If you want to watch an incredible Irish film this weekend, here are the ones team IMAGE recommend…
Sarah Finnan, Deputy Editor, IMAGE.ie
Ah, this is such a hard question because there are so many brilliant Irish films I love. Belfast will always hold a special place in my heart – I was lucky enough to chat to Ciarán Hinds a couple of years ago and he is still one of my favourite interviews to date. I loved that the film was shot in black and white and Van Morrison’s husky vocals are the perfect soundtrack to the story. The ending also never fails to make me cry. John Carney’s Sing Street is another one. I remember seeing it when it first came out with my sister and both of us instantly fell in love with the story. Coincidentally, I lived within walking distance of the film’s namesake school when I first moved to Dublin (a fact that never failed to thrill me).
I think my number one has to be In Bruges though. I’m sorry to say I didn’t understand the hype around The Banshees of Inisherin but In Bruges? That will always be a classic. It’s dark, witty and the dynamic between Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell is second to none. I’ve yet to visit Bruges though so I will reserve judgement until I’ve seen the place.
Meghan Killalea, Marketing Account Executive
My favourite Irish film hands down is War of the Buttons. I absolutely loved watching it as a kid, and as an adult it gives me all the nostalgic feelings. It will always be a movie I’ll stick on if I fancy cuddling up in front of the fire with a big bowl of popcorn.
Shayna (Sappington) Healy, Branded Content Editor & Wedding Content Writer
I recently watched Sing Street and thought it was absolutely brilliant! A coming-of-age story that’s full of heart, it follows a teenager in 1980s Dublin, who’s forced to switch schools when his family encounters financial difficulties. He falls for a girl and forms a band with his new schoolmates to impress her. The ’80s glam and music are unmatched and I’ve never been more invested in teens fighting the power with make-up, music and brown shoes (if ya know, ya know).
Amber O’Shea, Social Media Manager
This is so hard to pick, but if I could choose my top three they’d be Intermission, The Commitments, and Kneecap’s latest film. If you haven’t seen Intermission you NEED to watch that right now. It’s set in Dublin and features Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and it was very interesting seeing them reunited together in The Banshees of Inisherin, seeing how they’ve been working together since the early days and the contrast between the films. And of course, let’s not forget the iconic brown sauce in the tea?!
Roddy Doyle’s The Commitments is one of my favourite classics. I haven’t watched it in a while but I absolutely love the music and all of the characters. The dialogue and the fashion is so good in it and it makes me feel like I’m home. My other favourite movie is KNEECAP. Although they got snubbed and didn’t secure an Oscar nomination, the movie is absolutely incredible. I adored how they animated the scenes with the lyrics of each song and highlighted the importance of the Irish language and music throughout. They are so ahead of the curve, and it’s a very powerful film. I can’t wait to see what else they’re going to create.
Katie Brady, Marketing & Memberships Executive
Steve McQueen’s Hunger is one of the greatest Irish films ever made. It is a raw and tender take on Bobby Sands’ time in the Maze prison, and his subsequent hunger strike. The 20(ish) minute scene shared by Michael Fassbender and Liam Cunningham is incredibly powerful.
Perhaps a more traditional, Hollywood approach to Irish history is Brooklyn, starring Saoirse Ronan, as one of the thousands of young people who left Ireland for America in the mid-20th century. I always cry at the rendition ‘Casadh an tSúgáin’ on Eilis’s first Christmas away from home.
The Commitments is a great favourite in our house and provides some of the best one-liners. There have been many great, and not so great, additions to the Irish catalogue over the last number of years. It’s wonderful to see Irish stories resonating with so many people at home and around the world.
Sarah Gill, Features Editor, IMAGE.ie
A film I watched when I was much too young to fully grasp its depth of meaning and only recently returned to is The Magdalene Sisters, starring Nora-Jane Noone (Bring Them Down), Eileen Walsh (Small Things Like These), and Anne-Marie Duff (Bad Sisters). It is, in no uncertain terms, incredible. Set within the walls of a Magdalene laundry, it’s such a powerful film that carries a lot of weight. I would consider it essential viewing.
In America is another favourite in our house from director Jim Sheridan about an Irish family that emigrates to New York after experiencing a great loss. It’s hopeful and magical and heartbreaking all at once. What Richard Did, directed by Lenny Abrahamson, is a really interesting study of masculinity, rage and privilege, and Dublin Oldschool starring Emmet Kirwan is a cult classic in the making.
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