at Cong is hauntingly beautiful. It’s fun to imagine it when it was a functional building. The grounds are not to be missed especially the fishermen cottage.”
While another wrote: “The Royal Abbey of Cong is one of the more extensive ruins that we visited in Ireland to which one had complete access.
“The ruin is pretty extensive, and, while roofless, there are a lot of walls, stairs, arches, and even some large fragments of the cloister arcade. The ruins are pretty haunting, even on the stunning June day on which we visited.”
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