The Travel Adventurers

Driving up to the little village of Cong from Galway, I wondered if any of the old-timers who participated in the 1951 making of The Quiet Man were still around. The segment would be part of my latest film, Story Book Ireland.

It took a little leg work, but we found an old fellow who was a stand-in for John Wayne. He wasn’t too talkative, but he was cooperative on-camera.

The present generation of villagers have kept the Quiet Man flame alive, thanks to the classic film’s great staying powers down through the years.

Tourist buses arrive daily, their occupants checking in at the Quiet Man visitors center, snacking at the Quiet Man Cafe ,and maybe  over-nighting at  a hotel named after the Victor McLaglen character.

They might recognize the blarney but it doesn’t stop them from enjoying the visit.

Story Book Ireland visits the home places of some of Ireland’s great writers as well as the sites of several classic films, including a visit to the island where Robert Flaherty’s celebrated documentary, Man of Aran, was filmed.