Ireland might be a small country, but its national cinema is pretty great nontheless. Check out below which recent Irish movies we liked the best.
The amount of people worldwide who claim to be of Irish descent is amazing. Have you ever read an actors’ bio on IMDb.com which doesn’t state he or she is Irish? Americans are fascinated with Irish people and the mark they left on modern history and popular culture. Hollywood produced a notable amount of ‘Irish-themed’ classics: Scorsese’s violent paddy mob films Gangs of New York and The Departed, Troy Duffy’s one hit wonder Boondock Saints and the abysmal P.S. I Love You to name a few. But what about the Emerald Isle’s own film industry? Almost the entire Game of Thrones cast is Irish, so they sure have to offer something. What follows is a list of my favorite Irish movies of 2010 to 2015. And when I say Irish, I really mean Irish. So no American Irish-themed films in this one.
- New Irish movies in 2018
- Best Irish movies of 2017
- 2010-2018: Must-watch Irish movies on Netflix or DVD
New Irish movies in 2018
Top movies up for release in 2018The Widow
DIRECTOR: Neil Jordan CAST: Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Isabelle Huppert
Ireland's most famous director Neil Jordan ('The Crying Game', 'Breakfast on Pluto') returns with 'The Widow', a star-studded psychological thriller about a young woman (Chloe Grace Moretz) who befriends an aging widow (Isabelle Huppert). Unbeknownst to her. this widow hasn't exactly the best intentions... Read more
RATING: 86/100
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Amazon Best Irish movies of 2017
Top rated 2017 Irish moviesThe Drummer and the Keeper
DIRECTOR: Nick Kelly CAST: Niamh Algar, Andrew Carroll Peter Coonan
An uplifting and quirky comedy about the unlikely friendship between two very unusual 17-year old boys. Gabriel is a manic-depressive drummer and Christopher is diagnosed with the Aspers Syndrome. Read more
RATING: /100
RELEASE DATE: September 8th, 2017
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates Pilgrimage
DIRECTOR: Brendan Muldowney CAST: Tom Holland Jon Bernthal Richard Armitage
A visually striking, medieval thriller by filmmaker Brendan Muldowney about a group of Irish monks on their way to Rome to deliver a holy relic. Along the way, tensions within the group begin to rise. Read more
RATING: 80/100
RELEASE DATE: August 11th, 2017
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Best Irish movies on Netflix or DVD in 2018
2010's best rated Irish movies out on DVD, Bluray or streaming on VOD (Netflix, Amazon).Calvary
DIRECTOR: John Michael McDonagh CAST: Brendan Gleeson Chris O'Dowd Kelly Reilly
2011’s The Guard was probably our favorite Irish film of the decade so far, so expectations for McDonagh’s next project were high. Again Brendan Gleeson was casted as its lead and again McDonagh succeeds in creating a world that is very Irish and very absurd at the same time. Calvary tells the story of an unconventional Catholic priest who receives a death threat by a parishioner (whom he knows very well, but the viewer doesn’t get to know who it is until the final scene). Instead of trying to prevent his attacker, he decides to take a risk and meets him at a given place and time. Read more
RATING: 74/100
RELEASE DATE: January 19th, 2014
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates The Guard
DIRECTOR: John Michael McDonagh CAST: Brendan Gleeson Don Cheadle Mark Strong
It’s not too hard to imagine why The Guard is the most (domestically and internationally) acclaimed and best Irish film of the 2010’s. It’s brilliant. Brendan Gleeson, probably Irelands’ best known actor these days, is the concerned Guard Gerry Boyle, a police officer in a remote coastal village. When his village happens to be the target of a group of drug traffickers, Gerry is forced to cooperate with a strait-laced FBI agent. This appears to be a problem, as Gerry’s working methods are quite unorthodox. Director McDonagh’s brother is Martin McDonagh, who directed In Bruges. They seem to share a splendid sense of dark, violent humor. Read more
RATING: 73/100
RELEASE DATE: January 20th, 2011
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates Good Vibrations
DIRECTOR: Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn CAST: Jodie Whittaker Richard Dormer Liam Cunningham
