St Patrick’s Day parades might be canceled here in Ireland and in the US this year, but you can still bring a dash of Irishness into your home with these movies. After all, we do know how to tell a good story!
Brooklyn (2015)
In this romantic historical drama, Irish actor Saoirse Ronan stars as an Irish immigrant in 1950s New York City. She has to decide between life in Brooklyn, where she falls in love, or her old life back home. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay and is based on the novel of the same name by Wexford author Colm Tóibín.
Sing Street (2016)
This is an underdog story, a coming-of-age-tale and a musical all rolled into one. It takes place in 1980s Ireland, where a young, socially outcast boy decides he wants to start a band to help make friends and, of course, impress a girl. It’s a complete crowd-pleaser.
The Young Offenders (2016)
The two stars of this comedy are the most lovable drug dealers in screen history. Following on from a TV series of the same, name this movie follows two Corkonians Conor and Jock on a hilarious adventure.
They are, as anyone here will tell you, “absolute chancers”.
The Secret of Kells (2010)
This movie made a big splash when it was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Film Academy Award, alongside Disney’s The Princess and the Frog and Pixar’s Up. It is a delightful tale following Brendan, a young man in medieval Ireland, who befriends a fairy and starts on a magical quest to fight evil.
The Snapper (1993)
In this light-hearted comedy, a 20-year-old Irish woman gets pregnant, and the whole town starts gossiping about who the father of “the snapper” may be (remember this was based in 1980s Ireland). The movie is based on a book by Roddy Doyle and will arm you with witty one-liners that’ll impress anyone you meet on your next trip to Ireland.
My Left Foot (1989)
Daniel Day-Lewis gives an Oscar-winning performance in this amazing true story. Lewis plays the real-life Christy Brown, an Irishman with cerebral palsy who taught himself to paint and write with his toes.
The Quiet Man (1952)
For anyone who has visited Ashford Castle with us, you know this romantic story. An American boxer returns to his native Ireland and tries to win the hand of a local woman. John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara ensure this is a timeless classic to be watched again and again.
For TV fans, dive into the archives of Fr Ted for laughs aplenty or catch up on what is happening in the Emerald Isle on RTE’s International Player.
