Ahhh St Patrick’s Day. A day when people, in every city across the world, wear green, share endless memes about why hailing from Ireland is reason enough to score a smooch and drink as though the dawn will signal a new era of prohibition.
If none of these things is up your alley, then we would love to suggest another way to celebrate the glory of Ireland and its people — green attire and endless supply of drinks optional.
Here are five films to watch on St Patrick’s Day, or just any day of the year.
Brooklyn
This 2015 film stars Saoirse Ronan in her breakthrough role as Ellis who arrives in New York in the 1950s. Like millions of Irish immigrants before her, Ellis is lured by the promise America holds and is able to quickly eschew her homesickness when she falls in love with Tony (Emory Cohen). What ensues is Ellis’ pendulation between her past and present as she must choose between the two countries that now feel like home.
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Gangs of New York
This epic historical film took Martin Scorcese 20 years to develop, having gleaned the inspiration from Herbert Asbury’s 1927 book of the same name.
The film stars Leonardio DiCaprio as Amsterdam Vallon — a young Irish immigrant who, upon his release from prison, returns to New York’s notorious Five Points to exact revenge on his father’s killer (played by Daniel Day-Lewis).
Amsterdam’s fight for the rights of his fellow Irish immigrants is a fairly historically accurate depiction of the ongoing struggles of the residents of Five Points and the turbulence of Lower Manhattan in the 1800s.
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Leap Year
Switching gears from extreme violence, if a good old fashioned rom com is more your flavour then of course we are going to recommend you (re)watch Leap Year.
Everyone’s favourite redhead Amy Adams stars as Anna who, tired of not receiving a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, plans a trip to Ireland so she can propose to him on February 29 thanks to an old Celtic tradition.
Things don’t exactly go to plan though and Anna finds herself in the company of Declan (Patrick Dempsey) who throws a very sexy spanner in the works.
Yes, we know that this is one that perhaps hasn’t aged well in terms of feminism, but it’s still a sweet film if you’re in the right mood.
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In the Name of the Father
A classic and of course, it’s on the list. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, the film is set in 1970s Belfast where unemployed young Irishman Gerry Conlon makes a living as a petty criminal before fleeing Ireland to avoid the IRA.
On the night Gerry escapes to England, the IRA blows up pub and becomes the prime suspect of the crime upon his return to Belfast. For the next 15 years, Gerry must fight to clear his name.
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Once
Here’s one for the musical lovers out there. This popular 2007 films revolves around a vacuum repairman and street musician (Glen Hansard) who is hoping for his big break. He falls in love with a flowe- sellling Czech immigrant (Marketa Irglova), who is also an aspiring singer-songwriter.
The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love. The film, of course, features the beautiful track Falling Softly which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 80th Academy Awards.
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