The Hallmark Channel’s newest movie, “Love of the Irish,” premieres on Saturday, January 4, at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. The movie stars Shenae Grimes-Beech, Stephen Hagan and Moira Kelly. Read on to learn all about where the movie was filmed and see behind-the-scenes stories from the cast.
‘Love of the Irish’ Was Filmed in County Cork, Ireland
“Love of the Irish” was filmed on location in Ireland itself in late October/early November, specifically in the County Cork region, IMDb reported. County Cork is the largest and southernmost county in Ireland.
Grimes-Beech posted a few pictures of herself in Ireland, with this one captioned: “Ireland, you are bloody gorgeous. 🇮🇪 So is my husband. Swipe to the end to see. P.S. So’s this new trench and wee bag I got for me birthday, like… 😝 my Irish accent is much better in text than verbal!“
November 3 marked their last week of filming, she shared.
“I’ll be sad to leave this beautiful country!” she wrote. “\🇮🇪 Ireland, you have half of my genes and now, a huge chunk of my heart. @netflix @timburton if next season of Wednesday needs a recurring professor, feel free slide into my DM’s. Would come back here in a heartbeat!”
One of the locations where they filmed was an Irish mansion built in the 1700s, she shared.
She wrote: “POV: You’re filming at an Irish mansion built in 1700 so after you wrap, you do a quick outfit change, take off your shoes and make your husband shoot you like you’re the forelorn lady of the manor 😂”
Evie Nevin, part of the crew, commented about the movie: “Such an amazing experience that will stay with me forever. I’m sure I’ll always compare future shoots to this because it was just so special. Your leadership was a huge part of that experience. It effected me so much that I immediately signed up to acting classes. Hopefully we’ll get to work together again some day. All the love from West Cork ❤️”
IMDb also revealed that a Glen of Imaal Terrier (a rare Irish breed of dog) named Tarka was in the movie.
Meet the Cast
Hallmark’s synopsis reads “Tired of her bad luck, Fiona takes her mom on a trip to Ireland to turn things around where she meets a charming single dad who helps her make her own luck.”
Shenae Grimes-Beech, previously credited as Shenae Grimes, is a Canadian actress known for roles in “90210” and “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” In 2014, she became the brand ambassador for Annabelle Cosmetics and co-launched a clothing line, “Two Halves,” with her husband, Josh Beech. She also starred in Hallmark’s “When I Think of Christmas.”
Grimes and Beech married on May 10, 2013, in Kent, England, and have two children, a daughter (born September 2018) and a son (born August 2021), People shared. She became a dual Canadian-American citizen in 2019.
Stephen Hagan is an actor from Northern Ireland. Raised in Greenisland, Antrim, he initially planned to study accounting but ultimately pursued acting instead. He graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2007. He was in the Steven Seagal movie “Against the Dark,” the TV movie “Best: His Mother’s Son,” and more.
In 2012, he married comedian and actress Wendy Wason, with whom he has a son and two stepchildren.
Moira Kelly has enjoyed a 30+ year career in TV and film. She is well known for her roles as Karen Roe on “One Tree Hill” and Melanie Cortez in “Amazon’s Panic.” On the big screen, Kelly starred opposite Robert Downey Jr. in “Chaplin” and voiced Nala in “The Lion King.” As a teenager, she was cast in a small role in her high school’s 1984 production of*Annie. A last-minute cast shuffle due to illness led her to pursue acting as a career.
Irish local Doireann McNally, a 13-year-old from Point Round, Dundalk, is making her film debut in this movie, The Argus reported. She got the role after submitting a tape to Hallmark through StageBox, and is playing Hagan’s character’s daughter, Anne. Her mom, Taragh, said that Hagan was “incredibly kind to her on set.”
