The (real) landscapes of Game of Thrones

The first glimpse we get of Northern Ireland in Game of Thrones is at Carncastle (Carn an Chaistéil ‘cairn of the castle’) at the beginning of episode 1, season 1. Thisis also where Catelyn Stark captures Tyrion and where the Night’s Watchmen gets his head chopped off by Ned. Carncastle is named from a small castellated rock in the sea on the north side of Ballygalley Head, and was also the filming location for the scene where Littlefinger took Sansa to Moat Cailin and she made her decision to ally with the Boltons.

The Game of Thrones Door in Ballygally modelled by my cycling buddy Laurie

The lands around Winterfell where Ned Stark comes across the orphaned direwolves, were filmed at Tollymore Forest Park, named after the townland of Tollymore (Tulaigh Mhór ‘large mound’), probably a reference to one of the several hillocks in the townland, inland from Newcastle and bordered on the east by the Burren River (boireann ‘rocky district’), and on the south by the Shimna River (Abhainn na Simhne ‘river of the (bul)rush(es)). While in Tollymore Forest, you won’t find any wolves, which previously which thrived in Ireland but was wiped out due to extensive culling following legislation intoduced by British Settlers in the 17th century.  However, they have left their mark in place-names such as the three townlands namedBreagh in Co. Armagh and Breagho in Co. Fermanagh from Bréachmhá  ‘wolf plain’. There is also a Wolf Hill in Co. Antrim, and Wolf Islands in Cos Derry and Armagh. Close to Tollymore are the remains of Inch Abbey, home to where Robb Stark’s camp was set up in Season 1. This Cistercian Abbey was founded by John de Courcy in 1187 but was previously the site of a much earlier church, indicated by a reference to Inis Cúscraid  ‘Cúscraidh’s island or water-meadow’ as early as c.830.

The Stark’s home is of course Winterfell, one of the most iconic locations in the Seven Kingdoms and filmed at Castleward, Co. Down overlooking Strangford Lough, one of the few Norse place-names in Ireland, deriving from Strangr Fjörðr ‘strong sea-inlet’. Empyting into Strangford Lough is the Quoile River which served as the location for Riverrun in The Riverlands but in actual fact its name An Caol ‘the narrow water’ refers to narrowing of the Quoile estuary. This is where Robb’s army needed to cross the Trident, so Catelyn Stark goes to bargain with Walder Frey to seek permission. In the following episode, it’s the place where Catelyn and Robb learn of Ned’s beheading and declared defiantly “We will kill them all”. The townland of Castleward is actually named from the tower house built c.1610 by Nicholas Ward on land purchased by his ancestor Robert Ward, and the tower house home to Lord and Lady Stark is now incorporated in the outbuildings of an 18th-century mansion, originally the residence of Lord and Lady Bangor. Before taking the name of the Castle, the townland was called Carraig na Sionnach ‘rock of the foxes’. Another castle (although less of this one remains) is Dunluce Castle (Dúnlios ‘fortress/fortified residence’), a dramatic medieval castle that stands on a cliff on the Antrim coast which, as well as appearing as the House of Greyjoy on the Iron Islands, it was featured on the inner sleeve of the 1973 Led Zeppelin album House of the Holy.

Slavers Bay, where Tyrion and Ser Jorah is Murlough Bay in Co. Antrim, deriving from Mu(i)rbholg ‘sea inlet’, this is also where they filmed the horseback ride taken by Theon and Yara Greyjoy ride to Pyke, shortly after he arrives at Lordsport Harbour in the Iron Islands in season 2, filmed at Ballintoy Harbour (Baile an Tuathaigh ‘townland of the ruler of the tuath’), just north of the hometown of Conleth Hill (the man behind Lord Varys), Ballycastle, a townland whose name comes from Baile Chaisleáin ‘townland of the castle’, referring to a medieval castle in the middle of the modern town which replaced with another castle in 1609, although no trace of either remain.. Further south again you’ll find Murlough Bay in Co. Antrim. Murlach, the recognised Irish form of Murlough, is a corruption of the original Mu(i)rbholg ‘sea inlet’ (Murbolcc.1390). Closeby are the Caves at Cushendun (Bun Abhann Doinne ‘foot of the river Donn’) which appear as a cove in the Stormlands where Melisandre gave birth to the shadow assassin. An early appearance of the name is in the Annals of the Four Masters (as Bun-abhann Duine) in connection with the real-life assassination of Shane O’Neill by the MacDonnells. Another famous cave is the hideout of the Brotherhood without Banners, filmed at Pollnagollum Cave, County Fermanagh, (part of the famous Marble Arch Caves) which comes from the Irish form Poll na gColm ‘hollow of the pigeons’.

