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Irish cinema has provided no shortage of amazing films over the years, from global hits to Oscar-winners and lesser-known masterpieces. In this gallery, we're looking back at 10 of the very best Irish films. Enjoy!
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In the Name of the Father is another Irish film that broke through worldwide in the 1990s. Daniel Day-Lewis stars in the Jim Sheridan film about the Guildford Four case that resulted in four wrongful imprisonments after an IRA bombing. Pete Postlethwaite co-stars as the father who's incarcerated with his son.
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The Quiet Man is a rare classical Hollywood film set and filmed in Ireland. John Wayne stars as an Irish-American who returns to his homeland and romances with a local woman played by Irish film icon Maureen O'Hara. The movie also reunited the two leading stars with director John Ford, after the trio had done Rio Grande two years earlier, in 1950.
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Intermission is a criminally under-seen Irish dark comedy and crime film from 2003. Some of today's top Irish stars, including Cillian Murphy, Colin Farrell, Colm Meaney lead an ensemble cast of connected stories set in Dublin.
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Ryan's Daughter, from 1970, is a David Lean film covering a controversial love affair during WWI between an Irish woman and a British soldier. It remains a divisive but nonetheless compelling movie, with Sarah Miles and the legendary Robert Mitchum in the leading roles.
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Brooklyn is one of the best-known and highest-regarded Irish films. The romantic drama from 2016 stars Saoirse Ronan as an Irishwoman who emigrates to Brooklyn and ultimately must choose between her new home and husband or her homeland. It was nominated for three Oscars and won Best British Film at the BAFTAs.
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For classic crime fans, Odd Man Out (1947) provides the best Ireland-set film noir of the era. The legendary James Mason stars as a criminal and Irish nationalist on the run in Carol Reed's sharp film which also won the first BAFTA for Best British Film.
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Perhaps the best Irish war film, The Wind That Shakes the Barley tells the story of two brothers fighting the British in the Irish War of Independence. Cillian Murphy and Pàdraic Delaney play the leads in the movie which won the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2006.
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Barry Lyndon is Stanley Kubrick's epic Irish period drama from 1975. It's a story of romance, class, and power set in 18th century Ireland. Ryan O'Neal stars in the film that's sometimes named as one of Kubrick's top works.
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Much more than just a famous plot twist, The Crying Game is a compelling 1992 Irish drama set during The Troubles. Stephen Rea stars as an IRA member whose duties lead him down a path of complicated romance, which was uncommonly explored in mainstream cinema at the time. The film won the Oscar for Best Screenplay.
Over the years, Ireland has produced no shortage of incredible films. From global hits to Oscar-winners, Hollywood classics filmed in Ireland, and lesser-known masterpieces, Irish cinema has provided a wealth of quality viewing.
We're counting down 10 of the best Irish films of all time, from classics like The Quiet Man to contemporary art films like Hunger and many more.
Click through the gallery to see our picks for the 10 best Irish films.
