I seem to have become something of a connoisseur of Irish cinema over the last twenty-five years. For the purposes of this list, I define Irish films as those which are set in Ireland or which are about Irish people abroad. They may or may not be made by Irish cast and crew.
The first list was posted on a different blog in 2011, the second and third on Facebook in 2015 and 2017. This is the fourth, originally shared here in 2024.
Irish films we own (and are happy to lend):
Man of Aran (1934) ★★★★☆
The Informer (1935) ★★★★★
The Quiet Man (1952) ★★★★☆
Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) ★★★☆☆
Ryan's Daughter (1970) ★★★★☆
The Field (1990) ★★★★★
In the Name of the Father (1993) ★★★★☆
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) ★★★★★
Michael Collins (1996) ★★★★★
The Boxer (1997) ★★★★☆
The Butcher Boy (1997) ★★★★★
Dancing at Lughnasa (1998) ★★★★☆
Waking Ned Divine (1998) ★★★★☆
Angela's Ashes (1999) ★★★★★
Gangs of New York (2002) ★★☆☆☆
Bloody Sunday (2002) ★★★★★
Veronica Guerin (2003) ★★★★★
Patrick (2004) ★★★★☆
Omagh (2004) ★★★☆☆
Breakfast on Pluto (2005) ★★★★☆
Once (2006) ★★★☆☆
The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006) ★★★★★
Hunger (2008) ★★★★★
Ondine (2009) ★★★★☆
Five Minutes of Heaven (2009) ★★★★☆
The Secret of Kells (2009) ★★★★★
Leap Year (2010) ★★★★☆
Killing Bono (2011) ★★★☆☆
Stella Days (2011) ★★★★★
Calvary (2014) ★★★★★
Miss Julie (2014) ★★★★★
Song of the Sea (2014) ★★★★★
‘71 (2014) ★★★★★
Sing Street (2016) ★★★★☆
Belfast (2021) ★★★★☆
Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) ★★★★★
My Left Foot (1989) ★★★☆☆
The Treaty (1991) ★★★★☆
The Crying Game (1992) ★★★☆☆
In America (2003) ★★★★★
Six Shooter (2004) ★★★★☆
In Bruges (2008) ★★★★☆
A Shine of Rainbows / Tomás and the Rainbow (2009) ★★★☆☆
The Guard (2011) ★★★☆☆
Irish films we own but I haven’t seen yet:
Evelyn (2002)