The scene is instantly recognizable – a quaint pub with a small donkey mingling with the locals, offering a glimpse of the breathtaking coastal beauty of Achill Island through a small window. However, the real-life version of JJ Devine’s pub, which gained fame in Martin McDonagh’s surprise Hollywood hit, “The Banshees of Inisherin” in 2022, differs from its onscreen depiction in several ways.
Located in a remote village about 100 kilometers southeast of Achill’s barren splendor, the bar sits amidst vast plains of lush fields. The donkey, named Holly, is not the sidekick of Padraic (Colin Farrell) but a beloved local beauty. And, to replicate the ocean view, it is skillfully stenciled onto the window.
“I was intrigued by the bar after watching the movie,” shared Luke Mee, the owner of JJ Devine’s, as we enjoyed a pint of Guinness. In the corner of the pub, local musicians serenaded the residents of Kilkerrin, a small hamlet hidden amidst a maze of narrow roads in County Galway.
“My sister resides on Achill,” Mee continued. “So I contacted her to inquire about the fate of the pub after filming ended. As her husband worked in security on the set, he might have some information.”
“And guess what?” Mee said with a frothy smile. “She said Tom, her husband, might have that.”
Acting swiftly, Mee, who owns various pubs and a garage in the region, dispatched a truck to Achill Island within a week. He and his friend, Michael Kelly, loaded up the iconic bar, which lay discarded at the bottom of his sister’s field.
“Tom told me that if I wanted it, I could have it for free,” Mee recalled.
Kelly, Mee’s closest companion, joined us at the table with his pint of Guinness. We were also joined by local politician Michael Connolly and another patron, Pat Diskin, sporting a long beard and a fisherman’s hat.
The men excitedly shared the tale of how JJ Devine’s became the prominent attraction of this sparsely populated village in the heartland of Galway’s farming community. Under the cover of night, between February and June, Mee and Kelly meticulously reconstructed the pub beneath the shed in the backyard of Mee’s pub and shop.
“We kept it concealed behind a screen because, in these parts, news spreads rapidly, and we wanted to keep everything under wraps until it was ready to open,” Mee explained.
As the music grew louder, Holly, the donkey, had called it a night and retreated indoors. Cathal Boyle, a sprightly man who barely reached the low rafters of the dimly lit room, interpreted this as his cue to dance. He performed his own version of the traditional solo sean-nós, exuding confidence as he reached sporadically for the ceiling.
“I have no formal training,” Boyle shouted across the room with a mixture of irony and pride.
“You’d never guess,” Kelly quipped.
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