The Quiet Man: Cong and Mayo Filming Locations

The film's horse race scene was shot on Lettergesh beach in Connemara, County Galway, one of several places in County Mayo and Connemara that Ford used alongside Cong. On screen the strand becomes part of the countryside around the fictional village of Inisfree. The source gives the beach but no exact stretch of sand, so the pin is approximate.

Location precision: Sources name Lettergesh beach but not the stretch used; the pin marks the Lettergesh area.

Visitor guidance: A public beach; check tides and weather before walking the strand.

In 1951 a scene in which John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara cross a river was shot next to Thoor Ballylee, a 15th-century Anglo-Norman tower house in County Galway. The tower was for a period the home of the poet W. B. Yeats. It lies well away from Cong, a reminder that Ford stitched his Inisfree together from places across County Mayo and County Galway.

Location precision: The scene was shot next to the tower; the exact river spot is not given.

Visitor guidance: Check opening times before travelling.

In the film, Mary Kate boards a train for Dublin. He races to the railway station and pulls her off the train. The station that played Castletown is Ballyglunin, near Tuam in County Galway. It closed in 1976 and is now a protected structure, and a community group has sought to restore it as a heritage attraction because of its link to the film.

Visitor guidance: Check locally for open days before travelling.

Ford shot many scenes in and around Cong, which stands in for the fictional village of Inisfree. Here Sean forces Mary Kate to walk five miles back to her brother's farm with the villagers following. A pub opened in 2008 in the building used as the pub in the film and shows the film daily. Cong has changed little since 1952, and the film still draws visitors.

Location precision: Scenes were shot around Cong; the pin marks Main Street, not one filmed spot.

Visitor guidance: Walk the village and look for the pub that opened in the film's pub building.

The castle grounds and nearby Cong formed the backdrop for much of the action. The climactic fistfight between Sean and Will Danaher runs for miles across the landscape. Ashford Castle sits on Lough Corrib and is now a five-star hotel. The Quiet Man Fan Club holds its annual general meeting there.

Visitor guidance: A working hotel; check access to the grounds before you go.