Let’s face it: the world of Game of Thrones feels alive because it is alive. How many times did we follow stars across the world to Iceland, Croatia, and more in order to recreate the landscapes of Westeros? Sure, HBO’s prequel show Bloodmoon isn’t leaving GoT’s home base of Northern Ireland (yet), but it’s very aware that real places help when you’re trying to tell a fantastical story.
To wit: as we and fans suspected, the closing of the Marble Arch Caves in Northern Ireland has something to do with Bloodmoon. Production is taking two weeks, starting this past Monday, to use the area for filming. As sources as Belfast Live note, “Security is closing from the entrance of the caves which to me suggests they may be using the landscape more so than the cave. It’s a big enough operation.” Of course, the press announcement quoted says that it’s “filming inside the caves.”
Which is it?
Well, why not both? Let’s go with both.
So what does it look like around the Marble Arch Caves? The short answer is gorgeous:
We note that there are some lovely forests available right there in the park, which look untouched — a good aesthetic for a series that’s set thousands of years before the original show. If the caves are meant to be for the Children of the Forest, an ancient race of Westerosi people who would have been around more during this period, then having natural forests right by the caves seems like a natural fit.
Specifically, the forest is the Cladagh Glen, which is “is a vestige of an ancient ash wood clinging to the steep side of the Cladagh River gorge.” It’s closed right now too, and if you’re going to close it, you’re probably going to use it, right?
The idea, one suspects, is that it’s all meant to look like somewhere where the Children could believably live. Of course, there’s room for some Lord of the Rings-style aerial shots, too, as suggested by the video above. The juxtaposition of exposed stone and grass also evokes what we’ve seen in Bran’s visions of where they live and work.
The question really is: is this location only for the Children, or will someone be taking a journey to explore this part of Westeros, perhaps to meet and treat with them? If we’re going to see Bran the Builder, for instance, constructing the Wall, then we’ll likely need the Children, too.
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This isn’t the first time that Game of Thrones as a franchise has used the geopark, though. Previously, the show filmed at Ponagollum Cave, which stood in for Beric Dondarrion’s hideout, but the park is big enough that there probably aren’t going to be any repeats.
Production is staying there and keeping the park closed until June 26, so keep your eyes out, fans.
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