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IRELAND’S CAPITAL HAS been the backdrop for many an epic movie, this we know.

But how have the streets, bars, castles, parks and other film locations held up over the years? We found out:

The Commitments (1991)

1. When Jimmy Rabbitte gives the two lads a pep talk after the band’s first gig, they walk down these steps

And here they are today – at the end of Bella Street in Mountjoy, Dublin 1.

2. Just before Jimmy agrees to exchange his ma’s stuffed bird for a drum kit, the camera pans across Temple Lane South in Temple Bar

3. The band’s rehearsal room was a messy, dilapidated space above a snooker hall

Now, it’s been renovated into the Palace Nightclub on Camden Street, which includes the original art decoroof which you can also see in the movie.

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The Van (1996)

4. Bimbo and Larry are on their way over to the pub for the first match of Ireland’s Italia 90 campaign – with the van in tow

The Foxhound Inn is still in Kilbarrick to this day, looking the exact same.

5. On their night out, the two lads cross over Leeson Street Lower and into ‘Leo’s’ nightclub

At the intersection of Leeson Street and Pembroke Street, they made it into the wine bar no hassle at all.

Braveheart (1995)

6. Representing Edinburgh Castle, Dunsoghly Castle just North of Finglas was one the epic movie’s centrepieces

And it still stands today in relatively pristine condition.

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The Snapper (1993)

7. The boozer of choice for Sharon and her Dad Dessie Curley – the Cedar Lounge is where it’s at in The Snapper

And here it is today – a Raheny institution still going strong.

8. When Dessie is rushing Sharon to the hospital to deliver the snapper itself, he takes a little tour around some of North Dublin’s streets

And the Amiens Street bridge today.

The General (1998)

9. Martin Cahill and his crony Gary are trying to evade the Gardaí that are following them. So they leg it on to a passing open top bus

Beside the Patrick Kavanagh statue on the Grand Canal, Wilton Terrace was where the scene was shot.

10. The General is rushing his wife to hospital, and they get pursued down Baggot Street by the Gards

And now, the location today – with O’Donoghue’s pub unchanged on the left hand side.

My Left Foot (1989)

11. Right at the start of the film Paddy Brown – Christy’s Dad – gets into a heated exchange in his local pub

It is, of course, the famous Mulligan’s bar on Poolbeg Street.

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12. And finally, Kevin Spacey’s Dublin-based crime movie Ordinary Decent Criminal is widely remembered for his poor Irish accent, but a familiar location reared its head once more

That’s right – it’s the same pathway from The Commitments movie nine years previously. In the scene, you can see the steps regressing closer towards what they are today. For a random set of steps, it certainly has had its fair share of screen time.

Which great movie locations from around Dublin have we missed? Let us know in the comments. 

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