The first Irish feature to be directed by a woman, This Other Eden is a comedy set in 1945 where the erection of a statue of patriot martyr Jack Carberry creates problems in a small town. With the return of strong-willed Máire McRoarty (Audrey Dalton) following her exile at an English school to protect her from an unsuitable suitor, and the arrival of Englishman Crispin Brown (Leslie Phillips), long-held secrets begin to emerge that explode the mythology surrounding Carberry’s and Ireland’s past. With a fine supporting cast of Abbey players and star turns from Milo O’Shea and Hilton Edwards, This Other Eden is not just a critique of the past but a witty and complex comment on an emergent modern Ireland.

The film has been digitally remastered by the IFI Irish Film Archive in collaboration with the BFI under an initiative of the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE) with the support of the EU Creative Europe MEDIA programme.

Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn