The harbor village of Carnlough, recently featured in a new Netflix thriller, isn’t just a location – it’s an experience. A place where the line between reality and the show’s eerie narrative blurred with unsettling ease.
The series follows three friends returning to their past, drawn back to a wake that may not be what it seems, and a secret they desperately want to remain hidden. Rolling into Carnlough, I immediately understood the chill that the show aimed to evoke, finding myself unexpectedly caught behind a somber funeral procession winding its way towards the Harbourview Hotel.
It was the first in a series of uncanny coincidences. Later that evening, a stranger at dinner recounted a chilling tale of a husband’s fatal fall down the stairs. The next morning, a ghostly face appeared on my coffee, seemingly conjured as we swapped ghost stories at breakfast. The atmosphere was undeniably…charged.
The Harbourview Hotel itself breathes history. Once owned by the Marchioness of Londonderry and even briefly by Winston Churchill, it recently underwent a transformation, becoming Ireland’s first whiskey hotel just as filming began. Though the iconic reception desk from the show remains, a tangible link to the screen, the hotel’s new owners have infused it with a modern spirit.
Despite the hotel owner’s insistence on a ghost-free environment, a mysterious clicking sound in my room at 5 am left me questioning things. The surrounding area only amplified the gothic mood, with the nearby Ballygally Castle steeped in local legend. Lady Isobel, locked away by her husband for failing to produce a male heir, is said to still roam its turrets, her cries echoing through the centuries.
This ethereal quality, woven into Irish folklore and storytelling, is central to the show’s aesthetic. As the creator explained, Ireland possesses “a healthy respect for the stuff we don’t know about – the afterlife and magic.” A belief that ghosts might, just might, be real.
The show’s visual style was meticulously crafted, drawing inspiration from cinematic touchstones like *Twin Peaks*, *Fargo*, and *Psycho*. The location scout aimed for a brooding, rundown feel, a vision that one actor joked should earn Ireland’s tourism board a hefty bill for the stunning scenery showcased.
The landscape itself is a character, a dramatic backdrop where cityscapes give way to breathtaking vistas within minutes. Venturing into the Glens, I found myself lost amongst rolling mountains and constant rain, a weather pattern that, paradoxically, only enhanced the region’s raw beauty.
The series offers a fresh perspective on Ireland, moving beyond familiar tropes. As one of the actors noted, it’s easy to take the beauty of home for granted until you experience it through new eyes. The locations are truly extraordinary, a testament to the country’s hidden gems.
This new project marks a shift for the showrunner, moving away from the Troubles-era setting of her previous work. The focus is now on a contemporary Belfast, a city shedding its past and embracing a new era. It’s a story about different women, a deliberate departure from what came before.
The region is steeped in television history. A casual walk with an Irish Wolfhound led to stumbling upon the very stairs where Arya Stark fled from the Waif in *Game of Thrones*. Another day, Glenarm Castle’s grounds served as the village set for *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms*.
Even a simple taxi ride back to the airport yielded a final, unbelievable moment. The driver, sharing local tales of coastal accidents, casually revealed that his ex-aunt had a role in *Game of Thrones*. Her role? Queen Cersei. It was a fitting end to a journey where the boundaries between fiction and reality had dissolved.
Carnlough is a place where stories linger, where history breathes, and where the magic of the screen feels remarkably close. It’s a destination that stays with you long after you’ve left, a reminder of the power of place and the enduring allure of a good story.
