30 Must-See Irish Movies For Every Cinephile

We may all be living through the Golden Age of Irish Cinema. While Ireland has long been used as a filming location, Ireland established Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board in the early 1980s. Irish cinematic output began to grow in the 1990s, and The Irish Film and Television Awards was established in 1999. Since then, the Irish film industry has grown. The best Irish movies aren’t just “movies about Ireland”; they are peaks into the culture and artistry of the Emerald Isle. While Ireland doesn’t historically produce as many films as other cinema industry powerhouses, the greatest Irish movies deliver history, humor and plenty of craic.

Top Irish Films

Irish films often share some common tropes and genres. Ireland has perfected the pitch-black comedy, dramedy and coming-of-age film. Many Irish films are also period pieces that capture important moments in Irish history. Ireland also has a thriving Independent cinema, with many of the best Irish films made by independent artists. There is often a quietness to Irish films, whether through long shots of the breathtaking countryside or a focus on small stories. However, it’s not always the case. Ireland also has produced great directors like Jim Sheridan and Lenny Abrahamson and powerhouse actors like Cillian Murphy, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

While it should be simple, it is hard to define “Irish film.” For the purposes of this list, Irish films must check two of three boxes: be made by an Irish director, be a production/co-production of Ireland, and/or be about Ireland/set in Ireland (however, there are two exceptions on this list). Notably, when The Irish Times ranked the 50 Best Irish Films in 2020, their number 1 film, Barry Lydon, did not meet this definition (it was filmed in Ireland but was a U.S.-UK co-production from American director Stanley Kubrick). This list includes both Irish and Northern Irish films, and does not include documentaries. However, Ireland has produced many, including The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Song of Granite, Gaza and Silence, for those interested in Irish documentary filmmaking. This list comes from an American perspective, but seeks to celebrate what makes Irish films unique and high quality Irish films more generally.

30. The Crying Game (1992)

Neil Jordan’s The Crying Game is a divisive film. However, it is generally considered a classic of Irish film and even included on the Irish Times’ list of The 50 Best Irish Films Ever Made.

The biggest issue with The Crying Game has to do with its LBGTQ+ representation. The film follows a member of the IRA who promises to take care of a captured British soldier’s lover. SPOILERS WARNING: during the film, the lover, Dil, is revealed to be transgender in a scene that has been hotly critiqued by the trans community and LGBTQ film scholars. Others, however, have praised the film for its exploration of gender, race, nationality and sexuality against the backdrop of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. The film stars Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, Jaye Davidson, Adrian Dunbar, Ralph Brown and Forest Whitaker. You can find it here.

29. Frank (2014)

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson, Frank is easily one of the weirdest films on this list. Frank follows a musician who joins a band led by a man who wears a papier-mâché fake head, only for the band to be thrown into conflict.

The film stars Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, Michael Fassbender, François Civil and Carla Azar. Frank won’t be for everyone, but it is strangely hard to look away from. It won three Irish Film and Television Awards and two British Independent Film Awards. It is currently available on streaming here.

28. Arracht (2019)

Directed by Tomás Ó Súilleabháin, Arracht is an unflinching historical drama set during Ireland’s great famine. The film follows a farmer as he takes in a stranger at the behest of a local priest and runs into trouble with his English landlord.

The film is one of a couple of recent notable films in the Irish language, 2021’s Foscadh and 2022’s Róise & Frank are also great choices if you are looking for Irish language films. It’s lovely to see this endangered language used, and it works exceptionally well in Arracht, especially given its themes of standing up to British colonization. It is available here.

27. Maudie (2016)

Aisling Walsh’s Maudie is a Canadian co-production about folk artist Maud Lewis and her life in Nova Scotia. Maudie is a rare Irish film that doesn’t take place in Ireland; however, it fits nicely into the canon of Irish cinema. It stars Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke.

The film was well regarded in Ireland and won three ​​Irish Film & Television Awards, including Best Director (it also dominated the Canadian Screen Awards with seven wins). It is a good character study that is heightened by Hawkins’s excellent performance. It is available on streaming here.

26. Man of Aran (1934)

Man of Aran is an odd film. While it seems like a documentary, it is actually an ethnofiction. The film follows the lives of villagers on the Aran Islands. It was shot on location by writer and director Robert J. Flaherty using real-life residents of the small island off the western coast of Ireland. Flaherty was already known for other docu-fictions like 1922’s Nanook of the North and 1926’s Moana. The false documentary genre is controversial, and Man of Aran is riddled with inaccuracies and romanticization.

