AS photos emerged in recent weeks of the cast of The Young Offenders filming for the new series of the popular show, it got me thinking about other productions that have been shot in Cork over the years.

A trawl through the archives highlights a wealth of gems that used the Rebel county as a location.

From box-office hits like The Wind that Shakes the Barley to childhood classics like War of the Buttons, these films form the fabric of Irish cinematography and continue to resonate with audiences years after they were released.

In the late 1990s, there was a hive of activity across various locations in the city as crews rolled in to film Angela’s Ashes.

Based on Frank McCourt’s 1996 memoir, Angela’s Ashes is a harrowing tale about McCourt’s childhood after his family was forced to move from the United States back to Ireland due to financial difficulties and family problems caused by his father’s alcoholism.

Although set in Limerick, many street scenes were filmed in Cork, in locations such as Blackpool, Lower John Street, and Barrack Street.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley, starring Cork native Cillian Murphy, was primarily shot in Cork in 2005.

Set during the War of Independence and the Civil War, the film which won the Palme D’Or at Cannes in 2006, was shot in various locations around Cork, including Ballyvourney, Timoleague, and Bandon.

Another film primarily shot in West Cork was War of the Buttons.

Based on the novel by French author Louis Pergaud, at the core War of the Buttons is a story about class rivalries between two gangs of boys in 1960s Ireland.

Most of the filming took place in Skibbereen and other locations around West Cork in 1993.

And in east Cork, some scenes for the film adaptation of Herman Melville’s epic novel Moby Dick were shot in 1954.

Director John Huston chose Youghal as the location to stand in for the whaling town of New Bedford in Massachusetts for a major Hollywood movie version of the book.

The film starred Gregory Peck and generated huge interest in Cork with thousands travelling to the town to glimpse the Hollywood crew in action.

Elsewhere in Cork, Kent Station attracted international attention when it served as a filming location for the 1979 movie, The First Great Train Robbery starring Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, and Lesley-Anne Down.

“Cork station was ‘disguised’ to resemble Folkestone Harbour terminal and most of the filming took place out in the main courtyard of the station,” an article in the Evening Echo stated when the film was released.

“Several carriages were specially built for the picture and further authenticity of the period was occasioned by the utilisation of two steam locomotives on loan from the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland,” the piece continued.

Other films with scenes shot in Cork include Song for a Raggy Boy, The Blue Max, and Strength and Honour.