Wicklow film industry set for major boost

Wicklow’s position as the 'Hollywood of Ireland' has been given a major boost by the decision of Wicklow County Council to allow for a 100 per cent reduction in development contributions for film studio infrastructure.
Penny Dreadful and Vikings are both filmed in the county, which will now see further development of studio facilities, as well as facilitating the provision of much needed studio space - in turn will boosting employment in this fast growing sector.
Councillors, who approved these initiatives, also agreed to make a case to central government for the raising of the cap on the section 481 tax credit scheme and are seeking an extension of the scheme to 2026, to encourage the development of much needed infrastructure for the film industry.
“As the home county of the two leading film studios in the country - Ardmore and Ashford - the elected members of the Council are very aware of the demand for studio space," said Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr John Ryan. “Penny Dreadful and Vikings, which are filmed at Ardmore and Ashford respectively, have provided consistent employment in recent years and have injected some €70 million euro into the local economy,”
Wicklow has had a long history of supporting the film industry which predates the establishment of Ardmore Studios some sixty years ago - in recent times, the big-name productions to have filmed there include The Tudors, Braveheart, Ballykissangel, The Guard, Intermission, Veronica Guerin, Excalibur, Barry Lyndon, Into the West, and many more.
And, of course, luminaries of the film world such as Daniel Day Lewis and John Boorman call Wicklow home - we think it beats the real Hollywood all ends up!