Page updated 19/3/2023
Added “It Is In Us All” (2022).
“Ice Cream Girls, The” (2013) (180 mins) 3-part ITV Drama mini-series.
Jodhi May, Holli Dempsey, Lorraine Burroughs, Georgina Campbell, Kathy Kiera Clarke.
Director: Dan Zeff.
Based on the book by Dorothy Koomson.
Set in Brighton but filmed in Ireland – Dublin, Bray, Greystones etc.
Left to right: Jodhi May and Lorraine Burroughs.
As teenagers, Poppy Carlisle and Serena Gorringe were the only witnesses to a tragic event. Amid heated public debate, the two seemingly glamorous teens were dubbed ‘The Ice Cream Girls’ by the press and were dealt with by the courts. Years later, having led very different lives, Poppy is keen to set the record straight about what really happened, while Serena wants no one in her present to find out about her past. But some secrets will not stay buried – and if theirs is revealed, everything will become a living hell all over again
Screened on TV but no sign of an official DVD release yet.
I Could Read the Sky (1999) (86 mins) Drama
Dermot Healy, Stephen Rea, Brendan Coyle, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Jake Williams.
Director: Nichola Bruce. Filmed in Ireland and at Bow Studios, London.
Low budget – £500,000 – with some funding coming from the Irish Film Board, C4 and the UK Lottery.
Available from Amazon.com on DVD – extremely rare and expensive.
“Identicals” (2015) (90 mins) Sci-Fi/Thriller
Nick Blood, Nora-Jane Noone, Tony Way.
Writer/Director: Simon Pummell.
Aka “Brand New-U”.
Filmed in London and Dublin.
The organization Brand New-U identifies networks of IDENTICALS – people who walk like you, talk like you, but are walking through different, better lives – and helps their customers make a life upgrade: eliminating the better-life donor, and relocating their client to that brand new life. Slater seems to have the perfect life, the perfect job and the perfect girlfriend. But when Slater’s girlfriend is abducted by Brand New-U, and a corpse left in her place, he is forced to become an Identical. As he moves through a series of parallel lives, he becomes more and more obsessed with finding his girlfriend, but what he must find in the end is himself.
Available on DVD.
“Iguana with a Tongue of Fire, The” (1971) (92 mins) Horror/Thriller 
Aka “L’Iguana Dalla Lingua Di Fuoco”. Italian with English dubbing.
Luigi Pistilli, Dagmar Lassander, Anton Diffring, Arthur O’Sullivan and Niall Tobin.
Director: Riccardo Freda.
Based on the novel A Room Without a Door by Richard Mann.
Filmed in Ireland – Dublin City and Waterford (?).
In Dublin, a young woman is brutally murdered in her home by a maniac who throws acid in her face and then slits her throat with a razor. Her mangled body is later discovered in the boot of a limousine owned by the Swiss Ambassador to Ireland, Sobiesky (Anton Diffring). The Ambassador, who was the dead woman’s lover, refuses to cooperate with the police citing his diplomatic immunity. John Norton (Luigi Pistilli), an ex-cop thrown out of the force for his brutal working methods, is brought in to help but gets too deeply involved when he starts an affair with the Ambassador’s beautiful step-daughter, Helen (Dagmar Lassander). Meanwhile, the brutal killings continue…..
Released on DVD in Germany under the title “Die Bestie mit dem feurigen Atem” and still available from Amazon.de – scarce.
“I’m a Dreamer, Montreal” (1979) (55 mins) (ITV Playhouse: Season 11, Episode 2)
Bryan Murray, Vass Anderson, Jeananne Crowley, Eamonn Boyce, and Raymond Campbell.
Director: Brian Farnham. Writer: Stewart Parker.
Set in Belfast, music librarian Nelson Gloverby (Bryan Murray) lives in a dream world. A Showband singer by night, he is unconcerned with audience irritation at his inability to stick to the proper lyrics. He is innocently drawn into the brutality of “the troubles” when he meets siren Sandra Carse (Jeananne Crowley). His world having been turned around, he takes the bus home. The bus driver is singing the lyrics I’m a Dreamer, Montreal; this time it is Nelson who points out the correct lyrics: I’m a Dreamer, Aren’t We All? Wiki
Does not appear to be available.
Images (1972) (101 mins) Psychological Thriller.
Susannah York, Rene Auberjonois, Marcel Bozzuffi, Hugh Millais, Cathryn Harrison.
Director: Robert Altman.
No Irish actors in the cast. The film was entered as Ireland’s first official entry at the Cannes Film Festival, where Susannah York won the award for Best Actress.