The film shows the struggle for existence in the harsh conditions of the islands, including cliff fishing, poor soil for potato farming and hunting basking sharks. It stars Colman ‘Tiger” King, Maggie Dirrane, Michael Dirrane and Pat Mullen. Man of Aran should possibly not count for this list. It was made by an American director and is a British production. However, it is still largely considered an Irish film and an important film in Irish cinematic history. Find it here.

25. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

The Killing of a Sacred Deer might not seem like an Irish film. It doesn’t take place in Ireland and it was directed by the Greek director, Yorgos Lanthimos. However, many of Lanthimos’s films are Irish co-productions, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a UK-Irish co-production.

The film follows a heart surgeon whose family becomes mysteriously ill after he takes in a teenage boy. The film stars Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman and Barry Keoghan. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a thriller, but, at times, it feels more like a folktale or, at the very least, a thriller from an earlier era of storytelling where aesthetics reigned. The Observer’s Mark Kermode called it “a Saw movie for the arthouse crowd.” It is available to stream here.

24. Anne Devlin (1984)

Pat Murphy’s Anne Devlin is a biopic about the Irish Republican activist of the same name and her arrest after a failed insurrection against the British in 1803. The film stars Brid Brennan and Bosco Hogan.

Anne Devlin is far more feminist than the typical 1980s period piece and has an almost painterly quality to it. The film gives a voice to a revolutionary figure that is often overlooked in Irish history, and while some may think the film is slow, it is a really beautiful piece of cinema. Unfortunately, it is currently not available on streaming.

23. Dating Amber (2020)

Recently, many people’s first point of interest in Irish media has been the TV show Derry Girls, and for those who love the show, Dating Amber is a great first step into Irish cinema. Dating Amber takes place in 1990s Kildare and follows two gay teens who pretend to be a heterosexual couple to escape bullying and familial pressures.

The film is a very sweet coming-of-age story that balances humor and heart. From writer-director David Freyne, Dating Amber Fionn O’Shea, Lola Petticrew, Sharon Horgan and Barry Ward. It was nominated for eight Irish Film & Television Awards and won for Supporting Actor/Actress for Ward and Horgan. It is available here.

22. The Guard (2011)

John Michael McDonagh’s The Guard is a crowd-pleasing dark comedy about an Irish policeman and a by-the-book FBI agent who must team up to take down a drug smuggling ring. The film stars Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham and Fionnula Flanagan.

The Guard won five Irish Film and Television Awards, including Best Film. The film is violent and profane but also very funny. Gleeson’s performance is also especially memorable. Find it here.

21. The Field (1990)

One of a couple of films by Jim Sheridan to make this list, The Field, follows a farmer whose rented land goes up for auction. The film wasn’t well-reviewed in the States but has found a loving fan base.

The Field is based on the John B. Keane play of the same name and does little to hide it. At many points, it feels like an Irish play, which won’t be for everyone. However, this film is far worth a watch for star Richard Harris’ Oscar nominated performance. The film also stars John Hurt, Sean Bean, Brenda Fricker, Frances Tomelty and Tom Berenger. Unfortunately, it is currently not available on streaming.

20. Once (2007)

Written and directed by John Carney, Once follows a struggling 30-something Dublin busker who meets a young Czech flower seller who is drawn to his music. The film stars Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. The two had previously been in a band, The Swell Season, together and composed the songs for the film.

Once is likely best remembered for the song Falling Slowly, which won the Oscar for Best Original Song. Once is a captivating yet understated modern musical with a great soundtrack. Find it here.

19. Brooklyn (2015)

There are a couple of great Irish co-productions that take place in America (Jim Sheridan’s In America also comes to mind), but 2015’s Brooklyn is easily amongst the best, if not the best. Directed by John Crowley, Brooklyn follows a young Irish woman in the 1950s who immigrates to Brooklyn in search of work.

The film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters. It is a very sweet film that combines works as a period piece, romance and slice-of-life look at New York City. Brooklyn was nominated for three Oscars and won the BAFTA for Best British Film. It is available on streaming here.

18. A Date for Mad Mary (2016)

A Date for Mad Mary is an LGBTQ dramedy/romcom about a recently released ex-con’s quest for a date to her childhood best friend’s wedding. Directed by Darren Thornton, the film stars Seána Kerslake, Tara Lee, Charleigh Bailey, Denise McCormack and Siobhan Shanahan.

A Date for Mad Mary won two Irish Film & Television Awards, including Best Film. It also took home Best Irish Feature Film at the Galway Film Fleadh. The movie tells a small story well with a toughness and heart that really works. It is available on streaming here.

