This is where all the beaut Normal People filming locations are in real life

Every single thing you read about Normal People over-intellectualises it. I am simply here to say: it has some nice buildings in it. But where is Normal People filmed?

Luckily for you, we tracked down the real-life locations of some of the show’s most gorgeous shots and scenes. From Sligo, Ireland, to Lapland, this is where Normal People is set.

Trinity College Dublin’s Berkeley Library

Connell’s moody studying montages take place in an absolutely gorgeous building.

Honestly, look at this concrete.

Proper brutalism, wood-pressed concrete and jaunty angles. Puts the formless concrete bunkers of some unis to shame.

You’d be totally fine having a diss breakdown in this stairwell, wouldn’t you. Anyway, it’s filmed in Trinity College’s Berkeley Library.

Here are some fun facts about the library. Completed in 1967, the library is the brainchild of architect Paul Koralek. It was the first major building Koralek designed, having won a competition for the honour.

That beautiful wood effect you see on the concrete is a result of concrete being poured into Douglas Fir wood moulds – a tree native to North America. The desks are made of chrome and leather-covered metal, and the library can seat 470 stuents.

I would say that beats your uni library.

The ridic nice uni courtyard where Connell and Marianne are re-introduced is Trinity College’s front square

It’s one of loads of Trinity College locations used for filming. Another is the Robert Emmet Theatre, where the characters’ uni lectures take place.

The nice curved rows of seats put most lecture theatres to shame.

 

Tubbercurry is used a stand-in for Carricklea, which does not exist

Yes, Sally Rooney invented a town for her novel. Production instead took place in the Sligo town of Tubbercurry.

The spot where they have a smoke is called Wolfe Tone square

Remember this scene, where Connell and pals hang out and have a smoke in their school uniforms?

The jaunty benches are instantly recognisable as Tubbercurry’s Wolfe Tone square.

The petrol station is Centra, in Tubbercurry

Whenever this petrol station comes on screen, you feel melancholy. Those are the rules.

Obviously it looks way more brooding on telly, but if you’re a hardcore sightseer, it’s there. Yes, you can go and visit the petrol station where Connell does his depressing half-term job.

Marianne’s student house is on Wellington Road, in the Dublin area Ballsbridge

Most student houses have a grotty pub at the end of the road. Marianne’s has the American embassy.

In fact, you’ve got it pretty good if you don’t have to pay rent for such a nice house and then have someone like Connell knocking on the door.

In real life, the road is just as outrageously nice. Very leafy. Perfect if you want to semi-tearfully walk along it while some emotional music plays.

Apart from these, where is Normal People filmed?

Other scenes in Normal People take place in Sweden, where Marianne has her year abroad. These scenes were filmed in Laplan. The Italian “Connell me by your name” scenes take place in “Il Casale”, in Tenuta di Verzano.

Fun fact: it’s the same villa used in Eat, Pray, Love.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

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• Meet Paul Mescal, the 24-year-old Trinity College grad starring in BBC’s Normal People