Written by new-contact on Jan 22, 2014. Posted in On Location

Coillte estate in Ireland showcases filming locations with new online portfolio

An online portfolio is showcasing filming locations in Ireland managed by the Coillte estate. Coillte is a state-sponsored organisation that manages around 450,000 hectares of mostly forest and woodland across the country. The showcase could help attract more productions on the scale of Vikings.

Twenty-five separate filming locations are showcased across Ireland, all of which Coillte considers film-friendly and visually impressive. Coillte plans to become Ireland’s biggest supplier of outdoor filming locations over the course of the next four years.

“The launch of CoillteOnFilm.ie will provide the overseas TV and film industry with immediate access to the extraordinary breadth of the Irish landscape, and will help maximise the opportunities to bring TV and film productions to Ireland,” said Mark Foley, Managing Director of Coillte’s Enterprise Division.

“This is another example of how Coillte is constantly seeking new ways to capitalise on our expansive woodland resources, in this case through a partnership model with industry leaders. By creating a one stop shop for industry we can ensure that TV & Film producers can continue to bring shows of the calibre of The Tudors, Vikings and Moone Boy to Ireland.”

Added Conor Mulhern of O'Carroll Mulhern Services: “With such a vast and varied portfolio we needed a centralised and accessible way of showing exactly what's on offer. The website allows location managers to virtually scout multiple properties before even leaving their desks, directors can browse for that special place with the right 'look' and 'feel' and international producers are provided with a visual preview of Ireland’s beautiful countryside.”

Ireland’s Section 481 filming incentive has made the country a production hub in recent years and the programme was recently extended to 2020. It is currently worth 28% and this will rise to 32% in 2015.

Popular historical drama series Vikings has been among the biggest recent productions filming on location in County Wicklow, while the BBC doubled Dublin for Victorian London for two seasons of crime drama Ripper Street.

(Vikings photo: Take 5 Productions/History Channel; Ripper Street photo: BBC)