Filmed at Ardmore Studios; at Powerscourt Estate, and at an isolated house in the Wicklow mountains.
Left alone for the evening by her husband Hugh (Rene Auberjonois) in their luxurious apartment, Cathryn (Susannah York) is working on her children’s novel ‘In the Search of the Unicorn’ when she becomes terrified by strange occurrences. On the phone a familiar voice tells her that her husband is with another woman; and later, when Hugh returns to reassure her, he is momentarily transformed before her eyes into Rene (Marcel Bozzuffi), one of her former lovers who is dead. Cathryn becomes hysterical and Hugh agrees to take her to their holiday home in the country. Calmed by the drive, she stands on the hill overlooking their lakeside home but then sees herself unpacking the luggage below…
Available on VHS (used) and DVD – scarce!
“In America” (2002) (105 mins) Drama.
Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Djimon Hounsou.
Director: Jim Sheridan.
Filmed in USA (New York), Dublin and Ardmore Studios Bray.
An Irish immigrant and his family move into a tenement building east of Harlem so he can pursue his dream of making it as an actor.
Available on DVD.
“In Bruges” (2008) (107 mins) Comedy/Crime/Drama
Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes and Clémence Poésy.
Director: Martin McDonagh.
Filmed on location in Bruges, Belgium.
Bruges, the most well preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travellers from all over the world, but for hitmen Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered by their London crime boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to lie low in the Flemish city for a couple of weeks. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals and cobbled streets, the two hitmen fill their days living the lives of tourists. But the longer they stay waiting for Harry’s call, the more surreal their experience becomes, as they find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloe (Clémence Poésy), who may have some dark secrets of her own. And when the call from Harry finally comes, Ken and Ray’s vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences.
Available on DVD.
“In Fear” (2013) (85 mins) Horror
Iain De Caestecker, Alice Englert, Allen Leech.
Director: Jeremy Lovering.
Set in Ireland but filmed in England.
Driving to a music festival, Tom (Iain De Caestecker) and Lucy (Alice Englert) plan to stay at a remote countryside hotel. But when road signs lead them in circles they are soon trapped in a maze of back-roads, with only their vehicle for protection from an unseen tormentor hell-bent on exploiting their worst nightmares. Driving, lost and tormented in the night, primal fears of the dark and unknown become real, as the couple realise they may have let the evil in, or that it was always there.
Available on DVD.
“Informant, The” (1997) (149 mins) Thriller. aka “The IRA Informant”.
Cary Elwes, Timothy Dalton and Anthony Brophy.
Director: Jim McBride.
Based on the novel “Field of Blood” by Gerald Seymour.
Filmed in County Dublin.
Music by The Pogues & Shane McGowan.
1983 Belfast: A reluctant IRA recruit, Gingy McAnally (Anthony Brophy) is forced to carry out a murderous attack in downtown Belfast. After the attack, McNally is recognized leaving the scene by a British Army officer Lt.David Ferris (Cary Elwes) and he is soon captured. Before long he passes into the hands of RUC Chief Inspector Rennie (Timothy Dalton) who after ruthlessly interrogating him persuades him to inform on his fellow terrorists. However, McAnally soon discovers that betraying the IRA has put his life in grave danger; just as significantly, his wife and family are no longer sure that they can trust him after he turned in his comrades. As a result of his information, key members of the local IRA leadership are arrested. Gingy and his family are moved to a safe house….
Scarce on VHS/DVD.
Careful if buying a DVD as it’s Dutch with subtitles that cannot be disabled!
“Informer, The” (1929) (83 mins) Drama.
Lars Hanson, Lya de Putti, Warwick Ward, Dennis Wynham.
Director: Arthur Robison.
Story by Liam O’Flaherty.
A dim-witted rebel turns in a friend for a reward in the Anglo-Irish War of 1916-1922 and then deals with the consequences.
Not available.
“Informer, The” (1935) (100 mins) Drama.
Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Preston Foster, Margot Grahame, Wallace Ford, Una O’Connor, Joseph Sawyer, J.M. Kerrigan, Donald Meek.
Director: John Ford.
Oscars: Best Actor (McLaglen), Best Director (Ford), Best Screenplay (Nicholls), Best Original Score (Steiner).
Filmed in a Hollywood lot – not in Ireland.
A Dublin revolutionary betrays an Irish rebel’s most solemn code in this taut adaption of Liam O’Flaherty’s novel, and one of the most powerful films in the distinguished career of John Ford. Gypo Nolan (Victor McLaglen) is an Irish rebel who secretly betrays his hunted friend to the British authorities for £20. Gypo breaches this trust in hope of buying passage to America to start a new life for himself and his girlfriend – but he has become an informer, the most hated of all traitors in the Irish revolutionary underworld. Tormented by his betrayal and haunted by his blood money……..
