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IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE and many people will be looking forward to putting their feet up over the festive season with a good movie.
Here’s ten Irish films that are available to stream over Christmas, and where to find them.
Redemption of a Rogue
The first feature length film from playwright Philip Doherty, Redemption of a Rogue won Best Irish Film and Best Irish First Feature Award at the 2020 Galway Film Fleadh.
In this dark comedy, a prodigal son returns to Cavan to see his estranged father just before he dies. It turns out his father left a will warning that should his body be buried on a rainy day, the son will be disinherited.
Cue a Biblical deluge of rain that just won’t stop.
Starring Cavan native Aaron Monaghan, Redemption of a Rogue is available to stream on Netflix.
The Young Offenders
Written, directed, and co-produced by Peter Foott, The Young Offenders has an Irish Film & Drama Award for Best Film Script under its belt and is also available on Netflix.
In this comedy, two teenage boys from Cork steal bicycles and ride off on a quest to find a missing bale of cocaine worth €7 million.
The film has been compared to The Inbetweeners by some critics, but “with a kinder, gentler wit”.
The Journey
The St Andrew’s Agreement was hailed by then Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain as an “astonishing breakthrough”.
‘The Journey’ is a fictionalised account of the relationship of DUP leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin’s chief negotiator Martin McGuinness during the political negotiations that led to the 2006 agreement.
With talks in the balance, the sworn enemies who would go on to be known as the “Chuckle Brothers” are forced to take a car journey together.
Starring Timothy Spall as Paisley and Colm Meaney as McGuinness, and available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Handsome Devil
Set in a fictional Irish, all-boys boarding school modelled on Castleknock College and Blackrock College, the film is seen through the eyes of Ned.
He seems to be the only student at the school who does not enjoy rugby, and he is then assigned a new roommate who is a star rugby player.
Though they are initially wary of each other, the duo soon form a close friendship, with a particular interest in music.
An LGBTQ+ coming of age story, but with the unique twist that the relationship between the two male leads is one of friendship rather than a romantic one.
Featuring Andrew Scott, the film is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.
Deadly Cuts
Four stylists in a Dublin hair salon become accidental vigilantes as they take on a local gang threatening their community.
A black comedy that’s a cut above the rest, it’s available on Netflix.
The Guard
Irish buddy cop comedy that sees an unorthodox garda with a confrontational personality teamed up with an uptight FBI agent.
The most successful independent Irish film in terms of Irish box-office receipts, it stars Brendan Gleeson alongside Don Cheadle.
Directed and written by John Michael McDonagh (brother of Martin McDonagh), it’s available now on Netflix.
You are not my Mother
In a North Dublin housing estate, Char’s mother goes missing.
When she returns, her mother is radically changed and Char is determined to uncover the truth of her disappearance and unearth the dark secrets of her family.
This 2021 psychological horror film written and directed by Kate Dolan is available on Netflix.
Once
Singer-songwriter Glen Hansard stars in this modern musical set in Dublin.
It’s about a busker who strikes up a friendship with an immigrant and tells the tale of their eventful week together as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story.
It’s gone on to receive critical acclaim and even won an Oscar for Best Original Song with ‘Falling Slowly’.
Available on Netflix.
The Siege of Jadotville
Starring Jamie Dornan, this Netflix Original is billed as an Irish-South African production.
It’s based on Declan Power’s book, ‘The Siege at Jadotville: The Irish Army’s Forgotten Battle’.
Power is a former Irish Army soldier, and the book and film is about an Irish Army unit’s role in the titular Siege of Jadotville during the United Nations Operation in the Congo in September 1961.
The battle scenes are described as an “impressive spectacle” and it’s available on the aforementioned Netflix.
Hard Times
A once-booming, small Irish town that’s famous for its Holy Well falls on hard times and offers little in the way of employment.
When group of friends come up with a plan to hijack a consignment of Viagra and sell it on the open market in Amsterdam, they don’t count on the muscular response of Viagra’s makers.
