Yahoo Lifestyle This Is Where to Stream 'The Banshees of Inisherin' for St. Patrick's Day
- 1/46
This Is Where to Stream 'The Banshees of Inisherin' for St. Patrick's Day
You could spend St. Patrick's Day out at a bar or a parade, fighting crowds, downing beers and ultimately chasing the Luck of the Irish, which never seems to arrive when you need it most. Or you could spend it from the comfort of your couch, taking a trip to the Emerald Isle through film with no packing, shouting or green booze necessary.
If you're like us and the latter seems more appealing, there are plenty of cinematic options to choose from. Whether you're looking for something funny, historic, scary or romantic, these are the best Irish movies to watch on St. Patrick's Day in 2023 (or any other day).
Some of them are recent awards winners, racking up statues and nominations (including this year's biggie, The Banshees of Inisherin, which is an extremely Irish film title if ever we've heard one). Others delve into Irish history, looking at The Troubles or tracing the lives of historic figures like Michael Collins, Bobby Sands, Gerry Conlon and Veronica Guerin. Then there are those that feature Ireland's favorite sons and daughters, giving leading roles to powerhouse actors like Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson, Saoirse Ronan, Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell. (So much Colin Farrell.) Or, if you're looking for great movies to watch with kids, there are some animated and family-friendly films full of magical beings like selkies, werewolves and, of course, leprechauns. With so many options to choose from, we can all consider ourselves lucky!
Hearst Owned - 2/46
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
This Golden Globe Best Picture Award-winning film is built around two tour-de-force performances from two incredible actors: Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. In it, they play two one-time best friends who have to re-assess their relationship, and their approaches to their lives in general, when one turns a cold shoulder to the other.
SearchlightPictures@Youtube - 3/46
Belfast (2021)
Skirmishes between Catholics and Protestants in 1969 provide the backdrop for this black-and-white, coming-of-age story about a 9-year-old boy. Last year, the film received seven Academy Award nominations, including nods for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress; director Kenneth Branagh took home the prize for Best Screenplay.
Focus Features@Youtube - 4/46
Wild Mountain Thyme (2020)
In this film, Jamie Dornan and Emily Blunt star as neighbors and childhood friends. As their parents age, they have to decide what to do with their land, and if they want to honor their families' intentions and rules for the properties. The decision gets complicated when they factor in their feelings for each other, and the way they view themselves. The film is based on the play Outside Mullingar by John Patrick Shanley, writer/director of Doubt, who also directed this movie.
Bleecker Street@Youtube - 5/46
Wolfwalkers (2020)
An English hunter and is rebellious daughter, Robyn, are sent to a village in 1650s Ireland. Their mission: To clear out the woods, including a wolf pack that has been terrorizing the locals. Robyn is eager to join on the hunt, until she meets a friend who may or may not belong to the pack, which possibly assumes human form by day and wolf form at night. The movie was made by the acclaimed Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, which often interprets Irish folklore.
Apple TV@Youtube - 6/46
Sea Fever (2020)
For science fiction fans, this one has elements of both underwater and outer-space movies. It follows a scientist who embeds herself on a fishing trawler to study marine biology. When the crew starts to get mysteriously ill, she finds evidence they've come in contact with a life form that no one has seen or experienced before.
Zero Media@Youtube - 7/46
The Hole in the Ground (2019)
We're in a boom time for horror movies about creepy kids (hello, Orphan and M3GAN), and Irish movies are no exception. In this one, a mom suspects her son's been replaced with an imposter, so if you can't get to it for St. Patrick's Day, you can always make it your Mother's Day movie. And you should: When it opened in 2019, this was the highest-grossing Irish movie.
RELATED: The Best Irish Movies on Netflix
A24@Youtube - 8/46
Ordinary Love (2019)
Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville play a married couple whose relationship is rocked with a diagnosis of breast cancer. What follows is a story of enduring love in the face of adversity.
