What Town Was The Quiet Man filmed in?

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Even though the movie was made in 1952, when Irish American director John Ford shot his classic movie The Quiet Man in Ireland in and around the village of Cong, County Mayo, and on the grounds of Cong’s Ashford Castle, interest in the movie has never been stronger. The village of Cong and the surrounds have become  a pilgrimage of sorts for lovers of this movie.

What is the story of the Quiet Man?

From Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quiet_Man

In the 1920s, Sean “Trooper Thorn” Thornton, an Irish-born retired boxer from Pittsburgh, travels to his birthplace of Inisfree to purchase the old family farm.^[a] Shortly after arriving, he meets and falls in love with fiery, red-headed Mary Kate Danaher, the sister of bullying Squire “Red” Will Danaher. Will also wants to buy the Thornton family’s old cottage and land, and is angered when the property’s current owner, the wealthy Widow Tillane, accepts Sean’s bid instead of his offer. Will then retaliates by refusing consent for Sean to marry his sister.

Some village residents—including Father Peter Lonergan and local matchmaker-cum-bookmaker Michaeleen Óge Flynn—trick Will Danaher into believing that Widow Tillane will marry him if Mary Kate is no longer under his roof. He gleefully allows the marriage, but he refuses to give Mary Kate her dowry when he finds he was deceived.^[b] Sean, unschooled in Irish customs, professes no interest in obtaining the dowry; but to Mary Kate, the dowry represents her personal value to the community and her freedom. She insists that the dowry must be received to validate their marriage, causing an estrangement between her and Sean. The morning after their wedding, villagers arrive at the couple’s cottage with Mary Kate’s furniture, having persuaded Will to release it, but they could not convince him to pay the dower-money.

Sean’s refusal to fight her brother is attributed to cowardice by Mary Kate. However, Sean reveals to the local Protestant Minister, Rev. Cyril Playfair, who also is a former boxer, that he once accidentally killed an opponent in the ring. Sean had sworn to give up fighting out of fear and guilt over the manslaughter, since the other man had a wife and children and was younger than him. Mary Kate also confesses (in Irish Gaelic) her part in the quarrel to Father Lonergan, who berates her for her selfishness. She and Sean partially reconcile that night, and they share the bedroom for the first time since their marriage.

However, the next morning, Mary Kate quietly leaves their cottage to board a train for Dublin, hoping this will spur Sean to action, though she does not actually want to leave. Sean soon learns from Michaeleen where she is, races his horse to the train station, and pulls her off the train. Followed by a growing crowd of villagers, Sean forces Mary Kate to walk with him the five miles (8 km) back to the Danaher farm. There, Sean confronts Will and demands the dower-money. When Will refuses, Sean throws Mary Kate back at her brother, declaring “no fortune, no marriage” (which is their custom, not his). The ultimatum shocks both Mary Kate and Will, who finally pays the 350 pounds. Sean immediately burns it in the boiler, abetted by Mary Kate, showing that it was not the money but her husband’s courage and brother’s respect she wanted all along. She proudly leaves for home, but a humiliated Will takes a swing at Sean, only to be knocked down by his defensive counter-punch.

A donnybrook ensues, then evolves into a long Homeric fistfight between only Sean and Will after they agree to adhere to the Marquess of Queensberry rules – right before Will kicks Sean in the jaw. This much-anticipated brawl attracts more and more spectators as it continues for miles across countryside and village. The fighters finally pause for a drink inside Cohan’s Bar, where they begrudgingly admit a mutual respect for one another. As they argue over who will pay for the drinks, Will tosses a brew into Sean’s face. Sean in turn ends the fight by hitting Will so hard he falls back, crashes through the bar’s front door, and ends up lying unconscious in the street. Later, the reconciled and obviously inebriated brothers-in-law sing as they stagger arm-in-arm back to Sean and Mary Kate’s home for supper, much to Mary Kate’s amusement and delight.

The next day, a humbled Will and the Widow Tillane begin their own courtship, and they ride out of the village side by side in a jaunting car driven by Michaeleen. Sean, Mary Kate, and the villagers wave to them as they pass, before Sean and Mary Kate playfully chase each other across the fields back to the cottage.

In a subplot, Rev. Playfair has earlier revealed to Sean that his church will probably be transferring him and Mrs Playfair, both lifelong residents, due to his shrinking congregation. Rather than seeing their friends go, Father Lonergan, hiding his priest’s collar, leads the village in a cheer for the visiting Church of Ireland bishop, too.

From Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quiet_Man

Where does The Quiet Man take place?

The Quiet Man” starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara and Barry Fitzgerald wasset in the beautiful west of Ireland with filming being centred in the village of Cong on the Mayo-Galway border. 

What does she say in Irish in The Quiet Man?

The translation of what Mary Kate says when she is speaking to Father Lonigan in Irish:

“I didn’t allow my husband into my bed with me … last night. I forced him to sleep in … a sleeping bag! A sleeping bag!”

The original Irsih / Gaelic: –  “Níor lig mé m’fhear chéile isteach i mo leaba liom… aréir. Chuir mé fuinneamh air a chodladh i … oh … i mála codlata! Mála codlata!”  

Is “The Quiet Man” based on a book?

The Quiet Man is actually based on a 1933 Saturday Evening Post short story. The story was written  by Irish novelist Maurice Walshand adapted for the movie by screenwriters Frank S Nugent and Richard Llewellyn.

What happened to the cottage in The Quiet Man?

Unfortunately the once pretty thatched cottage is now in ruins. Te structure of the cottage itself dates back to before 1820.

What was the name of the village in The Quiet Man?

The  movie is set in the fictional village of Inishfree but the real-life location is the village of Cong in County Mayo.

How long is the fight scene in The Quiet Man?

The Quiet Man tells the story of Sean Thornton, an ex-boxer who has sworn never to fight any man again after an ooopnent tragically died. But as in real life, things don’t always work out the way we want. The movie has a  nine-minute fistfight between John Wayne and Victor McLagen which even has a short break for a drink in the local pub.

Can you visit where The Quiet Man was filmed?

The Quiet Man Museum is open from 10am to 4pm daily from 14 April to 30 September. You can also go on one of the  award winning walking tours of The Quiet Man film locations if you are one of the many fans of this film.

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