During our week-long field trip with our Film Studies class, we took a brief stop in Cong, where the legendary movie The Quiet Man, by John Ford, was filmed. The movie itself is very complex and touched on major Irish-American themes such as shifts in generations and the differences between Irish and American lifestyles. It was interesting to see the impact that this 1952 movie had on this tiny Irish town. The town existed before the movie, but it has incorporated scenes and characters from the movie to make it a tourist attraction. Every store, building, and restaurant follows the theme of The Quiet Man, making you feel as if you are in the town of Innisfree. The town is small, and maps are available on every corner. Each restaurant or building is number in relation to the numbers on the map, making it easy to find your places of interest. Some of these locations include Pat Cohan’s Bar, where Sean Thornton (John Wayne) and the other Irish lads are seen in various scenes of the movie. There was even a number on the map to show where the “River Fight” scene was located, a scene that showed the famous nine-minute long brawl between “Red” Will Danaher and Sean Thornton. Another is Reverend Playfair’s house, which is not seen in the movie, but if you’re interested in that character and curious to see what his house looked like, then it is available. There is even The Quiet Man 
Museum, which gives the visitor an experience that makes them feel as if they are on the set. The museum takes place in a cottage that is a replica of Sean’s “White-o-Mornin’” Cottage in the movie. The museum has all of the same furniture, costumes, and other props that were seen in the cottage in the movie, giving visitors the ultimate experience. Lastly, a statue of Sean carrying Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O’Hara) can be found in the middle of the town where everybody can stop to take a picture with. It was interesting to see how a movie can affect the popularity of a tiny town, such as Cong, and how tourism has become its main source of income because of it.
Hannah Dominick
Class of 2018
International Studies Major
Communication Minor
