Lights, camera action as the Secret Outpost Production Company films First Date at Corderry Farm
Corderry Farm, an idyllic rural location in the Glen of Aherlow, just a virtual stones’ throw from Galbally, is the setting for a new Irish short film ‘First Date’.
Having started an Airbnb just a couple of months ago, Ailish and John Ivory and family are now enjoying the limelight as the location for the production, filming for which has been completed.
Ailish Ivory, delighted with the unexpected development, told the Vale Star, “We were happy to oblige when contacted by the Secret Outpost production company. We were expecting maybe one or two people to arrive but it was obvious straight away that this was much bigger than that.
An amazing experience
“Filming for ‘First Date’ has been an amazing experience, there was such a buzz around the farm with four well known cast members and a crew of more than thirty five people,” Ailish added. “They were so friendly and took time to explain their roles in the production and what that entailed. It was so interesting to see up close the process of filming, the different angles and the number of shots required for each scene. The artistic director was great, she explained the reasoning behind choosing certain props and why they were used.
It was fascinating to observe the film company’s interaction when discussing whether particular areas of the farm would work for particular scenes.
They did an overnight shoot that went on from 5pm until 9am the following morning. That was a completely different experience again and it was gorgeous to see them film at sunrise.”
Central station
“The house itself was central station buzzing with people coming and going, hair and make-up, wardrobe, scripts, meetings, headquarters and then accommodation at night. We loved the whole lunchtime vibe, the lawn and barbecue area of the holiday let was set up in the fine weather for a buffet, with tables, chairs and benches.
There was such a sense of camaraderie, with everyone chatting and mingling, safely of course, actors, directors crew and us, even the cat and the dog got a look in, no one was off limits.”
The cast of ‘First Date’ features well-known actors including Aisling O’Sullivan (Raw, The Secret Scripture, Michael Collins and The Butcher Boy), former Eurovision presenter, Carrie Crowley (Smother and Vikings), Daithi O’Donnell (Ros na Rún) and Johanna O’Brien (Identity Thief)
Corderry Farm has previously enjoyed filming experience when Aidan Power and Fiachtra O’Braonain did a segment there, including a short interview with John Ivory and his mother, for an RTE’s Tracks and Trails programme in 2010.
The best fillet steak
In 2019 Corderry Farm won the ‘Best Fillet Steak in the World’ award, the first time that Ireland had captured that accolade. “Samples of our beef were sent in from the factory and judged in a blind tasting by international chiefs, food writers and meat scientists. It was a lovely honour for the farm,” Ailish Ivory smiled.
A very busy summer
“This is our first year of Airbnb and we have been very busy.
There are lots of plans for other attractions and we will be adding a games room, a viewing area, a secret fairy garden and one or two more surprises this winter.
We are lucky to have lots of walks on the farm, two dolmans, a river for fishing, loop walks, the Galtee Mountains and, of course, a beautiful landscape in the Glen of Aherlow, which is very central when exploring the Munster region,” she added.
* Log on to Corderry Farm Glen of Aherlow Facebook page for further details.