{"id":495773,"date":"2026-03-26T04:31:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T04:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/495773\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T04:31:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T04:31:12","slug":"inside-the-three-urns-stars-and-filmmakers-heap-praise-on-donegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/495773\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside \u2018The Three Urns\u2019 – Stars and filmmakers heap praise on Donegal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pictured: Directors John-Paul Davidson, Stephen Warbeck and Oscar-nominated actor Ciar\u00e1n Hinds\u00a0<\/p>\n

The cast and filmmakers of the new comedy The Three Urns have hailed the generous Donegal people and our stunning scenery after shooting in more than 40 locations last spring.<\/p>\n

Lead actor Ciar\u00e1n Hinds says he felt the welcome in every corner.<\/p>\n

The cast and crew\u2019s base in Ramelton,\u00a0 he said, was a delight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were very welcome there,\u201d says Hinds.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you have a little trepidation about disturbing the people who live [at a location]\u00a0 but they were quite delighted I think. Not quite the circus coming to town but something that\u00a0 hasn\u2019t happened in that area before.\u201d<\/p>\n

The road-trip film, which stars Hinds alongside Olga Kurylenko and Stephen Dillane, with Stephen Fry also featuring, arrives in cinemas on 17th April and uses Donegal as both a backdrop and an emotional landscape.<\/p>\n

The Three Urns follows Mr O\u2019Connor, played by Hinds, as he returns to the country of his birth to scatter the ashes of his beloved wife. Along the way, a series of encounters gradually rekindles his love of life.<\/p>\n

Writer-directors John-Paul Davidson and Stephen Warbeck told Donegal Daily that they always knew the story belonged on Ireland\u2019s west coast, but it was Donegal that finally captured their imagination.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had looked at places from Connemara through to Donegal and we fell in love with the wildness, beauty and sense of isolation that Donegal has.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once that choice was made, the county began to shape the film in deeper ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe landscapes play a very important role not only because it is a physical journey but also they become a metaphor for what Mr O\u2019Connor is experiencing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is charged by his dead wife to visit places that meant so much to them both.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the film becomes a pilgrimage, an act of remembrance, and in the process he meets all these new people in strange and beautiful circumstances that Donegal has in droves. The locations that we found became crucial parts of the script which we adjusted as we found them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Behind the scenes of The Three Urns in Donegal in 2025.<\/p>\n

With assistance from the Donegal Film Office, the production took place in Ramelton, Raphoe, Dunfanaghy and Buncrana over four weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of Donegal\u2019s most striking landmarks also feature prominently, including Glenveagh Castle, Beltany and Grian\u00e1n of Aileach.<\/p>\n

Davidson and Warbeck were so captured by the ancient Beltany Stones in Raphoe that they wrote them into the script as a pivotal moment in the journey.<\/p>\n

An Grian\u00e1n of Aileach was another spectacular location and Doe Castle also became central to one strand of the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found the perfect denouement to The Priest\u2019s story at Doe Castle. It has the most beautiful setting and its dilapidation which we made more eccentric with our set dressing reflected the two priests\u2019 inner states,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Beltany Stone Circle in \u2018The Three Urns\u2019<\/p>\n

The film also carries a deeply personal resonance for Davidson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The place where Mr O\u2019Connor ultimately scatters his wife\u2019s ashes is the same place where Davidson scattered the ashes of both his parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom my point of view, there is a sense of reconnection. My dad died 40 years ago and this film is a homecoming,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Donegal\u2019s atmosphere also helped define the film\u2019s tone: open-hearted, reflective and gently humorous.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea of hospitality, acceptance of strangers into one\u2019s home, is at the heart of the film,\u201d said\u00a0Davidson.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother came to Ireland as a refugee from Nazi Germany and was overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of the Irish. My father, whom she met in Belfast, holidayed in Donegal in the 1930\u2019s when he was a young man and he recounted how much he enjoyed the humour and storytelling in Donegal.\u00a0 We wanted to capture that feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Directors and writers John-Paul Davidson (The Man in the Hat, Seve: The Movie) and Stephen Warbeck (The Man in The Hat, Shakespeare in
Love, Billy Elliot)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Three Urns<\/p>\n

Director of photography Richard Kendrick is keen to praise the range that Donegal gave the production.<\/p>\n

\u201cDonegal gave us a great scope for different locations, both exterior and interior,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is always a case of managing the exteriors as the weather can be very changeable. In general we were very lucky with the weather which helped.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Davidson and Warbeck, even the weather played its part in reinforcing the mood of the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe weather which was gorgeous throughout our shoot and the flowering gorse imbued Donegal and our film with a warmth and spring sense of rebirth which was entirely in keeping with the mood of the film,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

Actor Lalor Roddy, who plays a priest, was equally delighted to see the county captured on screen, saying he was \u201chappy to see Donegal shining bright and being recorded for prosperity in this beautiful movie, looking glorious\u201d, although on the one day that fine weather was called for he admits \u201cit lashed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Olga Kurylenko at Glenveagh National Park in \u2018The Three Urns\u2019<\/p>\n

Ukrainian-French actress Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) left with warm compliments about the county.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe landscapes were mesmerising. I was also astonished with people\u2019s kindness. I don\u2019t lie so I wouldn\u2019t even mention this if it wasn\u2019t true, but truly, the kindness of people around and on set was one that I rarely see and experience. I\u2019m very grateful to have worked in such wonderful conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

For local audiences, Davidson and Warbeck hope they will take pride in seeing the county on screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will certainly be struck by the beauty of the county, and they might even spot some truly outstanding places they maybe don\u2019t already know.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for international viewers, they hope Donegal will leave a lasting impression for both its scenery and spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope they take away a sense of the wild beauty of the north west of Ireland and we very much hope that the film gives them a glimpse of the warmth of the people and the music.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Three Urns is released nationwide on April 17th, including Century Letterkenny and Eclipse Cinemas Bundoran and Lifford.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Inside \u2018The Three Urns\u2019 \u2013 Stars and filmmakers heap praise on Donegal was last modified: March 25th, 2026 by Rachel McLaughlin<\/p>\n

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