Tag Archives: Hallmark

AMERICAN film star Lacey Chabert spent three weeks at The Old Ground Hotel in Ennis and was quite taken with the place. Chabert, of Mean Girls fame, recently stayed incognito at the hotel while filming her new movie, Christmas at Castle Hart, according to a spokesperson for the hotel. The Hallmark production, which co-stars Irish actor Stuart Townsend, was being shot around Clare and Limerick. The hotel spokesperson also revealed that the actress stayed so long at the Old Ground, because she thought it was “so fetch”. For those of you not au fait with the lingo, ‘fetch’ is another way of saying ‘cool’. Built in the early part of the 18th Century as a private dwelling, the manor house has been a hotel since 1895 and reopened under the ownership of Allen Flynn and the Flynn Hotel Collection in September 1995. They have undertaken five major refurbishments and extensions, bringing it from 11 bedrooms to 108, and it now operates …

CHRISTMAS came early to the streets of Ennis when filming for a new Hallmark movie took to Abbey Street. Familiar buildings on the thoroughfare were decked out in festive flair for the filming of the movie starring Mean Girls’ Lacey Chabert alongside Irish actor Stuart Townsend. Details of the movie have yet to be released but it is understood that the working title is ‘Christmas at Castle Hart’. Earlier this year West Coast Casting, who do casting calls for productions in the West of Ireland sought extras for the film shooting in various locations in Clare and Limerick. The call specifically looked for men and women aged 50 and up to take part in a ballroom scene with other roles including hotel staff, diners, villagers and pub patrons. Filming has also been done in the Old Ground Hotel while Bunratty, Dromoland and Kinvara are also said to be among the locations for the shoot. As well as the major stars, …

HOT on the heels of the huge publicity boost for North Clare created by the TV show ‘Smother’ and the two-part documentary ‘The Burren: Heart of Stone,’ Lisdoonvarna is set for a visitor boost this summer after inspiring a movie on the world-famous matchmaking festival. Entitled, ‘As Luck Would Have It,’ the movie premiered on the Hallmark Channel last week. It stars Irish actor Allen Leech, who played Tom Branson in the hugely popular ‘Downton Abbey,’ and US actress JoAnne Garcia Swisher from the Netflix series ‘Sweet Magnolia’. The film’s plot revolves around JoAnne’s character, Lindsey, who travels to Ireland to acquire land to build a resort. She decides to enter the local matchmaking festival to prove her investment and win over a handsome local. The film is one of two major television productions to reference the festival in recent years. The multi-award winning ‘Schitt’s Creek’ features a Singles Week in the series four finale, with a serious nod to …