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 The Video Library
Click here for: Books | Music | Prints & Photos
What is the top Irish movie of all time?
That is what Jameson whiskey in conjunction with 'The Dubliner' magazine asked 10,000 people in a July 2005 poll. Throughout these pages we have marked the top ten at the top of each and its ranking.
The Last Light: An Irish Ghost Story
Don't be afraid of the dark. Be afraid of what is in the dark. A handy man is hired to brick up an abandoned mansion along the Irish coast. But he feels like he is not alone. From a small independent film company in Northern Ireland it won its star Robert Render the best actor award at the Freak show film festival in Florida and it is his performance that keeps the whole story believable.
Click here for The Last Light.
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The Tiger's Tail
I love movies made in Ireland or the U.K. and this one does not disappoint. Great story, great actors. If you're into a good storyline without anyone getting blown up, decapitated, terrorized, etc., then you'll really enjoy this film. Review by Francine on amazon
ED. NOTE: We concur. Brendan Gleeson is brilliant!
Click here for The Tiger's Tail.
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Top Irish Movie #8
The rough-edged vitality of contemporary Irish filmmaking is readily apparent in this black comedy in which 54 characters and 11 plotlines compete for consistently impressive screen-time. Jumping from one plot to another, the characters are tangled in an infectious series of intersecting events, shifting from scenes of brutal violence, poignant compassion, and richly dark humor, and somehow managing to make it all fit together in a miraculously coherent tapestry of romance, crime, and authentic Dublin atmosphere.
Click here for Intermission.
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A movie guaranteed to make the blood boil, The Magdalene Sisters gives a lacerating account of life inside a Magdalene Laundry, one of the dismal asylums for "wayward women" run by the Catholic Church in Ireland. The movie won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival and went on to become a box-office hit in Ireland, where the Magdalene system was still a fresh memory. It had been abolished only in 1996. --Robert Horton.
Click here for The Magdalene Sisters.
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With a gentle tug at the heartstrings, Evelyn tells the true story of an imperfect father whose devotion brought much-needed change to rigid Irish law. It's a labor of love for star and coproducer Pierce Brosnan, who brings just the right touch of Everyman charm to his role as Desmond Doyle, a struggling Dublin tradesman, father of three, and chronic pub-crawler whose wife abandons their family the day after Christmas, 1953. Amazon Review.
Click here for Evelyn.
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A dear friend sent us a copy of this thrilling true-life World War II story about an Irish monsignor in the Vatican who saves escaped POWs, hides Jews and thwarts the Nazis at every turn. Gregory Peck must have enjoyed the role as Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty. His grandmother was from Dingle and he was very fond of Ireland.
Click here for Scarlet & Black
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"Da"
Irish author Hugh Leonard's play Home Before Night was the basis of Da. Martin Sheen plays an Irish/ American playright living in New York. No matter how much he's assimilated himself, Sheen cannot escape the influence of his deceased adoptive father (Barnard Hughes). The writer has several heated confrontations with the "ghosts" of his father and mother (Doreen Hepburn), as well as with his own adolescent self (Karl Hayden). Sheen comes to realize that his own success was in part sparked by the failures of his "Da", a gardener who spent his life speaking in empty aphorisms and wishing he were someone else.
Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Click here for Da.
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IN AMERICA
From Academy Awad Nominee Jim Sheridan comes this deeply personal and poignant tale of a poor Irish family searching for a better life In America. Through the eyes of their spunky daughters, two anguished parents find hope and the ability to once again believe in love and magic…even amidst the dangers of New York's harrowing Hell's Kitchen.
Click here for In America.
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Top Irish Movie #2
My Left Foot
Daniel Day-Lewis won a much-deserved Oscar for his wily, passionate performance as Irish artist and writer Christy Brown, whose cerebral palsy kept him confined to a wheelchair. Day-Lewis is inspired, and Brenda Fricker is almost luminous as Christy's dedicated mother. So, too, are Ray McAnally as the hero's stormy father, and Hugh O'Conor as the child Christy. All in all, this is a complete pleasure for viewers. Edited and adapted from a review by Tom Keogh
Click here for My Left Foot.
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The Guard
John Michael McDonagh's "The Guard" proves that both talent and attitude run in the McDonagh family. Like the work of his more famous brother, Martin McDonagh, John Michael's debut film combines familiar crime-story themes with a malicious, anarchic wit that is Irish through and through. If Quentin Tarantino ever collaborated with Roddy Doyle, the resulting movie would be a lot like the work of the McDonagh brothers. From an amazon review.
ED. NOTE: Several lengthy reviews give The Guard high praise and as many as five stars in at least one of them. We watched it ourselves and concur with what everyone is saying - the movie is brilliant!
Click here for The Guard
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Click here for Movies by category: Animals | Comedy | Christmas | Drama | Heritage | Music | History | Romance | Saints & Legends | Scenic & Documentary
Drama Page: 2 • {Previous} Drama Page: 1 | {Next} Drama Page: 3
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Thu, Apr 4, 2024
 Ilnacullen, Co. Cork - an Island Garden
Located in the sheltered harbour of Glengarriff in Bantry Bay. Ilnacullin, which means island of holly, is a small island known to horticulturists and lovers of trees and shrubs all around the world as an island garden of rare beauty.
The vivid colours of Rhododendrons and Azaleas reach their peak during May and June, whilst the hundreds of cultivars of climbing plants, herbaceous perennials and choice shrubs dominate the midsummer period from June to August.
Because of its sheltered situation and the warming oceanic influence of the Gulf Stream, the climate is favourable to the growth of ornamental plants from many parts of the world.
Even for those who aren’t particularly interested in gardens, there are many other scenic views, especially in the surrounding waters where seals frequent the rocks on the southern shore.
The cover photo on Bridget's book The Traditional Irish Wedding shows a wrought iron garden gate on Ilnaculen. I took that photo. To see it, go to the home page. It's part of the opening paragraph Failte.
—Russ
Resource: Copy and Image - Cork Guide
Click for More Culture Corner.
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 Can't Find it?!
Our Library is compiled from what we know and like. If you can't find what you're looking for read on.
• First: go to Amazon -
There's no escaping the fact that they are the largest catalog.
Note: There are multiple Amazons and they do not carry exactly the same items. Any one of the U.S., U.K. and Canada sites may not have the item but another Amazon will. Each site will ship anywhere in the world. Try them all before you give up.
Click here for Amazon.US.
Click here for Amazon.UK.
Click here for Amazon.Canada.
• Second: Amazon doesn't have it? Alright, try ALibris they are the place for 'books you never thought you'd find'. They now carry videos. The prices vary, since they are offered from various sources.
Click here for ALibris.
• Last: Nothing Worked?
E-Mail us, we'll give it a go. Click for Russ & Bridget.
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