Council permits, OPW heritage permissions, Garda Síochána liaison, road closures, parking suspensions, drone authorisations. The full permit picture, handled by the team that runs the shoot day.
Ireland's permit system is rational and writeable, but it is not a single national process. It is 31 local authorities, plus OPW for state heritage, plus National Parks and Wildlife Service for parks and protected sites, plus An Garda Síochána for traffic and public-order impact, plus the Irish Aviation Authority for drones. The fixer job is knowing which bodies own which permission, in what sequence, with what lead time.
The 31 local authorities (city and county councils) issue permits for filming on the public realm within their boundaries. Some have dedicated film offices: Dublin City Film Office is the most-developed, acting as a one-stop coordinator across council departments and Garda for filming inside Dublin City Council's area. Other authorities issue permits through their roads, parks or culture departments. Cork City Council, Galway City Council, Limerick City and County Council, Waterford City and County Council and Belfast City Council (Northern Ireland) all handle filming inside their own structures.
Light-impact filming on public footpath with no closures can move quickly. The moment your shoot needs a road closure, a lane closure, a footpath closure or a parking suspension, you are into statutory notice territory under road traffic regulations, with notice periods up to 21 days. We work back from your shoot date and tell you what is and is not possible inside your window.
The Office of Public Works manages most of Ireland's state-owned heritage sites. Phoenix Park in Dublin (one of the largest enclosed urban parks in Europe), Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Gaol, the Casino at Marino, the National Botanic Gardens, Newgrange and the Brú na Bóinne complex, Glendalough monastic site in Wicklow, the Rock of Cashel, Skellig Michael, Kilkenny Castle and many more. Filming at any of these requires an OPW filming application with site-specific fees, conditions and lead time. OPW protect the sites first, the shoot second, and rightly so. The application is structured and we handle it.
NPWS manages Ireland's six national parks (Wicklow Mountains, Killarney, Connemara, Glenveagh, Ballycroy, Burren) and a wider network of environmentally-designated sites (Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Natural Heritage Areas). Filming in these requires NPWS authorisation under its own filming protocol, with conditions on access, group size, equipment, drone use and impact. Conditions are real and we respect them.
An Garda Síochána is the police service. Garda involvement is needed for filming that affects traffic, requires road or footpath closures, involves stunts, replicas, weapons, drones over public space, large crowds, pyrotechnics or controlled vehicle action. The location manager or a designated production crew member liaises with the Garda Commissioner and local council on need, deployment and timing. Non-public-duty Garda costs are paid by the production at standard rates.
For full road closures, the production also needs a traffic management plan (TMP) prepared by a qualified TMP designer, signed-off temporary signage and licensed traffic management contractors on the day. The TMP is part of the council application, not separate from it.
Drone operations are regulated by the Irish Aviation Authority. Operator certification, operational authorisation and flight category are set under the EU UAS regulation as implemented in Ireland. Filming over people, in built-up areas, near airports or in restricted airspace needs specific authorisations. We brief the IAA-licensed operator we work with on the shoot and confirm authorisations before the day. Northern Ireland is regulated separately under the UK Civil Aviation Authority on cross-border jobs.
If you are filming on private land (a house, a farm, a hotel, a pub, an estate, a business), you do not need a council permit; you need the owner's signed location agreement. We negotiate fees, access window, disruption tolerance, insurance requirement, parking, unit base, reinstatement standard and cleanup. The owner relationship is the permission. Council permits only enter the picture if your unit, parking or filming spills onto public realm.
Public liability is universally required: typically minimum 6.5 million euro on the policy, sometimes more for specific sites. Employer's liability for crew. Equipment cover. Some private owners and OPW sites have specific insurance requirements written into their licence conditions. We confirm exact requirements per location and check that your policy fits before signing.
Plain version: The Irish permit system works. It just has multiple owners and some fixed timelines. Brief us early, give us the shoot dates and the access requirements, and we will route it through the right body in the right order, so you arrive on the day with permits in hand.
Do I need a permit?
For public land, public roads and public spaces, yes. For private property, no permit, but you need an owner agreement. Traffic impact triggers Garda involvement on top.
Who issues permits?
The 31 city and county councils, each within its own boundary. Dublin City Film Office for Dublin City.
What is OPW permission?
A separate filming application for state heritage sites: Phoenix Park, Dublin Castle, Kilmainham, Newgrange, Glendalough and others.
Road closures?
Statutory notice up to 21 days for full closures. Lane closures and parking suspensions are shorter but still need lead time.
Garda?
Needed for traffic impact, closures, stunts, drones over public space, large crowds. Costs sit with the production.
Permit costs?
Council permits are nominal. Real cost sits in traffic management, parking suspensions, Garda rates, OPW fees and private location fees.
Short-notice permits?
Possible for light-impact filming. Not possible for statutory road closures.
Drones?
Regulated by the IAA. Authorisations depend on operation type. We use an IAA-licensed operator.
National parks?
NPWS authorisation with conditions. Real and enforced.
Northern Ireland?
Separate jurisdiction. Northern Ireland Screen and Northern Irish councils.
Shoot dates, locations, what you need to do on the day. We will tell you what is workable and what the lead times really are.
Or call +44 7572 373 849.