The final shot is not of Ireland, but of snow falling in Joshua Tree National Park, California.
The character Mr. Grace does not appear in James Joyce's original story. He is an invention of John Huston and Tony Huston's, and was chiefly included so as to permit a reading of the eighth-century Irish poem Donal Og ("Young Donal"). Although it represents a departure from Joyce's text, the poem is nonetheless appropriate to the story's themes: like the song "The Lass of Aughrim" that follows it, "Donal Og" deals with the suffering that love can bring to young women...just as it has for Greta.
The film was a family affair for the Huston. Father John Huston directed the movie, daughter Anjelica Huston acted and starred in the movie, whilst son Tony Huston penned the screenplay for the picture.