Take us to church: the perfect ecclesiastical backdrops

Do you know an amateur horror filmmaker on the hunt for the perfect location? Are you an Irish band looking for a decrepit setting for your next music video? Or maybe you’re a Vogue fashion editor in search of the perfect ancient backdrop to contrast with the hot new Irish fashions in your next fabulous autumn winter spread. Well read on, because have we got the book for you.

Abandoned Churches of Ireland by Tarquin Blake (Collins Press, €27.99) might pitch itself as a must read for those interested in Irish architecture and history, but the minute this one landed on the Ticket desk, we saw it for the locations goldmine it is. There are more than 80 post-ecclesiastical locations listed in Blake’s beautifully illustrated book, all across the country.

Films featuring wizards might get a kick out of Nathlash Church in Co Cork: its steeple looks like a poin hat. Indie types might be seduced by St Ruadan’s Church in Co Tipperary – it comes with its own ivy beard. And those looking for an Alpine flavour should head straight to the corrugated iron clad St Peter’s Church in Co Monaghan.

The Ticket has no idea what the legal issues would be around pitching up and filming on any of these sites, but the gaffs are wrecked anyway so what could possibly go wrong? Oh.