With so many fantastic Irish films to stream these days, it’s hard to pick just one.
The Irish film industry has always punched well above its weight. From My Left Foot taking the Oscars by storm to Cartoon Saloon’s domination of the animation world, we have enjoyed more international success than a country of our size could reasonably hope for.
In celebration of another stellar year in Irish cinema, here are 20 of the best home-grown films currently available to stream.
20. Kneecap, Amazon Prime – raucous rap comedy
Shot with a Trainspotting-like energy and exuberance, this mostly true story charts the rise of the Belfast rap trio from performing in empty pubs to selling out stadiums the world over.
In turn raucous, hilarious and moving, it is above all else a heartfelt celebration of the Irish language.
19. Small Things Like These, Amazon Prime – uncovering the past
Over Christmas in 1985, coal merchant Bill Furlong discovers the local convent is, in fact, a Magdalene laundry.
A sensitive and incredibly moving adaptation of Claire Keegan’s Booker-nominated novel starring Cillian Murphy, it is a film that lingers in your thoughts long after the credits have rolled.
18. Bring Them Down, rent on Amazon Prime – violence and rage in rural Ireland
If the idea of being stressed out of your mind sounds appealing, this is the film for you.
An unbearably tense thriller starring Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott about rival farmers descending into violent conflict. Not for those of a sensitive disposition.
17. The Wonder, Netflix – beguiling period drama
Based on the best-selling novel by Emma Donoghue, The Wonder is an entirely unique period drama set in the Irish midlands just after the famine.
Florence Pugh stars as an English nurse sent to observe a young girl who apparently hasn’t eaten for months, yet remains alive and well.
16. Calm with Horses, Mubi – tough crime drama
In rural Ireland, ex-boxer Douglas ‘Arm’ Armstrong works as hired muscle for the drug-dealing Devers family, while doing his best to be a good father to his autistic five-year-old son. An exceptionally grim film that hits like a gut-punch.
15. Sing Street, Netflix – bittersweet love songs
With songs so catchy you’ll be humming them for weeks, John Carney’s 80’s-set Dublin musical is the ultimate feel-good film.
Following a teenager who starts a band to get a girl’s attention, it brilliantly captures the all-encompassing excitement and trepidation of falling in love for the first time.
14. Barry Lyndon, rent on Apple TV – a stately affair
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on a story by a William Thackeray, and funded by Hollywood and British studios, you might reasonably ask: is Barry Lyndon an Irish film at all? The answer is yes. It just is.
Shot on location in Kildare and Wicklow, among other places around Ireland, each shot is like a perfectly composed landscape oil painting.
Kubrick famously borrowed a satellite camera from NASA with the world’s largest aperture, to better capture all that glorious natural light.
13. Arracht (TG4 Player) – a sparse and haunting historical drama
Set in 1845 on the eve of the famine, Arracht is a haunting and mesmerising drama about a fisherman wrongly accused of murder and forced to go on the run.
Beautifully shot on location in Connemara, the stunning landscape cinematography is as much a part of the film as the characters themselves.
12. Black 47, RTÉ Player – brutal famine revenge
How about an Irish famine double-bill? Come on, it’ll be more fun than it sounds.
With an incredible cast including Barry Keoghan, Jim Broadbent, Stephen Rea, James Frecheville and Hugo Weaving, Black 47 is an immensely satisfying revenge thriller that feels like a brutal Connemara-set western.
11. Wolfwalkers (Apple TV) – beautiful animated adventure
The year is 1650 and Robyn, a young apprentice hunter, arrives in Kilkenny with her father to wipe out Ireland’s last wolf pack.
However, she soon makes friends with wild-child Mebh – a “wolfwalker”, who has the ability to transform into a wolf as she sleeps.
Cartoon Saloon’s trademark lush hand-drawn animation coupled with a thoughtful, moving story elevates this to instant classic status.
10. Brooklyn, rent on Amazon Prime – a moving tale of emigration
After emigrating to Brooklyn in the 1950’s, young Wexford woman Eilis is drawn back home where she faces an impossible choice about her future.
Saoirse Ronan and Domhnall Gleeson are both excellent in this heartbreaking drama.
9. The Wind that Shakes the Barley, RTÉ Player – a family torn apart in civil war
After fighting together against the British forces in Ireland’s fight for independence, two brothers end up on opposite sides of the civil war.
Ken Loach’s stirring drama stars Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunningham and Orla Fitzgerald.
8. Song of the Sea, Netflix – the perfect family film
In another gloriously hand-drawn animation from Cartoon Saloon, 10-year-old Ben discovers his mute sister is a selkie – a mythical seal creature.
Together they embark on an adventure to free the faeries from the Celtic Goddess Macha.
7. Oddity, Shudder – spine-tingling horror
Written and directed by Damian McCarthy, Oddity is one of the most memorable horror films of recent years.
Although it’s more of a dread-filled, slow-burn kind of film, it does contain one of modern cinema’s greatest jump scares. Watch it late at night with the lights off and (quite possibly) die of a heart attack.
6. Fréwaka, Shudder – folk horror with an Irish twist
It really is a great time to be an Irish horror fan. The hits just keep coming. Written and directed by Aislinn Clarke, Fréwaka is a dark folk horror touching on themes of mental health, intergenerational trauma and paranoia.
The story of a home care worker looking after an isolated elderly woman who lives in fear of sinister entities called na sídhe, the film is bolstered by great performances by Clare Monnelly and Bríd Ní Neachtain.
5. The Quiet Man, rent on Apple TV – old school charm
When “dirty yank” John Wayne returns to his ancestral home of Innisfree, he falls in love with Maureen O’Hara in this beautiful culture-clash of Oirish whimsey.
The Quiet Man has aged remarkably well, with the Technicolor cinematography positively popping off the screen. The perfect Sunday film.
4. My Left Foot, RTÉ Player – a powerhouse performance from Daniel Day Lewis
A biopic of Christy Brown, a writer and artist suffering from Cerebral Palsy, My Left Foot has become a cornerstone of Irish culture.
Jim Sheridan’s directorial debut became a (somewhat unexpected) huge commercial and critical success, with Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker both winning Oscars for their incredible performances.
3. An Cailín Ciúin, TG4 Player – beautiful Irish language drama
Another Claire Keegan adaptation, and another five-star film.
The first Irish-language film to be nominated for an Academy Award, An Cailín Ciúin tells the story of a withdrawn nine-year-old girl who is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with relatives in Waterford for the summer.
A truly beautiful film that will leave your heart in tatters.
2. The Field, RTÉ Player – a timeless literary adaptation
In Jim Sheridan’s second film, Richard Harris plays one of the great Irish characters – Bull McCabe.
A small tenant farmer fighting for ownership of his small plot of land, he comes up against a rich American played by Tom Berenger. This superb adaptation of John B. Keane’s play also stars Sean Bean, John Hurt and Brenda Fricker.
1. The Snapper, RTÉ Player – an Irish comedy classic
There’s a Snapper quote for every occasion. At Christmas dinner: “Is that a baby or a turkey?”
Complimenting your friend on a nice sandwich: “A1, Sharon.” Even standing outside the waltzers in Funderland with no money left: “I suppose a ride’s out of the question?”