Available on VHS and DVD.
“Innocent” (2018) (180 mins) Crime. ITV 4 part mini-series.
Lee Ingleby, Daniel Ryan, Hermione Norris, Adrian Rawlins…..
The story is set on the UK mainland and while the location setting scenes were filmed there, the areas around Malahide and Dublin city were used for the buildings’ interiors and exteriors.
David Collins fights to rebuild his shattered life, when, after spending seven years in a high-security prison, his conviction for the murder of his wife is overturned.
Filming for a second series has been taking place in England and Ireland during Autumn 2020.
Series 1 is available on DVD.
“Innocent Assassin, The” (1959) (60 mins) Season.1. Ep.18. – Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse.
Desi Arnaz, Piper Laurie, James MacArthur, Francis Bethencourt and Arnold Daly.
Director: Robert Florey.
Eileen Gorman (Piper Laurie) and Jamsie Corcoran (James MacArthur) are in love, but they live in 1921 Dublin, Ireland, and their romance is blighted by civil strife. Their fathers are partisans of the Irish Republican Army, fighting the British. Their IRA group decides that a traitor must be killed, and Jamsie is assigned to assassinate him.
Not released on VHS or DVD.
“Insatiable” (2008) (90 mins) Horror/Thriller.
John Cronin, Laura Donnelly, Jon Kenny, Nora-Jane Noone, Damien Kearney and Geraldine Plunkett.
Director: Jessie Kirby.
Filmed in Stradbally, County Waterford.
Low budget – €250,000.
In the near future, Ireland is stricken by famine. With limited food sources of their own, and isolated from the rest of the world, the cost of a meal is just too high for the average person in a rural area.
Small town girl, Ellie (Nora-Jane Noone), has a sick mother to feed. She takes a job at Harvey’s Shop, the local store with a monopoly on food. To the delight of the people of the town, Mr. Harvey (Jon Kenny) has done the impossible: he has created a synthetic meat to feed the masses (at a handsome price, of course). As those who can afford to eat do so, those who can’t starve slowly to death, and Ellie continues to show up to work because there’s just not much else to do. That is, until Harvey’s attractive niece, Rachel (Laura Donnelly) shows up…
While Ellie is distracted by Rachel’s arrival, Harvey’s meat continues to appear in plentiful supply, without any explanation about where it’s come from or what it’s made from. But, as townspeople begin to disappear, and the rich get richer, something begins to feel very, very wrong. With Rachel’s help, Ellie sets out to uncover the truth about the mystery meat but soon discovers that there are some things you were just better off not knowing.
Was available to download but the site is now closed down.
“Inside” (1985–1986) RTÉ Prison Drama 12 part mini-series
Tony Hayes, Daire Brehan, Kevin McHugh, John Cowley, Stephen Ryan, Patrick David Nolan, Aiden Grennell and Jim Bartley.
Devised by Joe Dunlop and broadcast in twelve parts from 15 November 1985.
It was produced and directed by Noel O Briain; the executive producer was Sean Cotter.
Not available.
“Inside, The” (2010) (93 mins) Horror.
Teresa Srbova, Emmett J Scanlan, Kelly Blaise, Sean Stewart, Vanessa M Fahy, Karl Argue, Kellie Blaise, Siobhan Cullen, Natalia Kostrzewa, Brian Fortune and Patrick Moynan.
Script Writer/Director: Eoin Macken. Production company: Blank Canvas Pictures.
Filmed in Dublin.
While in a Dublin pawnbrokers shop a young man comes across a second-hand video camera with a tape still inside. Curious, he plays back the footage and witnesses an horrific series of events involving a group of teens in a derelict building. Using the footage as a guide he tracks down the location where the events seemingly occurred. Investigating further he discovers to his horror not only the truth of the events on the tape but comes face to face with a supernatural terror from which he may not escape…
Available on DVD (2013)
“Inside I’m Dancing” (2004) (104 mins) Drama.
James McAvoy, Romola Garai, Steven Robertson, Brenda Fricker, Tom Hickey and Pat Shortt.
Director: Damien O’Donnell.
Aka “Rory O’Shea Was Here”
Filmed in Dublin City.
Michael (Steven Robertson), a young man with cerebral palsy and almost unintelligible speech, is resigned to a quiet life within Carrigmore Home for the Disabled until the rebellious Rory O’Shea (James McAvoy) moves in. Rory has a plan that sees them outsmart the system and get their very own flat despite them both being confined to a wheelchair. Employing the beautiful but inexperienced Siobhan (Romola Garai) as their aid, they embark on an unforgettable experience. With their new found friendship and independence, life is theirs for the taking, but not without consequence…
Available on DVD.
