Irish forests could soon be popping up in films and television programmes around the world following a a new deal Coillte has signed to market its forests and recreation sites .

The state forestry body has signed an agreement with film and TV location specialists O’Carroll Mulhern Services (OCMS) to market Coillte properties for film, television and event business.

Coillte, whose estate includes 10 forest parks and over 150 recreation sites, already captures revenue from the licensing of sites as filming locations, but it is expected that this new business initiative will substantially increase those revenues. The film and television industry is worth approximately € 550 million annually in Ireland and supports about 6,500 full time jobs in the audio visual production sector. Furthermore, Fáilte Ireland estimates that 20 per cent of tourists visit Ireland as a direct result of seeing images of the country on screen and such "film induced tourism" is estimated to be worth € 350 million per annum to the Irish economy.

Mark Foley, managing director of Coillte’s enterprise division, said the agreement will benefit a range of parties, “as increased film and TV production should lead to an influx in visitor numbers, boosting local economies in the process.”

Ireland has long been a popular location for film producers and the production of TV series in Ireland has also expanded rapidly in recent years, with shows such as the BBC’s ‘Ripper Street’ and the History Channel’s ‘Vikings’ both made here.