Irish Literature & Cinema

Directed by Atom Egoyan et al.
648 minutes; released 2002.
19 filmmakers offer their interpretations of works by playwright and novelist Samuel Beckett, varying in length from 1 minute to 120 minutes.

Directed by Alan Parker.
117 minutes; released 1991.
A young man forms a band and dreams of bringing soul music to Dublin, Ireland. Based on the novel by Roddy Doyle.

Directed by John Huston.
83 minutes; released 1987.
A turn-of-the-century Dublin couple appear to have everything. Based on the short story by James Joyce.

Directed by David Heeley.
90 minutes; released 1980.
The Samuel Beckett play about an optimistic woman who faces the harsh realities of the world with a smile and impenetrable cheerfulness. Starring Irene Worth and George Voskovec.

Directed by Ronald Neame.
95 minutes; released 1958.
An irritating but enthusiastic painter stops at nothing to pursue his artistic vision--even if it means refashioning a wall in someone else's house. Based on the novel by Joyce Cary. Starring Alec Guinness.

Directed by John Ford.
92 minutes; released 1935.
This black and white feature film is based on the novel by Liam O'Flaherty. A Dublin revolutionary betrays a solemn code.

Directed by Roy Ward Baker et al.
50-minute episodes; released 1983.
An English magistrate is sent to the west of Ireland about 1900 where he encounters a host of interesting characters. Based on the series of books by "Somerville and Ross" (Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin).

Directed by Stephen Frears.
95 minutes; released 1993.
An unmarried Irish woman refuses to reveal the name of the father of her unborn child. Based on the novel by Roddy Doyle.

Directed by Joseph Strick.
124 minutes; released 1967.
One day in the life of a middle-aged Irish Jew. Based on the novel by James Joyce.

Directed by Paul Harrison et al.
50-minute episodes; released 1996.
A young priest serving in the small Irish village of Ballykissangel discovers the town poses many more challenges than he expected.

Directed by Paul Greengrass.
110 minutes; released 2002.
A dramatization of the Irish civil rights protest march and subsequent massacre by British troops on January 30, 1972.

Directed by Neil Jordan.
129 minutes; released 2005.
A young Irishman reinvents himself as a transvestite cabaret singer in 1970s London. Starring Cillian Murphy and Stephen Rea. Based on the novel by Pat McCabe.

Directed by Neil Jordan.
110 minutes; released 1997.
A saga of an energetic and imaginative boy whose bleak existence in a small 1960s Ireland town eventually drives him to drastic measures. Based on the novel by Pat McCabe. Starring Eamonn Owens, Stephen Rea, Fiona Shaw and Sinead O'Connor.

Directed by Jack Gold.
80 minutes; released 1973.
A priest is sent from Rome to reform a traditional monastery in Ireland.

Directed by Neil Jordan.
112 minutes; released 1992.
A British soldier gets kidnapped by Irish terrorists and starts a friendship with one of his captors. When the hostage-taking goes wrong, the friend escapes and later meets the soldier's girlfriend in London. Starring Forest Whitaker and Stephen Rea.

Directed by John Huston.
83 minutes; released 1987.
Huston's feature-length movie adaptation of the story by James Joyce about a turn-of-the century Dublin couple who appear to have everything.

Directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan.
85 minutes; released 1991.
A young woman moves to a small Irish town and develops a relationship with two men who are brothers. When she becomes pregnant, she refuses to divulge which is the father, preferring to retain her independence.

Directed by Kirsten Sheridan.
93 minutes; released 2001.
A boy and a girl born in a Dublin hospital within minutes of each other grow up inseparable from one another.

Directed by Damien O'Donnell.
96 minutes; released 1999.
The conflict between two generations of a Pakistani family living in northern England in the 1970s. Based on the play by Ayub Khan-Din.

Directed by Declan Lowney and Andy De Emmony.
25-minute episodes; released 1995.
A television comedy series about three priests working in a parish on a tiny island off the Irish coast.

Directed by Jim Sheridan.
113 minutes; released 1990.
An old man in Rural Ireland fights the plans of an American land developer. Starring Richard Harris.

Directed by Jim Sheridan.
105 minutes; released 2002.
Tale of a poor Irish family searching for a better life in America, amidst the dangers of New York's "Hell's Kitchen."

Directed by Jim Sheridan.
133 minutes; released 1993.
A petty Irish thief is wrongfully imprisoned for the terrorist bombing of an London tavern.

Directed by John Ford.
92 minutes; released 1935.
Based on the novel by Liam O'Flaherty. "A Dublin revolutionary betrays an Irishman's most solemn code...."

Directed by Roy Ward Baker et al.
50-minute episodes; released 1983.
An English magistrate is sent to the west of Ireland about 1900 where he encounters a host of interesting characters. Based on the series of books by Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin.

Directed by Tom Collins.
89 minutes; released 2007.
A group of five Irishmen, all of whom have emigrated to England, are re-united for the wake of an old friend.

Directed by Sydney Macartney.
98 minutes; released 1999.
A Protestant Irishwoman who has promised to raise her children Catholic reconsiders her decision.

Directed by Peter Mullan.
120 minutes; released 2002.
Three young Irish women struggle to maintain their spirits while they endure dehumanizing abuse as inmates of a home for unwed mothers run by nuns. Audio-track in English or French, with optional English, French, or Spanish subtitles.

Directed by Neil Jordan.
184 minutes; released 1996.
The story of Irish Republican Army founder Michael Collins from the Easter Rebellion of 1916 to his untimely death.

Directed by Neil Jordan.
104 minutes; released 1986.
Part thriller, part love story. It tells about the relationship between George, a small-time criminal-turned-chauffeur and his boss, a high-class call girl, who together end up caught in London's sordid criminal underworld.

Directed by Pat Murphy.
106 minutes; released 2000.
A dramatization of the relationship between Irish writer James Joyce and Nora Barnacle. Starring Ewan McGregor.

Directed by Pete Travis.
106 minutes; released 2004.
A father who lost his son in the bombing of the town of Omagh tries to uncover the truth of who the bombers - the Real IRA - were.

Directed by Lance Hool.
122 minutes; released 1999.
A small group of Irish soldiers fighting in the Mexican-American War are persecuted for their religious beliefs, and defect to Mexico. Audio-track in English, with optional French or Spanish subtitles.

Directed by Stephen Frears.
95 minutes; released 1993.
An unmarried Irish woman refuses to reveal the name of the father of her unborn child. Based on the novel by Roddy Doyle.

Directed by Joseph Strick.
124 minutes; released 1967.
One day in the life of a middle-aged Irish Jew. Based on the novel by James Joyce.

Directed by Ken Loach.
127 minutes; released 2006.
A young doctor gives up a promising career to take up arms against the ruling British in 1920s Ireland. But just when a treaty is signed, civil war breaks loose, pitting families and friends against each other. Winner of the 2006 Palme d'Or prize for best film at Cannes.