Eight lesser known facts about hit film Banshees of Inisherin

The Banshees of Inisherin has just been released worldwide following some incredible praise on the festival circuit, and critics are calling it a hilarious non-romantic break-up movie. The film follows two best friends on a remote island just off the coast of Ireland, and one of the friends breaks up with the other for no explicable reason.

Written and directed by celebrated filmmaker Martin McDonagh, the film has his typical pitch-black sense of humor, and it sees him reunite with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, but it wasn't all smooth sailing. Between Farrell getting harassed by a donkey and being forced to live with his filthy co-stars, the making of the movie was almost like a dark comedy of its own.

The opening song isn’t Irish, it’s Bulgarian. In an interview for Kermode and Mayo's Take, interviewer Simon Mayo reveals that the opening music isn't Irish at all but Bulgarian. The song is sung by The Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir, and McDonagh explained that he had that song in mind when imagining the scene. The filmmaker mentioned, "I knew the shots of Colin walking through this island was going to have that tune because I love it so much." The song has absolutely nothing to do with Irish culture, something that most of the movie is steeped in, but it works with the scene so well. McDonagh also added, "I didn't want the usual Irish fiddle music."

Keoghan agreed to be in the movie without reading the script. Barry Keoghan is massively in demand in Hollywood right now, as he's one of the few actors to star in both DC and MCU movies. The actor played Druig in Eternals, and he played the Joker in The Batman, and he'll likely have a much larger role in The Batman 2. But despite all these huge blockbuster movies, Keoghan was quick to sign on to the low-budget Irish film, so quick that he didn't even read the script.

The film was written for Gleeson and Farrell. The Banshees of Inisherin isn't the first time McDonagh has worked with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, as the two starred in the filmmaker's directorial debut In Bruges. The actors played an iconic on-screen criminal duo, as they're hitmen who seek refuge in the Belgian city after a botched assassination.The three clearly work so well together, and McDonagh must know that, given that he essentially wrote Banshees for Gleeson and Farrell (via AV Club). The writer-director mentioned, "One hundred percent. It was written for them. We always wanted to get back together in the last 14 years and remain friends, and we’d see each other every year." McDonagh added that it wasn't going to happen until he "stopped being lazy and sat down and got on with it."

McDonagh didn’t tell his parents about the movie. The new Irish movie is set on a small island just off the coast of Ireland, and given that McDonagh's parents live in Galway, close to the boat visitors need to take to get there, it only made sense for the director to stay with his parents while shooting. A lot of filmmakers like to stay quiet about a project until it's completed, but McDonagh remained completely secretive whilst making the film, so much so that he didn't even tell his mother or father about the project. According to The Guardian, the filmmaker joked, "Though I didn’t tell my parents what I’d been up to. I’ve learned not to because it usually ends up in some gross beheading or something.”

Colin Farrell was terrorized by a donkey. Actors are always quick to compliment their coworkers' work, but Farrell took it a step further by singing the praises of a donkey he worked so closely with whilst filming Banshees. In the new movie, Farrell plays Pádraic, who has a pet donkey called Jenny, and the actor said of the animal, "It was her first film, but she acted like it was her 100th." However, it wasn't all smooth sailing, and Jenny even injured the actor. Farrell added, "She didn’t like her nose being touched, I found out. She kicked me in the knee. But that was my fault. I got too close to her." But even then, he still blames himself.

There is a link to sitcom Father Ted. According to Yahoo, McDonagh explained that he cast two actors who were extras in the first season of Father Ted. The director revealed, "The guys who are in the pub — Pat Shortt and Jon Kenny — were both in the first season of Father Ted."

Keoghan stole Farrell’s cornflakes. Farrell revealed he and Keoghan lived together while shooting the movie, and it wasn't the most ideal living situation for him. Not only did Keoghan steal the Farrell's cornflakes, but the actor commented, "He lived with me during the film and I'd come in, in the morning and the place would be like raccoons had been there.

McDonagh was concerned he would disappoint fans of In Bruges. While McDonagh has made two great dark comedies since the inherently dark In Bruges, which were the hilarious Seven Psychopaths and the award-winning Three Billboards, McDonagh still felt the pressure of following up the cult classic with Banshees. Where those In Bruges follow-ups embraced American culture, in many ways, Banshees is a spiritual successor to the 2008 movie. According to Deadline, the filmmaker was worried about the possibility of ruining that film's legacy. McDonagh explained, "You don’t ever want to make something disappointing for the people that love that film."