“Inspector George Gently” (2007-2017) (25 x 90 min episodes) BBC One Crime Drama.
Martin Shaw, Lee Ingleby, Simon Hubbard.
Inspector George Gently (titled George Gently for the pilot and first series) is a British television series produced by Company Pictures for BBC One, set in the 1960s and based on some of the 46 Inspector Gently novels written by Alan Hunter. The novels are set in East Anglia, around the area in Norfolk where the author grew up, but the TV series is set in County Durham, and is filmed in the North East of England as well as Ireland.
Irish locations used include Greystones, Co.Wicklow, Howth and Lucan, Co.Dublin.
Following the murder of his wife by notorious gangster Joe Webster in 1964, Inspector George Gently (Shaw) is pondering retirement. However, when he hears about Webster attending a funeral of a murder victim in Northumberland, he delays his retirement to take on this one last case. Paired with local detective DS John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby), he must track down Webster while trying to deal with his headstrong young assistant and keep him on the straight and narrow.
Available on DVD.
“Inspektor Jury – Mord im Nebel” (2015) (89 mins) Crime/Drama. German language.
Fritz Karl, Götz Schubert, Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey, Katharina Thalbach, Jack Hickey.
Director: Florian Kern.
Writers: Martha Grimes (novel), Günter Knarr.
Filmed in Ireland.
Available on DVD – German language only!
“Insurrection” (1966) (240 mins) RTÉ TV Docudrama Mini-series.
Gerry Alexander, Ray McAnally, Maurie Taylor, Joe Lynch, Anna Manahan, Jim Norton, Fionnula Flanagan and Pat Nolan.
Director: Louis Lenten.
Based on the book ‘Easter Rebellion’ by Max Caulfield.
‘Insurrection’ was an eight-part drama that depicted the events of Easter Week 1916 as they might have been covered if television had existed at that time. Ray McAnally acted as the studio anchor of a programme that presented daily reports on the Rising as they unfolded.
Telefis Éireann reporters interviewed the leaders of the Rising, British officers, politicians and eyewitnesses to the action of the week. On the spot reports were broadcast from the fighting at Mount Street Bridge and from inside the GPO.
Over eight nights, each half-hour programme brought studio interviews and breaking stories, with Ray McAnally using models and street maps to help explain to viewers what was happening.
This was Telefis Éireann’s biggest drama production since the station had begun broadcasting at the end of 1961. The series was produced by Louis Lentin who directed the studio and outside broadcast sequences, while Michael Garvey directed the filmed inserts. Hugh Leonard was commissioned to write the script.
Among a large cast from the ranks of the Radio Éireann Players and the Abbey Theatre was Eoin Ó Suilleabháin who played Patrick Pearse and Ronnie Walsh who played James Connolly. Many members of the Armed Forces also took part.
The GPO interior was the largest set built by Telefis Éireann; it was burned as part of a dramatic scene when the rebels left the building.
Sequences were filmed in late 1965 at Banna Strand and Ashbourne, and O’Connell Street was filmed for scenes showing the rebels seizing the GPO and the lancers charge through Sackville Street.
The series was well received by the public and critics. ‘Insurrection’ was also shown on BBC 2 in Britain and ABC in Australia while a shortened version was also shown in Norway, Sweden, Belgium and Canada. The series was repeated only once on RTÉ on Sunday, 1 May 1966 when it was shown in its entirety. RTÉ
Was shown again on RTE in 2016 to commemorate the centenary of ‘the Rising’ but still no sign of a DVD release.
“Intermission” (2003) (105 mins) Crime/Romance
Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy, Shirley Henderson, Colm Meaney, Kelly Macdonald, Barbara Bergin.
Director: John Crowley.
Filmed in Dublin.
Intermission is an urban love story about people adrift and their convoluted journeys in the search for some kind of love. A misguided break-up between two young lovers initiates a series of events affecting everyone around them with cataclysmic results.
All the characters are blissfully unaware of the accidental nature of life and the way in which their lives intersect. The hapless lover and his best mate, the sex-starved singleton, the maverick detective and a ruthless petty thief, the pretty girl on the rebound with an older man, all find their lives interweaving.
Verdict: Love and Death on the Northside….avoid!
Available on DVD.
“In the Border Country” (1991) 4 Play: Season 2, Episode 3.TV drama.
Sean Bean, Juliet Stevenson, Saskia Reeves, Sean McGinley, Dervla Kirwan, John Kavanagh,
Ian McElhinney and Brendan Gleeson.
