Must a film necessarily feature a pale-faced Cillian Murphy, soggy patchwork fields, or a miserable conversation over pints of Guinness to be considered quintessentially Irish? Certainly not! Amidst a trending social resurgence of authentic ‘Irishness’, a vibrant emerald renaissance has ignited contemporary reflection into the history, culture and moral fibre of the Irish people across film and media. Thus, alongside the rise of risqué GAA shorts and ‘splitting the G’ to prove your metal, we aim to provide a chronological collection of seven ‘Must-See’ Irish films; an introspective list to enhance and refine our cultural consumption of the original Irish experience.
- Odd Man Out (1946)
An atmospheric black-and-white odyssey unfolds across snow-blanketed Belfast, as a manhunt for the mortally wounded Johnny McQueen (James Mason), a leading nationalist, begins. Directed by Carol Reed (best known for Oliver!) this classically cynical era-noir preoccupies itself not with questions of right and wrong, but with the human tension between sympathy and self-preservation.
- Poitín (1978)
The first-ever feature film made solely in Irish, Bob Quinn’s Poitín represents both everything at once and nothing at all, of the rural Irish experience. Stagnated by stereotypes, (take the physical potato fight for instance) and underlined by charged boredom, this occasionally silly and deceptively bleak crime drama condenses the cliché and the truth of everyday isolated hardships across the Irish countryside.
- The Commitments (1991)
“Sure, we could have been famous and made albums and stuff, but that would have been predictable. This way it’s poetry.” Every Irish da’s personal favourite, this cult classic based on Roddy Doyle’s 1987 novel, oscillates between farcical Irish self-deprecation, doomed “notions” of youth and put simply, great music. As a group of working class, north-side Dubliners form a soul band named The Commitments, director Alan Parker allows the vibrancy of its cast, city and colloquialisms to prove that sometimes nostalgia is a gift, not a lost ideal.
- The Butcher Boy (1997)
Surreal, raw and darkly comedic, this adaptation of Patrick McCabe’s acclaimed novel delves into the darkest faults of mid-century Irish society. As directed by Neil Jordan, themes of mental illness and religious trauma stain this necessary tragicomedy, as the sequential psychological descent of 12-year-old Francie Brady (Eamonn Owens) is propelled by fantastic visions of atomic disaster, aliens and Holy Mary, mother of Christ (played by Sinéad O’Connor, naturally.)
- The Secret of Kells (2009)
2010 Oscar nominee, this breakout film from Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny-based animated studios), is a lush, medieval fantasy that can only be described as art in ode to art. Retelling the origins of the ninth century illuminated manuscript, the legendary Book of Kells, the film’s inspired Celtic design, serene musical score and quiet sense of legacy all seem to say that to understand culture is to cherish it.
- Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
A masterpiece of allegory, cinematography and dialogue, Martin McDonagh’s brutal black comedy delivers a sardonic, scoping metaphor for the Irish civil war as an abrupt end to lifelong friendship ominously bears the vicious contradictions of human and political conflict. Set on a fictional island off the west coast of Ireland, Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) and Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) are caught between pathological self-sabotage and cyclical futility. The consummate balance of careful dialogue and ambiguous symbolism aptly portrays McDonagh’s stylised madness, creating a uniquely haunting and unmistakably Irish film. Once again, a masterpiece.
- Kneecap (2024)
The last and latest film in this list is the semi-fictional biopic Kneecap, which encapsulates the sensational trajectory of the eponymous Belfast-based, Irish-speaking rap group. Fresh, radical and riotous, the film is a direct tonal reflection of the contemporary rebellion that the trio represents. Infused with consciousness despite controversy, director Rich Peppiatt vividly captures the often-eccentric, always-politicised context of the lives of Irish youth in Belfast.