17. Bloody Sunday (2002)

Paul Greengrass’s Bloody Sunday is a film about the 1972 Bloody Sunday shooting in Derry. The film feels like a documentary and covers the events of the day in detail. It stars James Nesbitt, Tim Pigott-Smith, Nicholas Farrell, Gerard McSorley and Kathy Kiera Clarke.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, winning the audience award. While it was originally conceived as a television movie, it is an impressively made film and a must-watch for those interested in Northern Irish history. Unfortunately, it is currently not available on streaming.

16. In The Name of the Father (1993)

In the Name of the Father is based on the true story of the Guildford Four, four people falsely accused of a pub bombing in 1974, and the 1991 book by Gerry Conlon, Proved Innocent: The Story of Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four.

Directed by Jim Sheridan, the film stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson and Pete Postlethwaite. The film was a box office hit in Ireland and did well with critics. It was nominated for seven Oscars and won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. However, its release was met with some controversy due to historical inaccuracy and fictionalization. It is available to stream here.

15. Knee Cap (2024)

Knee Cap came out recently, but it feels like a little bit of a hidden gem. From Rich Peppiatt, the film follows the rise of the real-life Northern Irish hip-hop band Knee Cap. The film stars the actual members of the band: Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh and JJ Ó Dochartaigh.

While biopics and music biopics can feel a little stodgy or predictable, Knee Cap is very funny and has an infectious, almost punk, sensibility. The film did well on the festival circuit and won seven British Independent Film Awards, including Best British Independent Film. Find it here.

14. Hunger (2008)

Hunger is an extremely hard film to watch. The film follows the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike of imprisoned IRA members at Maze Prison in Northern Ireland. The feature directorial debut of Steve McQueen, Hunger, is an unflinching and often visceral look at the violence carried out against political prisoners.

The film stars Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham and Liam McMahon. It earned McQueen a BAFTA for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film. Hunger is available to stream here.

13. Sing Street (2016)

Sing Street is a musical coming-of-age dramedy that follows a teenager who hopes to impress a girl by starting a band in 1980s Ireland. Directed by John Carney, the film stars Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Aidan Gillen, Jack Reynor and Kelly Thornton.

Sing Street is a deeply charming and optimistic film. While it doesn’t break too much new ground in the coming-of-age genre, it features a heartwarming story and some great music. It was nominated for eight Irish film and television awards, winning one for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The film is available to stream here.

12. Michael Collins (1996)

Michael Collins follows the real-life early-20th-century Irish Independence leader of the same name as he leads the movement against Britain. Directed by Neil Jordan, the film stars Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Alan Rickman and Julia Roberts.

It is a very well-made biopic, and Neeson’s performance is especially strong. The film opened to somewhat mixed reviews, but it was a box office success. The film was also nominated for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and two BAFTAs. It is available to stream here.

11. Intermission (2003)

Intermission is a part black comedy, part mockumentary crime movie that follows a man who teams up with a small-time criminal to rob a banker who recently started dating his ex-girlfriend. Intermission stars many prominent Irish actors, including Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy and Colm Meaney, as well as Kelly Macdonald and Shirley Henderson.

The film was John Crowley’s directorial feature debut. Intermission shouldn’t work as well as it does. There are a lot of interconnecting stories, unlikable characters and meta-jokes. However, it all comes together to make a really fun and engaging pitch-black comedy. Find it here.

10. The Secret of Kells (2009)

The Secret of Kells is an animated movie about the creation of the 9th-century illuminated manuscript, the Book of Kells. The film has a beautiful style that incorporates the art of Ireland’s Viking Expansion Age.

Directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey, it stars Evan McGuire, Christen Mooney and Brendan Gleeson. It is the first film in Moore’s “Irish Folklore Trilogy” with Song of the Sea (2014) and Wolfwalkers (2020). The Secret of Kells was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and won Best Animation at the Irish Film and Television Awards. It is available here.

9. Belfast (2021)

Belfast follows a young boy’s coming-of-age story at the beginning of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. The film was written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, and while it is not a biopic, it is a deeply personal film for the Irish-born director. The film stars Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan and Jude Hill.

Belfast won two Irish Film and Television Awards for Best Screenplay and Supporting Actor. It also won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The film feels almost overly nostalgic at moments, but it has a good mix of comedy, emotion and romanticism, which works for a black-and-white coming-of-age story, especially one set in the late 1960s. Find it here.

