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There is plenty NOT to love about P.S. I Love You.Firstly, it’s categorically not a good film. Don’t fight me. Secondly, it’s extremely depressing and you need to be prepared to ugly cry throughout the entire two-hour run time. And thirdly, Gerard Butler’s utterly horrific Irish accent (he’s a Scotsman, he should have done better). But one thing that is absolutely wonderful and wanderlust-inspiring about this film is the P.S. I Love Youfilming locations in Ireland. Specifically, County Wicklow and Dublin.
P.S. I Love You(2007) is a tragic romance based on a novel that follows New Yorker Holly’s life after losing her Irish partner, Gerry, to a brain tumour. Unexpectedly, Holly starts to receive letters from Gerry beyond the grave with instructions to help her move on. Oh, and all of these letters end with ‘P.S. I love you’ written at the end. Obviously.
Most of the action takes place in New York, but the ones I’m concentrating on today are the Ireland locations both after Gerry dies and before (in flashbacks). Essentially, every single P.S. I Love Youlocation in Ireland!
I’ve only visited Ireland’s capital city on two occasions, but County Wicklow is a mere hour’s drive south of Dublin. And I absolutely aim to visit all of the P.S. I Love Youfilming locations in the future, 100%. So, if you’re currently watching the film and are curious about the Ireland locations or you’re planning a trip to Ireland, I hope this post (and map) will help!
P.S. I Love YouFilming Locations in Ireland
1. Ballysmuttan Bridge, River Liffey, County Wicklow
We’re not treated to our first P.S. I Love Youfilming location until halfway through the film, one whole hour in. This is where Gerry sends Holly and her pals, Sharon and Denise, to visit Ireland where they first met.
The ladies ride a red car to their destination and this is shown via beautiful bird’s eye view shots of their drive. They travel over the Ballysmuttan Bridge in County Wicklow over the River Liffey. This river stretches all the way up through Dublin where it meets the Irish Sea! Fun fact for you, there.
Holly and Gerry also cross over this bridge when they first meet, which we see in a flashback later on in the film.
2. Kilruddery House, Southern Cross, Kilruddery Demesne East, Bray, County Wicklow
I almost didn’t want to mention this filming location because I’m not 100% certain it’s correct, like 85%. After driving through the lush Irish countryside, the women find the cottage they will be staying in for the trip. It’s everything you’d want in an Irish holiday home: old, cosy and it has a beautiful stone facade with green and red window panes.
My research tells me it’s a cottage on the estate of Kilruddery House in Bray. The filming location is obviously not the house itself because it’s a stunning 17th-century estate, not a shabby cottage. But there is an area called ‘Kilruddery Cottages’ on this estate, possibly next to the Deerpark, so maybe it’s there.
3. Whelan’s Pub, 25 Wexford St, Portobello, D02 H527, Dublin 2
Gerry leaves Denise and Sharon letters which include activities to do with Holly. One of them is to visit Whelan’s Pub, which is a bar Gerry took Holly to when they first met.
Even though the name is the same, I believe the pub is supposed to be located in the ‘small village’ in County Wicklow where Gerry grew up. It’s actually in Dublin, though who can tell the difference? The women listen to a musician play ‘Galway Girl’ (the original ‘Galway Girl’, not the Ed Sheeran song) which is what Gerry sang for Holly all those years prior. Awww.
Whelan’s is a laid-back live music venue and is still open 13 years after the release of P.S. I Love You.So, you can visit it today!
4. Blessington Lakes, Lake Drive, Knockieran Lower, County Wicklow
The next day, the girls head out on their next adventure: fishing on Blessington Lakes and it doesn’t goexactlyto plan. Actually, the lakes are named Poulaphouca Reservoir and they are just one oddly shaped body of water, like a wishbone. But I guess Blessington Lakes, named after town the reservoir sits next to, makes it sound prettier. And it is a really pretty part of County Wicklow to be fair!
5. Farm near Coolakay House B&B, Powerscourt Waterfall Road, Enniskerry, County Wicklow
The day after that, Holly makes a visit to her in-laws’ farm just outside of the town of Enniskerry.
I’m not sure if it’s the same estate, but the farm they own is very,very near Coolakay House B&B, which is apparently on a working farm. So it might be the same place. However, on looking at Google Maps the farm looks like a separate estate next door. I’ve pinned them both on the P.S. I Love Youfilming locations map at the top of this post, anyway.
At least it’s definitely the correct farm, literally nothing about it has changed! I believe they shot the interior in the same house, too.
Holly brings her mum to this farm at the very end of the film to meet Gerry’s parents.
6. P.S. I Love You Bridge, Sally Gap, Powerscourt Mountain, County Wicklow
Holly reads another letter from Gerry, and we flashback to the very first time Gerry saw Holly. Some kind fellow has already marked the spot they meet the ‘P.S. I Love You Bridge’ on Google Maps so it should be super easy for you to find! Thank you to that person!
They meet and walk back towards the Sally Gap, which is a crossroads right in the centre of the Wicklow Mountains National Park. What an absolutely beautiful place this is – it would definitely be worth visiting even if it wasn’t aP.S. I Love Youlocation. During the time of year P.S. I Love You shot in Ireland, the purple heather is out in the fields and it looks just lovely.
Also, hate to be pedantic but there’s literally no way a sane person would walk into the Wicklow Mountains like this. And you definitelywouldn’t get out of the National Park easily by walking in the direction Gerry and Holly decide to walk in, which is towards Ballysmuttan over the Sally Gap!
Holly and Gerry cross over Ballysmuttan Bridgelater in this scene too. Which is technically good continuity because they’re walking towards it in the scene previous, but they don’t look that tired for people who have just walked for 2 and a half hours. I am a grump, aren’t I? But this is definitely my favouriteP.S. I Love Youlocation in Ireland.
7. Lackan, An Leacain, County Wicklow
I’ll be honest, I have no idea where, but Gerry and Holly share a first kiss somewhere in/near the village of Lacken with Blessington Lakes as the backdrop. Wherever it is, it’s a quintessentially muddy country land with old stone walls and a rather lovely view.
And just like that, the trip to Ireland is over and Holly flies back to New York and to reality.
And those are all theP.S. I Love Youfilming locations in Ireland! Have you watchedP.S. I Love Youor visited Ireland? Let me know in the comments below!
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