You probably remember that specific feeling. It’s 1998. You’re sitting in a darkened theater, maybe waiting for a heavy-hitter drama to start, and suddenly the screen fills with the rolling, impossibly green hills of the Isle of Man. There’s a fiddle playing. Two old men are cackling on a motorbike. One of them isn't wearing any clothes. Honestly, the trailer Waking Ned Devine released back then didn't just sell a movie; it sold a vibe that most modern comedies completely miss. It promised a story about a lottery win, a dead man, and a village full of people willing to lie to the government for a piece of the pie.
It worked.
The film became a massive sleeper hit, pulling in over $55 million on a tiny budget. But if you go back and watch that original teaser or the full theatrical trailer today, you’ll notice something weird. It doesn't rely on the "In a world..." voiceover trope that was dying out or the rapid-fire jump cuts we see now. Instead, it leans into the silence of the Irish countryside (even though it was filmed in the Isle of Man) and the sheer, absurd charm of Ian Bannen and David Kelly.
The Anatomy of the Trailer for Waking Ned Devine
Most trailers for "quirky" British or Irish comedies in the late 90s tried too hard to be the next The Full Monty. They’d blast a pop song and show someone falling over. The trailer for Waking Ned Devine was different. It focused on the mystery. Who won the Lotto?
It starts with the mundane. The village of Tulaigh Mhór (Tullymore) is tiny. 52 people. We see the ritual of checking the numbers. The tension is real because, for these characters, the lottery isn't just a dream—it's an impossibility. When the trailer shifts from the search for the winner to the discovery of Ned Devine slumped in his chair, ticket in hand, the tone does this brilliant pivot. It’s dark. It’s a bit morbid. But it’s fundamentally about friendship.
You’ve got Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) trying to play it cool, while Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) is just trying to keep up. That shot of Michael riding the motorcycle naked? That was the "money shot" of the trailer. It was everywhere. It signaled to the audience that this wasn't a stiff, boring period piece. It was a riot.
Why the Marketing Worked So Well
Kirk D'Amico and the team at Myriad Pictures knew they had something special. They didn't market it as a "foreign film" in the US, despite the thick accents. They marketed it as a "feel-good" heist movie where the "heist" was just claiming a dead man's winnings.
People were tired of the cynical blockbusters of the late 90s. The trailer promised an escape. It leveraged the "Cinderella story" aspect of the lottery, which is a universal language. Whether you're in Dublin or Des Moines, you know exactly what you'd do with a winning ticket. Seeing an entire village collude to commit fraud? That's just good storytelling.
💡 You might also like: Arcade Wake Up Lyrics: Why This Anthem Still Hits So Hard
The music in the trailer also deserves a shout-out. Shaun Davey’s score is iconic. That driving, rhythmic Celtic sound makes the stakes feel higher than they actually are. It makes a story about a small-town scam feel like an epic adventure.
The "Naked Truth" About David Kelly
If there is one image that defines the Waking Ned Devine trailer, it’s David Kelly’s spindly frame on that bike. It’s funny because Kelly was actually quite a serious, classically trained actor. He’d done Beckett. He’d done Shakespeare. But he became the face of "geriatric nudity" for a generation.
He once mentioned in an interview that filming that scene on a freezing morning on the Isle of Man was one of the most terrifying things he’d ever done. The trailer highlights his vulnerability, which makes the eventual success of their scheme feel earned. You want these old guys to win. You want them to outsmart the man from the "Lotto" office.
What the Trailer Leaves Out (Thankfully)
A great trailer shouldn't give away the ending. Nowadays, trailers are basically two-minute versions of the whole movie. You see the setup, the conflict, and the resolution.
✨ Don't miss: Bucky the Surfer Boy: The Real Story Behind the Disney Moana Lawsuit
The Waking Ned Devine trailer keeps the "Grand Finale" under wraps. It doesn't tell you how they handle the "witch" of the village, Lizzie Quinn. It doesn't show you the climax in the phone booth. It gives you the premise: Ned is dead, the ticket is valid, and the village has to pretend he’s alive.
That’s it. That’s the hook.
It invites you to wonder how they're going to pull it off. It builds curiosity rather than just providing a highlight reel of jokes. If you watch it now on YouTube or a DVD extra, it feels incredibly focused. It spends nearly thirty seconds just on the atmosphere of the village before a single line of dialogue is spoken. Bold move.
The Isle of Man Factor
Interestingly, the trailer helped boost tourism for the Isle of Man significantly. Even though the movie is set in Ireland, the visuals of Cregneash and the coastline were so striking that people flocked to see where Ned supposedly lived.
The production chose the Isle of Man for tax incentives—a common move in the 90s—but the cinematography in the trailer makes it look like a mythical, untouched paradise. This visual appeal was a huge part of the "Discover" factor. It looked like a place you wanted to visit, populated by people you wanted to have a pint with.
How to Watch the Trailer for Waking Ned Devine Today
If you’re looking to revisit this piece of cinema history, you can usually find the original theatrical trailer on most major streaming platforms' "Extras" sections or on YouTube.
- Search Tip: Look for the "Fox Searchlight" version, as they were the ones who handled the US distribution and really nailed the pacing.
- What to Look For: Pay attention to the way they introduce the 52 residents. It’s a masterclass in establishing an ensemble cast in under ten seconds.
- The Sound: If you have decent speakers, listen for the wind. The sound design in the trailer uses the natural environment to ground the comedy.
The Legacy of a 1998 Teaser
Waking Ned Devine is often grouped with The Full Monty and Billy Elliot as part of that late-90s "British Isles Comedy" boom. But looking back at the trailer, it has a softer edge. It’s less about social commentary and more about the simple, hilarious lengths people will go to for a bit of luck.
The trailer survived the transition to digital because it’s a perfect "concept" piece. It tells a complete story in miniature. It’s about the "what if." What if you found a winning ticket? What if the winner was your friend who just passed away?
It’s a tiny bit dark, sure. But it’s mostly just human.
💡 You might also like: George Strait and I'm Carrying Your Love With Me: Why This Song Still Rules the Road
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Lovers
If you're a fan of the film or just discovering it through the trailer, here are a few things you should actually do to get the full experience:
- Watch the trailer first. Don't jump straight into the movie if you haven't seen it in years. The trailer sets a specific expectation that makes the opening 15 minutes of the film hit much harder.
- Look for the "Lotto" logic. The trailer sets up the rules of the game. Notice how it emphasizes that the winner must be the person who signed the ticket. This is the "ticking clock" that drives the whole plot.
- Check out the Isle of Man. If you’re ever planning a trip to the UK or Ireland, look up Cregneash. It’s the village where they filmed the exterior shots. It still looks exactly like the trailer.
- Listen to the soundtrack. After you watch the trailer, find Shaun Davey’s "The Parting Glass" from the film. It’s the emotional core that the trailer hints at but doesn't fully reveal.
The trailer for Waking Ned Devine stands as a reminder that you don't need explosions or a massive CGI budget to grab someone's attention. You just need a naked man on a motorcycle, a winning lottery ticket, and the beautiful, green hills of a place that feels like home.