The Irish answer to 24 Hour Party People, Michael Winterbottoms’ brilliant film on the rise and fall of Factory Records. Good Vibrations deals with the rise of a refreshingly un-political punk rock scene in Belfast, a city which was deeply religious and politically divided. At the heart of the punk movement is the idealistic Terri Hooley, who’s trying the best he can to run a record company/shop amidst the Troubles’ darkest days. Hugely entertaining and an important account of one modern day Europe’s bloodiest histories as well. Read more
RATING: 72/100
RELEASE DATE: March 29th, 2013
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates A Dark Song
DIRECTOR: Liam Gavin CAST: Mark Huberman Susan Loughnane Steve Oram
A very promising low budget horror debut by Irish director/writer Liam Gavin. A Dark Song tells the story of a young woman mourning the death of her son. She teams up with Joseph, an eccentric occult expert/alcoholic misanthrope in an isolated cottage, in hopes of getting some signals from her murdered son. As they proceed with their experiments, the tension between them rises. Read more
RATING: 70/100
RELEASE DATE: July 8th, 2016
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates The Secret Scripture
DIRECTOR: Jim Sheridan CAST: Rooney Mara Theo James Aidan Turner
Sebastian Barry's beloved novel 'The Secret Sculpture' is finally made into a motion picture, and by none other than Irish stalwart director Jim Sheridan (In the Name of the Father, My Left Foot). Read more
RATING: 69/100
RELEASE DATE: December 10th, 2016
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates Parked
DIRECTOR: Darragh Byrne CAST: Colin Morgan Colm Meaney Milka Ahlroth
A fresh take on the bromance film, Parked deals with Fred, a colorless forty-something Irishman who has lost everything and is therefore forced to live in his car. At his parking spot, he soon gets to know Cathal, a dope-smoking 21-year-old with a positive attitude who appears to be his ‘neighbor’. At first, Fred is reluctant towards Cathal. As they grow closer however, the influence of these two outsiders on each other will change their lives. Read more
RATING: 69/100
RELEASE DATE: November 30th, 2012
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates Run and Jump
DIRECTOR: Steph Green CAST: Maxine Peake Edward MacLiam Will Forte
This small and sympathetic film didn’t get as much exposure as it deserved, which is why it can’t be absent on this list. Run & Jump is the story of a family dealing with a father whose character isn’t quite the same after he suffered stroke. His wife is determined to take him back home and tries to get everything back to normal. An American doctor is staying with the family to study the father’s behavior and possible improvements, which of course only makes things more complicated as he falls in love with the mother. Read more
RATING: 63/100
RELEASE DATE: January 24th, 2014
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates What Richard Did
DIRECTOR: Lenny Abrahamson CAST: Jack Reynor Fionn Walton Gavin Drea
Director Lenny Abrahamson received quite some praise for his debut Adam and Paul in 2004, which was a touching and funny film about two Dubliner dope heads. What Richard Did is something entirely different. A solid drama about a promising teenager who is in the wrong fight at the wrong time, with all the disastrous consequences. Really well acted and with an ending that avoids the clichés. Nothing groundbreaking going on here, but it’s definitely worth watching. Read more
RATING: 63/100
RELEASE DATE: May 10th, 2013
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates The Eclipse
DIRECTOR: Conor McPherson CAST: Ciarán Hinds Iben Hjejle Aidan Quinn
A somewhat odd story of a widower coming to terms with himself. Odd in the sense that the film is both a horror film and a typical, subtle European family drama. It works on both sides, however. Ciarán Hinds (it’s never hard to feel sorry for that guy) plays the widower who volunteers at an annual literature festival. His life is turned upside down when he becomes romantically involved with an attending writer. At the same time he’s suffering from horrible visions. Everything might be connected… Read more
RATING: 62/100
RELEASE DATE: April 24th, 2009
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