Bleecker Street@Youtube - 9/46
Black '47 (2018)
This is a dark revenge drama that plays out against the backdrop of the Irish Famine. And, though it takes place in Ireland, many critics say the gritty pulpiness makes it feel more like an American Western.
IFC Films@Youtube - 10/46
Bad Day for the Cut (2017)
This is another one for people who like gritty revenge thrillers: It follows a farmer who sets off on a mission to avenge the murder of his elderly mother. But, as we have to wonder with all revenge movies, is all that violence justified?
New Trailer Buzz@Youtube - 11/46
Cardboard Gangsters (2017)
In this crime-centered underdog story, a group of amateur gangster try to take over their town's drug trade. When it came out, it was a box-office phenomenon in Ireland, making it the highest grossing Irish film of the year.
WildCard Distribution@Youtube - 12/46
Sing Street (2016)
Adapted into a Broadway show, this movie is so many crowd-pleasing things at once: It's an underdog story, a coming-of-age-tale and a musical all rolled into one. It takes place in 1980s Ireland, where a young, socially outcast boy decides he wants to start a band to help make friends and — what else? — impress a girl.
RELATED: The 20 Best Irish Songs
Rotten Tomatoes Trailers@Youtube - 13/46
A Date for Mad Mary (2016)
Mary is recently released from prison — just in time to be the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding. When the bride says Mary wouldn't be able to find a date in time, Mary takes it as a challenge and starts a hapless search for love. The movie won an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Irish Film of 2016.
Volta Pictures@Youtube - 14/46
Brooklyn (2015)
Saoirse Ronan stars as an Irish immigrant in 1950s New York City, and she has to decide between a life in Brooklyn or her old one back home. (Warning to those feeling homesick: It will make you want to call your family.) The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay.
RELATED: 20 St. Patrick's Day Quotes to Celebrate All Things Irish
SearchlightPictures@Youtube - 15/46
Song of the Sea (2015)
This movie is another entry from the acclaimed Cartoon Saloon, and this one is equally magical. It follows a lighthouse keeper and his two kids who, isolated on the seashore, live a life full of adventures with mystical beings — some working for good, and some for evil.
StudiocanalUK@Youtube - 16/46
Philomena (2014)
Based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, this movie tells the story of journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), who is approached to help a woman, Philomena Lee (Judi Dench), find the son she gave up for adoption in Ireland. In researching the story, Sixsmith uncovers a much larger story about women coerced into giving up their babies. When it came out, it was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress.
Rotten Tomatoes Trailers@Youtube - 17/46
Calvary (2014)
In this pitch-dark comedy, an Irish priest played by Brendan Gleeson receives a death threat, and he has a week to figure out if it's for real. He spends the next seven days getting his affairs in order while visiting with parishioners who may be evocative of the seven deadly sins.
Rotten Tomatoes Trailers@Youtube - 18/46
The Irish Pub (2013)
If you're a pint-drinker, chances are you've been in one, or a facsimile of one, but what makes the aura and the atmosphere of an Irish pub so special? This documentary sets out to answer that questions by talking to pub owners all over Ireland.
Janson Media@Youtube - 19/46
The Guard (2011)
An American FBI agent, played by Don Cheadle, is called into Ireland to help solve a murder and drug case. Getting nowhere with the locals, he has to team up with a brash member of the Garda. Can the two of them overcome their odd-couple mismatch to solve the crime?
StudiocanalUK@Youtube - 20/46
The Secret of Kells (2010)
This is the first of the Cartoon Saloon's "Irish Folklore Trilogy," and it made a big splash when, almost out of nowhere, it was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Film Academy Award alongside Disney's The Princess and the Frog and Pixar's Up. Watch and you'll see why: The delightful tale follows Brendan, a young man in medieval Ireland, who befriends a fairy and heads off on a magical quest to fight evil.
Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers@Youtube - 21/46
Leap Year (2010)
The setting is pretty much the only thing Irish about this movie, but we'll take any chance we can get to watch Amy Adams on screen. In this movie, she flies to the Emerald Isle to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day, since she heard it was Irish tradition that if a woman proposes on February 29, the man has to accept.
Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers@Youtube - 22/46
Ondine (2010)
Colin Farrell plays a fisherman who catches a woman in his nets. His daughter believes that the woman is a mythical selkie. Could she be right?
Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers@Youtube - 23/46
Perrier's Bounty (2009)
This is another pitch-black crime comedy, filled with ins and outs, twists and turns. The action kicks off when a man fails to pay his debt to a local gangster, causing him to go on the run with his eccentric father and his depressed, recently dumped best friend. The ensemble cast includes a lot of big names, including Brendan Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Jim Broadbent, Jodie Whittaker and Domhnall Gleeson.
eOne Films Canada@Youtube - 24/46
Hunger (2008)
From Steve McQueen, director of 2020's acclaimed Small Axe anthology, comes a movie about Bobby Sands and his 1981 hunger strike in a prison in Northern Ireland. Not for the faint of heart, star Michael Fassbender looks emaciated in the role, reportedly losing more than 40 pounds for the film.
Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers@Youtube - 25/46
Once (2007)
A Dublin busker meets up with a Czech immigrant, and they decide to try and write and record an album together. (And with good results — the movie's signature song, "Falling Slowly," won the Oscar for Best Original Song.) This movie is for anyone who's ever been either enamored or enraged by the creative process.
Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers@Youtube - 26/46
The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2007)
If you want to learn more about the history of Ireland in the 20th century, Ken Loach's movie takes place during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. It follows the tale of two fictional brothers who are torn apart by the conflict.
Volta VOD@Youtube - 27/46
Rory O'Shea Was Here (2005)
In an early, pre-Atonement role, James McAvoy co-stars as a rebellious wheelchair user who moves into a home for the disabled and starts up an unlikely friendship with a man who has cerebral palsy. Shenanigans (obviously) ensue.
snowvoice@Youtube - 28/46
Intermission (2003)
This is the perfect date movie, in that there's something for everyone. It's part crime thriller, part romance, with a little bit of comedy thrown in. Colin Farrell plays a petty thug who comes up with an idea for a heist, and ropes in some of his friends, including John (Cillian Murphy), who is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend Deirdre (Kelly Macdonald). Watch the credits to hear Farrell sing a cover of "I Fought the Law."
thecultbox@Youtube - 29/46
Veronica Guerin (2003)
Cate Blanchett plays Veronica Guerin, a real-life reporter who investigated Ireland's drug trade in the mid-'90s. Her reporting makes her an enemy of very dangerous people.
Gabtor Apple@Youtube - 30/46
In America (2002)
Acclaimed Irish director Jim Sheridan, who made My Left Foot and In the Name of the Father (both on this list), directs this semi-autobiographical tale. In it, a family moves from Ireland to a tenement in New York City to pursue the father's dreams of making it as an actor.
ZahranicniTrailery04@Youtube - 31/46
The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
For more of a heavy drama, this film follows the lives of different women who are sent to live in the abusive Magdalene Asylums in the 1960s. The subject matter is rough, but the film rewards the tough sit: The movie has earned wide critical acclaim.
isthemoviegood@Youtube - 32/46
Angela's Ashes (2000)
Based on Frank McCourt's Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography, Angela's Ashes is a reverse of Brooklyn — it follows the life of a young boy who is uprooted from New York City and moved to Limerick, Ireland. McCourt's writings also inspired two animated Netflix Christmas movies, Angela's Christmas and Angela's Christmas 2.
Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers@Youtube - 33/46
An Everlasting Piece (2000)
In Belfast, two barbers working at a psychiatric hospital decide to open up a business selling hairpieces after they acquire the client list of a former hairpiece-maker-turned-patient. But they're not the only ones looking to close the sales, and competition for the customers gets fierce — and ultimately involves the IRA. It comes from director Barry Levinson, director of Diner and Rain Man.
Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers@Youtube - 34/46
Waking Ned Devine (1998)
On a much lighter note, Ned Devine wins the Irish National Lottery — only to die from shock. (We promise, there's comedy here.) The movie follows the rest of his small town as they band together to try and claim and share his winnings.
isthemoviegood@Youtube - 35/46
Michael Collins (1996)
Liam Neeson stars in the true story of the Irish revolutionary leader who fought against British rule in the early 20th century. At the time of its release, this was the highest-grossing film of all time in Ireland (until it was unseated by Titanic).
Dublin International Film Festival@Youtube - 36/46
The Van (1996)
After he gets laid off, Brendan (affectionately called Bimbo) uses his severance check to buy a fish 'n' chips van and run it with his best friend, Larry. But can their friendship survive in such close quarters?
2ombieboy's VHS Vault@Youtube - 37/46
Some Mother's Son (1996)
Like Hunger, this movie is inspired by the 1981 hunger strike at the Maze prison. Only this time, the events unfold through the points of view of two prisoners' mothers, who advocate for their sons to be treated like political prisoners instead of criminals. Helen Mirren and Helen Mirren play the mothers.
Video Detective@Youtube - 38/46
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
For a movie you can watch with the kids, The Secret of Roan Inish tells the story of Fiona, a young girl who is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village. She starts to uncover the town's secrets, and is especially enamored with rumors about selkies and seal-people, and how that might relate to the disappearance of her younger brother.
VHSafterlife@Youtube - 39/46
War of the Buttons (1994)
Another family-friendly adventure film, this movie takes place in the 1960s, where two gangs of kids have a heated rivalry. The prize? Each gang tries to capture the buttons of their enemies.
Motley@Youtube - 40/46
In the Name of the Father (1993)
Another based-in-real-life tale, this movie follows Gerry Conlon, a man who was wrongfully accused of carrying out a bombing for the IRA. Conlon spent 15 years in prison for the crime, and the movie — which earned eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis — follows the courtroom proceedings that attempt to exonerate him.
Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers@Youtube - 41/46
The Snapper (1993)
In this lighthearted comedy, a 20-year-old Irish woman gets pregnant, and the whole town starts gossiping about who the father of "the snapper" may be. Based on a book by The Commitments' author Roddy Doyle, and directed by The Queen's Stephen Frears, this might be the one you show to your BFF who can't keep her mouth shut.
marcioalsa@Youtube - 42/46
The Crying Game (1992)
Stephen Rea and Miranda Richardson star as Irish terrorists in this twisty, unpredictable sleeper hit that went on to be nominated for seven Academy Awards. The film comes from Irish director Neil Jordan, who also made Ondine and Michael Collins, in case you want to make a double (or triple) feature.
Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers@Youtube - 43/46
The Commitments (1991)
In yet another movie about a ragtag group of people who try to assemble a band, The Commitments follows a Dubliner who wants to break into soul music. Since its release, this film has achieved a cult status and enduring fame: The characters were featured on a postage stamp in Ireland, and cast members went on to careers in music, forming bands like The Corrs and The Frames.
RLJE Films@Youtube - 44/46
My Left Foot (1989)
If you want a master class in acting, watch Daniel Day-Lewis (yes, again) in this Oscar-winning performance. In the amazing true story, Lewis plays the the real-life Christy Brown, an Irishman with cerebral palsy who taught himself to paint and write with his toes.
Movieclips@Youtube - 45/46
Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
This Walt Disney family classic may not actually be from Ireland, but it takes place in a small town in Ireland where Darby (Albert Sharpe, who is actually from Belfast), tricks leprechauns into giving him three wishes. But are the wishes all they're cracked up to be?
Dublin Tour Guide@Youtube - 46/46
The Quiet Man (1952)
Another Irish movie made by Americans and Irish Americans — including John Wayne and director John Ford, most known for their Westerns — comes a story about an American boxer who returns to his native Ireland and tries to win the hand of a local woman.
Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers@Youtube