In a panic, they hide the load of Viagra down the town’s Holy Well.
Available to stream on Netflix.
Some impressive Irish films are also available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play, and Apple TV.
Notable titles include:
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Soon all our main streets will be exact replicas of each other and we’ll start to resemble the cookie-cutter cities of the UK. DCC needs to start supporting small business owners and stop feeding the fat cats.
@Anonymous Education: There used to be a unique feel walking down streets of different cities, but thanks to global commercialism, the same shops appearing in every city on multiple streets, cities are losing their sense of individualism.
@Anonymous Education: so people complain when there aren’t jobs, then when a business opens and creates 600 jobs people complain because it’s not a small Irish business. You really can’t win
@Sam Harms: haven’t heard very many there’s no job complaints! The point on generic fast food places flooding what were once unique streets is valid
@Conor Heneghan: would you rather buildings remain vacant?
@Sam Harms: If they’re the only two options that you can see, then you need to try opening your mind.
Indigenous businesses should always be preferred to generic corporate entities. Authorities can affect this by various means.
@Adam Johnson: and then there’s the people who moan because Ireland doesn’t have a central plaza but every other European city does! People seem to like everything being the same!
@Battaz: but there aren’t enough indigenous businesses to take over all of the empty commercial properties. There are loads of empty retail/restaurant spaces near where I live that have been vacant for at least 2 years now.
Was a good film that.
@Decko Kelly: Yeah it was.
@Decko Kelly: No women, no children.
@Will Thompson: he was very sexist was me in. And ageist
Can’t wait not to go there to get ripped off
@Artur Gurta: Here’s their menu, prices seem to be a few pound more than UK McDonald’s for a simialr mount of food. Have to give them some credit for selling healthy food at a price similar or just above to other fast food chains.
https://leon.co/wp-content/uploads/LEON-SPRING-PAPER-MENU.pdf
@David Jordan: Thanks for that. Looks nice, just have to convince my fast food junkie kids unfortunately.
Every second shop is a food outlet then you’ve the government whinging about being obese.. Enough is enough..
@TechBuzz Ireland: I suggest you have a look at their menu first.
@Dave O’Keeffe: Lentil masala. I’ll pass thanks.
@TechBuzz Ireland: Mediterranean Cuisine … healthy … but we shall wait and see and how much will a leaf do lettuce set ya back…
@Terry Cahill: the price is on the menu you don’t have to wait and see.
@Radioska: Sterling prices without Irish inflation…
@Battaz: Great for the bowels.
I wish they opened comments on the pr1ck who tortured those poor dogs. String him up!
@David Walters: No comments allowed on legal cases currently before the courts.
Another hangout for the beardo-checkshirts or maybe the pseudo -blueshirts ….
We are being invaded by hordes arriving on our shores opening up franchise food outlets. We can’t cope! The country in bursting at its seems with mediocre culinary offerings and “trendy” furniture.
Let’s have a referendum to keep them out!
Nice to see a “healthy” fast food place open instead of the usual rubbish!
@Lyndsy Ní Éalaithe: yeah, but I don’t think a quinoa salad would cut it at 2am when all you want is taco chips
@Green Lentils: Ha ha true!
@Lyndsy Ní Éalaithe: If the coffee is as shite as the coffee in the Happy Pair, they can keep it.
Should this not be in Fora, or at least labelled ‘sponsored’? Who’s gonna believe it’s not!?
Let the trotts commence.
It’s very average stuff, cold mulsh in the guise of healthy living, so It’ll probably be huge here, and if its not who cares Stuart and the gang can dress up in some other venture they care little for in a bid to be millionaires.
How can they call pulped veggies and fruit smoothies healthy !!!.
They crush the enzymes out of it and instead of slow release sugars and fibres you are basically drinking lumpy coke.
This crap is poison to diabetics.
have your say