Netflix’s dark comedy thriller Bodkin is set in a fictional coastal town in West Cork, Ireland, and the Emerald Isle is integral to the show’s entire vibe. The seven-episode series was written and created by Jez Scharf and was filmed on location in Ireland to capture the rural aesthetic and local patter.
The plot, which follows a group of podcasters investigating a cold case from twenty-five years ago, does veer into eccentric stereotype territory now and again, but filming locations like Cork and Dublin help to give a distinctly, authentically Irish feel.
Filming Locations Explained
With the series very firmly set in Ireland, Bodkin had to be filmed on location, so thankfully the showrunners made every effort to get the filming done in areas that perfectly represented the story’s fictional locations.
Bodkin was filmed entirely on location in Ireland, utilizing various counties including Cork, Dublin, and Wicklow. It should be noted that Bodkin is a fictional town.
The Express would reveal that the fishing village of Union Hall, 75km west of Cork City, doubled for the fictional town in which the Samhain Festival takes place.
In an interview with RTE, showrunner Alex Metcalf would say,
“The imaginary town of Bodkin is situated in West Cork, and it’s a wild and fabulous landscape. Union Hall [in West Cork] really appealed to us as a location and so did its connection to the ocean.”
He goes on to say: “The locals in Union Hall have been incredibly welcoming and helpful, and receptive to our work in the town.”
In an interview with Irish Country Magazine, actress Siobhan Cullen says, “It was a brilliant experience. We shot for six months in Dublin, Wicklow, and West Cork and were lucky enough to gather the best cast and crew who made coming to work a total joy. My character gets herself into quite a few scrapes which meant I had a lot of stunts and action scenes to do, which I loved. And getting to shoot in some of the most beautiful parts of the country was an added bonus!”
Why was Bodkin filmed in Ireland?
The series was filmed in Ireland as the story is set there, and despite the ubiquity of true-crime podcasting all over the world, the Irish countryside certainly feels right for a show such as this. The rural setting could have lent itself to Scotland or even Wales, but the darkly comedic elements have a distinctly Irish lilt.
The festival of Samhain, a prequel to what we recognize now as Halloween, was a Pagan festival that originated in Ireland. Ancient Celts would take part in the festival every year, and the story focuses on the town of Bodkin that is bringing Samhain back.
Production Team Explained
The production team behind the show is Higher Ground Productions. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because the company was founded in 2018 by the ex-President of America Barack Obama, and his wife Michelle.
Named executive producers on the show are Jez Scharf, Alex Metcalf, Tonia Davis, David Flynn, Nne Ebong, and Pau Lee. Lee is the British director who founded the BBC’s US cable network and BBC America.
What is Samhain?
According to the World History Encyclopaedia,
“Samhain (pronounced “SOW-in” or “SAH-win”), was a festival celebrated by the ancient Celts halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It began at dusk around October 31st and likely lasted three days. Samhain marked the transition between the year’s lighter and darker halves and was celebrated throughout the ancient Celtic communities of Europe including Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Believed by the ancient Celts to be a liminal time when the veil between the human and spirit realms is lifted, Samhain is considered by many to be the precursor to contemporary Halloween celebrations.”
This is exactly the kind of festival that a show like this would concern itself with. It has all of the folksy paganism you need for a story tinged with a bit of the spooky and the supernatural, while also giving the fictional town of Bodkin an out-of-time quality, preserving its outdated traditions despite the rest of the world having moved on.
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