8. The Commitments (1991)

The Commitments is a bit of a cult classic. Directed by Alan Parker, the film is a comedy about a young man who ensembles a band with other working-class youths from Barrytown. The film is the first in The Barrytown Trilogy, along with two other great Irish films, The Snapper (1993) and The Van (1996).

The cast mainly consisted of, at the time, young unknown actors; it stars Robert Arkins, Michael Aherne, Angeline Ball, Maria Doyle, Dave Finnegan, Bronagh Gallagher and Andrew Strong. It is a sweet film with some great music. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Editing and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. It also won four BAFTAs, including Best Film. It is available here.

7. Wolfwakers (2020)

All of the films in Tomm Moore’s animated Irish Folklore Trilogy are beautiful and well worth watching. However, Wolfwalkers is arguably the best. Wolfwakers follows a young hunter on a mission to rid Ireland of wolves and a girl from a mysterious tribe in search of her lost mother.

Directed by Moore and Ross Stewart, the film stars Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, Tommy Tiernan and Maria Doyle Kennedy. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA Awards. The film is stunningly animated and has a beautiful message about female friendship, environmentalism and hate. Wolfwalkers is available here.

6. The General (1998)

The General follows the true story of Martin Cahill, a Dublin crime boss who, after two robberies, becomes a target for the police, IRA and UVF. It is based on the book The General by Irish journalist Paul Williams.

Directed by John Boorman, the film stars Brendan Gleeson, Adrian Dunbar, Sean McGinley and Jon Voight. It’s an engaging and darkly comedic crime thriller. The film won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival and Best Feature Film at the first Irish Film and Television Awards. It is available here.

5. Adam and Paul (2004)

Adam and Paul perfectly captures the feeling of many Irish films by being intensely bleak and wryly funny. The film follows two drug addicts as they traverse Dublin, looking for heroin. Directed by Lenny Abrahamson, the film stars Tom Murphy and Mark O’Halloran.

It is a strangely heartfelt and poignant comedy that has often been likened to Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot. It was nominated for eight Irish Film & Television Awards and won the Best Director Award. Unfortunately, the film is currently not available on streaming.

4. My Left Foot (1989)

Director Jim Sheridan is easily considered one of Ireland’s greatest directors, and My Left Foot is among his best films. The film was Sheridan’s directorial debut. It follows a man born with cerebral palsy who only has control of his left foot as he becomes a skilled writer and artist.

The film was based on the 1954 autobiography of the same name by Christy Brown. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Ray McAnally, Brenda Fricker and Cyril Cusack. My Left Foot was nominated for five Oscars and won two for Best Actor (Day-Lewis) and Supporting Actress (Fricker). My Left Foot doesn’t fall into inspirational traps. Instead, it shows Christy as a complicated, complex and stubborn man while still being an impressively layered and sympathetic film. It is available here.

3. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin is a pitch-black tragic-comedy about a lifelong friendship that abruptly ends on the sleepy fictional Isle of Inisherin in the 1920s. The film stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan.

The Banshees of Inisherin looks at loneliness, anger and isolation and features impressive cinematography and a wonderful score. The film feels a bit like a play at times (not surprisingly, McDonagh is also a playwright known for theater work like 2001’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore and 2015’s Hangmen). The Banshees of Inisherin was nominated for nine Academy Awards; however, it won none. Find it here.

2. The Quiet Girl (2022)

The Quiet Girl, also sometimes called An Cailín Ciúin, is an Irish language drama (however, it does contain some English). The film follows a neglected young girl who spends a summer with her loving but distant relatives on a farm in Rinn Gaeltacht. It’s a quiet yet emotionally rich film that showcases fabulous Irish filmmaking.

Directed by Colm Bairéad, the film stars Catherine Clinch, Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett. Clinch won an Irish Film & Television Award for Best Actress at only 11 years old. The Quiet Girl was also nominated for an Oscar for Best International Feature Film and was the first Irish film to receive a nomination in the category. It is available here.

1. The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Directed by Ken Loach, The Wind that Shakes the Barley is the fictional story of two brothers as they fight together during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) and are torn apart by the following Irish Civil War (1922-1923).

The film is a stunning war epic that showcases a war that isn’t often explored in cinema. It was well received by critics and audiences becoming the highest-grossing Irish-made independent film until it was surpassed by 2011’s The Guard. It also won three Irish Film & Television Awards, including Best Film. The Wind that Shakes the Barley stars Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunningham, Pádraic Delaney and Orla Fitzgerald. The film is available here.

Bottom Line

The Irish film industry is quickly growing even when it comes to reach. If you haven’t experienced Irish film, it’s the perfect time to start watching these deadly movies.