Mythical scenes from the hit fantasy drama Game Of Thrones have been immortalised in a spectacular 77-metre tapestry.
Snaking along several walls in Belfast’s Ulster Museum, the embroidered Northern Ireland linen depicts key scenes from seasons one to six of one of the most popular TV dramas ever made.
The tapestry was woven and hand-embroidered from material provided by Thomas Ferguson Irish Linen in Banbridge, one of the last surviving mills in Northern Ireland, as part of a new tourism campaign.
As season seven returned to the screens early yesterday morning, a team of 30 embroiderers were hard at work extending the magnificent
creation.
With each passing episode, a new section of the Bayeux-style tapestry will be unveiled, showing key scenes from that week’s show.
The linen, which depicts unforgettable scenes such as the red wedding, wildfire at King’s Landing and white walkers prowling north of the Wall, will be on display to the public in the Ulster Museum from Saturday.
An exciting feature of the tapestry, which has so far taken around three months to make, is that it will feature hidden cameo appearances by a number of famous faces who have appeared in the show.
Tourism Ireland said its latest campaign, created in partnership with HBO and supported by Tourism NI, offers fans the chance to re-live their favourite scenes from the show all year long.
The tapestry will be shared by Tourism Ireland on social media and fans of the show can download the app to find out more about the scenes.
Game Of Thrones has been filmed in Northern Ireland since 2010. The show’s mythical lands of the Seven Kingdoms are set in real life among Northern Ireland’s dramatic coastlines, historic castles and glens.
The long list of showcased areas includes the Causeway Coast, Cushendun Caves, Murlough Bay, Ballycastle, Castle Ward, the ruined monastery of Inch Abbey and the surfing beach of Downhill Strand.
Since 2014, Tourism Ireland has been using Game Of Thrones to help promote Northern Ireland to visitors, aiming to capitalise on the show’s huge worldwide appeal.
“TV and film are recognised as strong influencers on travellers everywhere and the stellar popularity of Game Of Thrones is a fantastic opportunity for us to promote Northern Ireland to a huge audience of potential visitors,” Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said.
“Our specially created Game Of Thrones tapestry is another truly innovative way to showcase the destination, creating a lasting legacy and a new visitor attraction to enhance the Game Of Thrones experience here for fans when they visit.”
John McGrillen, CEO of Tourism NI, said Game Of Thrones had been “transformative for Northern Ireland as a screen tourism destination”.
“The show has provided an opportunity for the tourism industry to develop new and innovative visitor experiences based on the Game Of Thrones theme,” he said.
“This incredible tapestry gives visitors another way to explore the Game Of Thrones story in Northern Ireland, adding to the 25 stunning filming locations and the Journey of Doors passport.”
Fans can view the tapestry at Ireland.com/tapestry
