Culture
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Enniskerry Village Square.
Powerscourt Estate, including its house and Italian gardens.
Film[edit]
Enniskerry village square transformed into the fictional kingdom of Monrolasia during filming of Disenchanted (2022), summer 2021.
In 1943, scenes for Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film Henry V (an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name) were shot at the Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry. The location was selected during World War II for its unspoiled landscape and neutrality, making it suitable to depict the 15th-century Battle of Agincourt. Many scenes were filmed using the Powerscourt Waterfall as a backdrop. The production employed over 800 local extras, many of them members of Ireland’s Local Defence Force, and used more than 160 horses sourced from Irish farms. Taoiseach Éamon de Valera visited the set, observing the battle scenes and speaking with Olivier and the crew. Newspaper coverage at the time described widespread public interest in the filming, with regular reports in The Irish Times and other Irish publications. The project was also supported by the British Ministry of Information as part of a broader wartime cultural diplomacy effort aimed at improving Anglo–Irish relations.
Johnny Nobody (released in 1961) was partly filmed in Enniskerry outside St. Mary's Church.
Leap Year (2010), starring Amy Adams as Anna, includes a scene filmed in Enniskerry village square, with Poppies café renamed “Emilia’s” for the production. P.S. I Love You (2007), which follows Hilary Swank’s character Holly, filmed nearby at a farm outside Enniskerry near Powerscourt Waterfall Road, and also at the Sally Gap in the Wicklow Mountains National Park.
Most recently, Enniskerry gained international attention as the primary filming location for Disney’s Disenchanted (released 2022, the sequel to Enchanted). During summer 2021, the village was completely transformed into a fairytale “Disney village” set, with elaborate props and shopfront facades, drawing thousands of curious locals and visitors to the town. The production altered much of the village’s main square, installing artificial cobblestones, temporary building facades, and decorative elements. Local storefronts were given fictional names such as “The Village Cauldron” and “Beauty and the Book,” while the town’s clock tower was covered with greenery and floral garlands. Disney constructed a temporary large set resembling a Town Hall in the center of the square. The changes attracted significant public interest and increased foot traffic during the filming period.
Ireland's then Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin visited the production , which employed more than 1,000 Irish people across various roles including crew, supporting cast, dancers, and extras. The filming of Disenchanted had a noticeable tourism impact: for instance, taxi requests to Enniskerry spiked by 142% as tourists "flocked" to see the Disney set. Minister Martin remarked that the production had “captivated the public” and expressed confidence that “the high number of domestic tourists visiting the set is just the start of the positive and long-lasting impact that the filming will have on the town of Enniskerry.” She also noted the broader contribution of Ireland’s film crews and locations to the country’s success in attracting international productions, and emphasized the government's commitment to supporting the sector.
Television[edit]
From 1996 to 2001, the village (along with nearby Avoca, County Wicklow) was used as a filming location for the BBC drama Ballykissangel.
On 16 March 2009, NBC’s Today Show broadcast live from Enniskerry’s Powerscourt Gardens as part of a two-day St. Patrick’s Day special. Hosts Meredith Vieira and Al Roker presented segments from County Wicklow and Dublin, including coverage of Irish heritage, tourism, and cultural traditions. During the broadcast, Vieira described the Powerscourt Estate as “like a movie set.”
