Irish Language

The Irish language, which for much of the twentieth century was in decline and spoken only in isolated Gaeltacht areas, has in recent decades enjoyed a modest renaissance. This growth in popularity and proficiency in the language is due in part to educational initiatives and to the range of programmes designed to promote the use of the language in film and television. Here you will find short and feature films, most made with funding from Screen Ireland (formerly the Irish Film Board) and Irish-language broadcaster TG4, which will allow audiences to experience the Irish language in full voice. All films are presented with English language subtitles unless otherwise noted.

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Aisling Gheal

Dónal Ó Céilleachair, 79 minutes, 2013

Sean-nós singing is one of the most precious aspects of Irish traditional music and the Sean-nós singer is the living embodiment of a tradition that stretches far into Irish history. Aisling Gheal is a project run by a team of…

Aithrí

Tom Collins, 84 minutes, 2018

Unequivocal about the need for violence to force Britain out of Ireland, Father Eoin O’Donnell seals the fate of the young and impressionable Antaine by convincing him to fight in the 1916 Rising. Fifty years later, the reappearance of the…

An Cailín Ciúin [pka Fanacht]

Colm Bairéad, 95 minutes, 2021

Even before its release, Colm Bairéad’s debut feature has, quite rightly, become one of the most lauded and garlanded Irish films of recent years. Adapted from Foster, a short story by Claire Keegan, it centres on nine-year-old Cáit, a shy…

An Díog is Faide

Hugh Farley, 14 minutes, 2004

A dramatic short about Sonnie Murphy, an impoverished man from Co Clare, and the 1932 Olympics. Though a talented athlete, Sonnie(Stephen D’Arcy), has to contend with poverty, the disapproval of his family and the searing heat of Los Angeles as…

An Rinceoir

Elaine Gallagher, 4 minutes, 2011

An Irish language short, An Rinceoir consists primarily of the Irish dancing performed by Ania (Vitalija Bondareva). With Ania mistaken identified by the Irish speaking community as Áine, An Rinceoir portrays the meeting of Irish and foreign cultures in a…

Arracht

Tom Sullivan, 86 minutes, 2019

On the eve of the great famine, fisherman Colmán Sharkey (Dónall Ó Healaí) ekes out a meagre existence for his family on the west coast of Ireland. Wrongly blamed for the murder of an inclement local landlord (Michael McElhatton) he…

ARRACHT + Q&A

Tom Sullivan,

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Tom Sullivan and actor Donal O Healai, hosted by Ruán Magan. On the eve of the great famine, fisherman Colmán Sharkey (Dónal Ó Healaí) ekes out a meagre existence for…

The Breadwinner

Nora Twomey, 94 minutes, 2017

The Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon animation studio (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea) returns with another Oscar-nominated triumph; directed by Nora Twomey – co-director of Kells – The Breadwinner is a beautifully realised ode to resilience under oppression and…

The Camino Voyage

Dónal Ó Céilleachair, 98 minutes, 2018

A crew of explorers takes to the beloved, sacred Camino de Santiago – not by land but by sea – in this evocative, immersive documentary by director Dónal Ó Ceilleachair (Aisling Gheal, Ó Chúil Aodha go hÓileán Í). The adventurers,…

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