10 Best Irish Movies to Watch First

10 Essential Irish Films

Ranked native cinema in Ireland’s own creative voice.

1. 

   1. Room

   2015

   Held captive for years in a single locked room with the young son born into that captivity, a woman finally engineers an escape — and mother and boy must then face the overwhelming vastness of the outside world. A raw, tender drama of survival and wonder.

2. 

   2. In the Name of the Father

   1993

   A feckless young Belfast man is coerced into confessing to an IRA bombing he did not commit and, along with his father and friends, is wrongly imprisoned for fifteen years while fighting to clear their names. A powerful drama based on a true miscarriage of justice.

3. 

   3. The Banshees of Inisherin

   2022

   On a remote Irish island in the 1920s, a genial man is baffled and wounded when his lifelong best friend abruptly declares he wants nothing more to do with him, and the rift escalates with unsettling consequences. Martin McDonagh's darkly funny, melancholy fable.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: Martin McDonagh's Ireland-set black comedy rooted in Irish island life, language rhythm, and Civil War allegory.

4. 

   4. My Left Foot

   1989

   Born with severe cerebral palsy into a large working-class Dublin family and able to control only his left foot, Christy Brown defies all expectations to become a celebrated painter and writer. Jim Sheridan's inspiring drama based on a true story.

5. 

   5. Sing Street

   2016

   In 1980s Dublin, a teenager weathering his parents' crumbling marriage starts a band to impress a mysterious older girl, pouring his heartache into pop songs and dreams of escape. John Carney's exuberant, big-hearted musical coming-of-age story.

6. 

   6. Song of the Sea

   2014

   After their mother vanishes, a boy and his little sister — who turns out to be a selkie, a seal that can take human form — set off on a magical journey home across an Ireland teeming with Celtic myth. Tomm Moore's gorgeous, hand-drawn animated fable.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: An Irish animated feature rooted in selkie folklore and Irish coastal culture.

7. 

   7. Once

   2007

   On the streets of Dublin, a heartbroken busker and a Czech immigrant flower-seller and musician are drawn together over a few days by their shared love of songwriting, making music that says what they cannot. John Carney's tender, low-key musical romance.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: A Dublin-set Irish musical drama and international breakout for contemporary Irish cinema.

8. 

   8. Michael Collins

   1996

   This sweeping historical drama follows Michael Collins, the charismatic revolutionary who led the guerrilla fight for Irish independence and helped forge the Free State — only to be vilified by former comrades who wanted more. Neil Jordan's epic biopic.

9. 

   9. All Dogs Go to Heaven

   1989

   A roguish casino-owning dog betrayed and killed by his partner cons his way back from the afterlife to the streets of 1930s New Orleans, teaming up with an orphan girl for one last scheme — and maybe finding his soul. An animated musical adventure.

10. 

    10. The Quiet Girl

    An Cailín Ciúin · 2022

    In rural 1980s Ireland, a neglected, withdrawn girl is sent for the summer to live with distant relatives, where unexpected warmth and care slowly draw her out of her shell. A delicate, deeply affecting coming-of-age drama in the Irish language.

    Why & details

    Curator’s note: Colm Bairéad’s Irish-language rural drama is a landmark of contemporary Irish cinema whose emotional and cultural identity are inseparable from Ireland.