To help brainstorm titles for the Ireland pieces I’ve been writing, here’s a list of all the films and TV shows set or connected to the Republic or Northern Ireland that I’ve seen. Is there something Irish that I need to see and don’t have listed? Maybe I’ve seen and forgotten, but either way, let me know!
- Once
- Circle of Friends
- The Matchmaker
- The General
- Veronica Guerin
- The Secret of Roan Inish
- Into the West
- Killing Bono
- The Field
- Bloody Sunday
- My Left Foot
- The Van
- The Snapper
- The Commitments
- I Went Down
- In Bruges
- In America
- Liam
- Angela’s Ashes
- Michael Collins
- Philomena
- The Butcher Boy
- The Wind That Shakes the Barley
- The Crying Game
- War of the Buttons
- Waking Ned (Devine)
- The Magdalene Sisters
- The Quiet Man
- Dancing at Lughnasa
- Far and Away
- P.S. I Love You
- Hear My Song
- Agnes Brown
- David Gray: Live at the Point/Up to a Point
- Ballykissangel (TV show)
- Father Ted (TV show)
Aside from a few (but especially don’t watch P.S. I Love You), I’d actually recommend a lot of these films and consider a few to be favourites. Some of these films were actually viewed at weekly screenings I held at school in Ireland. The petrol station in Ballyvaughan had a sort of “Ireland’s greatest hits” collection available to rent and we took full advantage!
Need to see:
- Breakfast on Pluto
- Hunger (started)
- Frank
- Intermission
- Man of Aran
- Moone Boy (TV)
- The Fall (TV)
- Quirke (TV)
Stephen Quirk 
Watch ’71 – it’s set in the Troubles and follows a rookie Brit soldier, but it follows some young lads that are trying to find their way into the IRA. Also, Shadow Dancer is good. It’s about a woman who becomes an informant for MI6 on goings on within the IRA. Can’t remember if I saw it on your list or not, but Good Vibrations is also supposed to be very good, although it haven’t seen it myself ☺️
’71 is for sure on my need to see list and I forgot to add it. I had’t heard of Good Vibrations, but that looks right up my alley! I’ll take a look at Shadow Dancer too, looks interesting for sure.
Have fun with them, the first two are definitely a couple of good watches
The Informer (1935) – John Ford