Robbie Boake, the Supervising Location Manager on the show says that at the start of Season 4 in Northern Ireland he felt the filming scope had increased: “My feeling was that we were not going to be on the road as much, but that the places we did settle in were going to be very high in production with a lot of snow, bigger builds and more time in specific locations.
“We revamped quite a few sets. For instance we converted listed barn in one of our locations in Moneyglass and that served as a double location. From one angle it became Malstown and the approach into it, and the other side became the Riverlands Inn.
“At Shane’s Castle we did the Red Keep forge down at the ruins, with great looking architecture and the right kind of height. We also used Myra Castle in County Down with a lovely listed farmyard. It didn’t take much for the art department guys to convert it up into Dreadfort.
“Definitely from my perspective it’s bigger than the previous years. We have definitely grown, and continue to do so.”
Photo opportunities
With rugged coastlines, ancient castles and breathtaking scenery, Northern Ireland is the perfect setting for the epic Westeros story – it offers a variety of stunning locations, as well as a well-developed film-making support infrastructure, with many locals working as cast, crew and extras on the HBO production.
Northern Ireland’s fame as the home of the series is drawing fans who want to see the places and landscapes that give the shows their authentic look and feel. Photo opportunities abound in Northern Ireland - for example at a film set experience at Castle Ward in County Down, the principal filming location for the show’s Winterfell scenes.
Westerosi can step into a fantasy world of castles and dragons to explore the Georgian farmyard and lough shore film locations, and then explore a recreated
Game of Thrones Winterfell archery film set. Here you can have a go at archery in the place where Jon Snow taught the sport to young Bran. Costumes are available to help you to look the part and get ready to take aim.
The 18th-century Castle Ward is also worth exploring in itself, and after the
Game of Thronesexperience among other activities you can watch resident crafters create hand-made pottery and jewellery before your eyes.
Many other experiences relating to the HBO production can be also be discovered on a McCombs
Game of Thrones bus tour.
From Belfast, this tour, by people who have worked on all four seasons of
Game of Thrones, travels along the gorgeous County Antrim coastline to the small holiday town of Ballycastle, the native home of Lady Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) and Varys (Conleth Hill).
Stops along the way include Cushendun, to visit the cave which featured Melisandre giving birth to the shadow baby, and the dramatic and photogenic location of The Kingsroad, known locally known as The Dark Hedges (pictured above).
Ballintoy Harbour, which stood in for Pyke Harbour in the Iron Islands is also on the agenda, as is Downhill Strand, which featured largely as Dragonstone during the burning of the Seven Idols of Westeros.
The tour also stops at the iconic Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge – although not shown in
Game of Thrones, the cliffs and surrounding water were used for lots of filming.
A visit to the Giant’s Causeway is also included, as it would be a missed opportunity to be on the Causeway Coastal Route and not visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
While in Northern Ireland fans keen to get a longer Westeros experience can also follow theCauseway Coast and Glens
Game of Thrones Itineraries, a way to self-drive though some of the key locations of the epic fantasy world.
The itineraries bring the drama of the series to life and offer front row seats at locations steeped in local myth and legend. Along the routes fans can discover interesting facts about
Game of Thrones and indulge their fascination for the series at their own pace.
The itineraries cover one, two and three day options, and can be linked to various accommodation, rental car and motorcycle packages.
Game of Thrones Exhibition
As the physical and spiritual home of the show, Belfast is up there with the likes of New York, Rio de Janeiro, Oslo and Toronto as one of the few cities in the world to be chosen as a location for the not-to-be-missed HBO
Game of Thrones Exhibition, which is due to return to the city from 11–15 June.
Free of charge, this exhibition brings the enchanted world of the
Game of Thrones and its characters out to the fans, focusing on key places, characters and relationships from the series.
The exhibits offer a fresh perspective on the show and showcase a collection of nearly 100 original artefacts from pivotal scenes in Seasons 1, 2 and 3, plus select pieces from Season 4.
The all-new exhibition will include costumes, props, armour, weapons, books, letters and maps, House banners, storyboards and much more. It will also offer fans an immersive interactive experience that will place them within the world of Westeros, and a photo opportunity on the coveted Iron Throne.
In addition, the exhibit will display an assortment of official
Game of Thrones licensed collectable merchandise.
Tickets go on general release in May.
For more information about
Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland check out:
www.ireland.com
Causeway Coast and Glens three-day
Game of Thrones Itinerary
minicoachni.co.uk/game-of-thrones-tour.cfm
Jayne Shackleford, Manager, Tourism Ireland Canada 
