Birdy Sweeney

In the time of Ireland's Great Famine, an elderly gravedigger revisits a traumatic event through the decaying visions of his fragmented dreams.

6.8/10

Based on the best selling autobiography by Irish expat Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes follows the experiences of young Frankie and his family as they try against all odds to escape the poverty endemic in the slums of pre-war Limerick. The film opens with the family in Brooklyn, but following the death of one of Frankie's siblings, they return home, only to find the situation there even worse. Prejudice against Frankie's Northern Irish father makes his search for employment in the Republic difficult despite his having fought for the IRA, and when he does find money, he spends the money on drink.

7.3/10
5.2%

Twenty years ago, Tony Egan's sister went to America. Nobody ever heard of her again. But now, the message of her death arrives in her town of birth. Only days later, her only son Chad arrives, too. Obviously, his mother took a black husband. Soon, Chad falls for Aislin, who has a bit of a crush on him too. But there is an old conflict going on between her father and Chad's uncle. This conflict resurfaces and begins to draw circles, wider and wider.

6.5/10

Francie and Joe live the usual playful, fantasy filled childhoods of normal boys. However, with a violent, alcoholic father and a manic depressive, suicidal mother the pressure on Francie to grow up are immense. When Francie's world turns to madness, he tries to counter it with further insanity, with dire consequences.

7.1/10
7.7%

Former police psychologist Rob (Paul McGann) helps to save young Chrissy (Susan Lynch) when she is about to commit suicide by jumping of 21st-story balcony with her 4-year-old son Jake. When he persuades her to go on a date, they are trapped with Jake in an elevator after a drunken gang crashes into the elevator's engine room and creates havoc.

4.6/10

Ballykissangel is a BBC television drama set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. The original story revolved around a young English Roman Catholic priest as he became part of a rural community. It ran for six series, which were first broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2001.

7.4/10

Set in Ireland, Sharon Curley is a 20 year old living with her parents and many brothers and sisters. When she gets herself pregnant and refuses to name the father, she becomes the talk of the town.

7.3/10
9.7%

Irish Republican Army member Fergus forms an unexpected bond with Jody, a kidnapped British soldier in his custody, despite the warnings of fellow IRA members Jude and Maguire. Jody makes Fergus promise he'll visit his girlfriend, Dil, in London, and when Fergus flees to the city, he seeks her out. Hounded by his former IRA colleagues, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the enigmatic, and surprising, Dil.

7.2/10
9.4%

Journey to Knock humourously follows three disabled men on their pilgrimage from the North of England to Knock shrine in Co. Mayo.

8.1/10

Reefer and the Model is a 1988 Irish film written and directed by Joe Comerford. It concerns Reefer, a former Irish Republican Army man who operates a ferry using an old trawler between the Galway coast and the Aran Islands; his friends Spider and Badger; and the pregnant Teresa ("the Model"), who has abandoned a life of drugs and prostitution in England. The group become involved in the armed robbery of a post office and are pursued by the Gardaí. The film premièred in Galway in August 1988. Reefer and the Model won the Europa Prize at the Barcelona Festival, and Best Feature at the Celtic Film Festival in Wales. At the 1988 European Film Awards, the film was nominated for Best Young Film, Carol Scanlan was nominated for Best Actress, and Ray McBride was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

6.1/10

The McAuleys are local celebrities and Eileen Hughes, a young shop assistant, is flattered to be taken under their wing. Then she accepts their invitation to join them for a week's holiday in London ...

Ulster 1959. A young journalist visiting his quiet hometown is awakened by a scream in the night. He catches sight of a youth being beaten up and dragged away. When he investigates, witnesses seem to melt away, and life-long friends reveal a sinister indifference. Or is it fear?

Professor Broderick, a famous professor of Psychology, returns to his house by Belfast Lough to discover a woman waiting for him.

Finn's story seems to begin when Henry Kirk comes into the bookshop where she works. But it goes back a lot further than that...