The Red Woman appears again on the coast again at Dragonstone, the ancestral seat of House Targaryen, filmed at Downhill Beach, in the townland of the same name, originally Dún Bó ‘fort of the cows’. Downhill was previously most well known from the striking Mussenden Temple, built in 1785 by Frederick Augustus Hervey, Bishop of Derry and Earl of Bristol as a summer library and named in honor of his cousin, Frideswide Mussenden. Not far is the impressive Portstewart Strand named from a Lieutenant Stewart, which doubled as the coast of Dorne in season 5 of Game of Thrones when Jaime Lannister was sent to bring back her daughter Myrcella to King’s Landing, and where Jaime and Bron were filmed approaching the Water Gardens, disguised as Martell soldiers. Another beach worth mentioning is Quintin Bay (a British surname Quinton from 1176 AD and perhaps acknowledging Anglo-Norman Settlers) in Portaferry (Port an Pheire ‘port of the ferry’),County Down appearing in the scene in the Crownlands where Jaime Lannister goes to find Bronn and persuade him to accompany him to Dorne.

You might recognise Sallagh Brae (perhaps Ir. Saileacha ‘willows’ + Sc. Braes ‘slopes’) in the Glens of Antrim, as the Riverlands where Sandor Clegane lived after being abandoned by Arya Stark in Season 6. The most northerly point of the Antrim Coast and Glens coastline is the small town of Ballintoy (Baile an Tuathaigh ‘townland of the ruler of the tuath’), and it was here that GoT filmed the scenes from The Free Cities, the birthplace of Varys. This same village appears in season 2 two when Theon Greyjoy returns home to Lordsport Harbour. The Glens are also home to Glenariff (Gleann Airimh  ‘glen of arable land’), also known as ‘Queen of the Glens’ which doubled as Runestone, Vale of Arryn.

The impressive 6 mile stretch of Binevenagh Mountain marks the western extent of the Antrim Plateau, and was formed 60 million years ago by molten lava. Binevenagh (Binn Fhoibhne ‘Foibhne’s peak’) appeared as the Dothraki Grasslands in season five when Daenerys Targaryen was rescued by her fire-breathing dragon, Drogon, but local legend has it that Foibhne son of Taircheltar was slain here in pre-Christian times. Another Dothraki Grassland filming location is Shillanavogy Valley (Sileán an Bhogaigh ‘stream of the bog’), beneath Slemish Mountain in County Antrim which comes from Sliabh Mis ‘Mis’s mountain’ which has the same derivation as Slieve Mish, a range of mountains which lie south-west of Tralee in Co. Kerry. According to medieval place-name lore, the Mis who gave name to the latter was a sister of Eochu mac Maireadha, the Munster king who gave name to Lough Neagh.

Of course one can’t talk about game of thrones filming locations without mentioning the dark hedges that we all know as the King’s Road in series two. The Dark Hedges trees are nestled away on a this hidden road close to Bushmills (named from a 17th-century corn mill which stood on the river Bush and which in the 19th century was adapted to generate power for the electric tramway between Portrush and the Giant’s Causeway). The trees were planted by the Stuart family in the 18th century to impress visitors on approach to their Georgian mansion, Gracehill House, named after the townland of Gracehill where it sits. Note that two early forms appear before Gracehill in 1827. The first form Carnanboy (1659c) is likely to derive from An Carnán Buí ‘the yellow hillock’. The second early name, Carrocarr 1 Qr (1669)is perhaps An Cheathrú Chorr  ‘the odd/conspicuous quarterland’. The famous trees can be seen on the osni 6″ map of 1846:

Map courtesy of OSNI (available to view at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/about-proni-historical-maps-viewer)

And just like the series ended (happily or otherwise), we will finish off at Castle Black, the entrance of which was filmed at Magheramorne Quarry in County Antrim. Magheramorne derives from Machaire Morna ‘plain of Morna’ within which Morna may possibly represent a tribal name but its meaning is obscure, and in need of further investigation, and just like GoT, leaves us primed and waiting for the sequel…..