Director: Thaddeus O’Sullivan.
Production company: Channel 4 Films/Little Bird Productions.
In the Border Country is an Irish drama with black-clad figures moving across the Ulster landscape towards blood feud and tragedy.
Not available.
“In the Days of St. Patrick” (1917)
Ira Allan, Alice Cardinall, George Griffin, Maud Hume, T. O’Carroll Reynolds, Cyclone Billy Warren, Alice Keating.
Director: Norman Whitten.
Produced by the General Film Company of Ireland.
This film was the first feature-length production on the life of Patrick, the fifth-century Roman/Welsh missionary.
Filmed in Rush, County Dublin.
Patrick and his sister Lupita are kidnapped in Wales by Irish raiders who bring them back to Ireland as slaves. Patrick later goes on to bring Christianity to Ireland.
Not available.
“In the Name of the Father” (1993) (133 mins) True Drama.
Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson, Pete Postlethwaite, Don Baker.
Director: Jim Sheridan.
Screenplay by Jim Sheridan & Terry George.
Based upon Gerry Conlon’s book “Proved Innocent”.
Filmed in Dublin, Liverpool and London.
In the Name of the Father tells the true saga of Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis). A petty thief in strife-torn 1970s Belfast, Gerry’s main interests are getting drunk and partying, much to the dismay of his quiet, frail father Guiseppe (Pete Postlethwaite).
When Gerry angers the IRA, his father sends him to England, where his antics land him in the wrong place at the wrong time. Innocent, but forced to confess to a savage terrorist bombing, he is sentenced to life imprisonment as one of the “Guildford Four.” An innocent Guiseppe is also arrested and jailed, and while behind bars, Gerry slowly learns that his father’s seeming weakness masks an unmatched inner strength and wisdom.
Working with a fiercely dedicated lawyer (Emma Thompson), Gerry determines to prove his innocence, clear his father’s name and expose the truth behind one of the most shameful legal events in recent history.
Available on VHS (used) and DVD.
“In this Corner” (1985) (60 mins) Drama. Made for Canadian TV.
Robert Wisden, Patrick Tierney and Neil Munro.
Director: Atom Egoyan.
Written by Paul Gross.
Produced for the CBC, it concerns a Canadian-Irish boxer who assists the IRA in concealing a terrorist so the man can return to Ireland.
Not Available.
“Into the West” (1993) (97 mins) Drama.
Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin, Rúaidhrí Conroy, Ciarán Fitzgerald, Colm Meaney, David Kelly, Brendan Gleeson, Johnny Murphy, John Kavanagh, and Pauline Delaney.
Director: Mike Newell.
Filmed in Counties Wicklow and Dublin, Laois (Portarlington) and Galway (Dog’s Bay near Roundstone).
Still mourning the death of his wife some years earlier, Papa Riley (Gabriel Byrne), a Traveller King, rejects the travellers’ ways and opts for a settled life in Dublin, leaving his two young sons, Tito (Rúaidhrí Conroy) and Ossie (Ciarán Fitzgerald), to fend for themselves.
Their lives change when their Grandfather (David Kelly) shows up, bringing with him a magnificent white stallion named Tír na nÓg. But it’s not long before the authorities discover the horse in the Riley’s flat and have it removed, leaving the boys heartbroken.
With the help of corrupt police chief (Brendan Gleeson), Tír na nÓg is sold to a local horse trainer, who plans to turn him into a champion show jumper. But Ossie and Tito decide to free him, becoming fugitives as they embark on an adventure to stay with their beloved horse. Papa Riley, realizing that he must save his children, is jolted from his state of grief. Aided by his old traveller friends, he takes off into the West…
Available on VHS and DVD and as a newspaper promo DVD.
“In View” (2016) (93 mins) Drama
Caoilfhionn Dunne, Stuart Graham, Ciaran McMenamin, Gerard McSorley, Maria McDermottroe.
Writer/Director: Ciaran Creagh.
In View follows Ruth (Caoilfhionn Dunne), a Detective Garda, as she nears the end of a long process of grieving for the loss of her baby and husband, and ultimately herself. Ruth’s depression and alcoholism manifest in manic extremes of passivity and anger, indifference and violence.
Two camps comprise Ruth’s closest – yet still distant – circle: those who blame and those who forgive. Yet Ruth cannot see beyond her worst critic: herself. Eventually her unyielding guilt forces Ruth to confront her past mistakes and choose a path toward redemption.
Premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh in July 2016.
No sign of a DVD release.
“Invisibles, The” (2008) (360 mins) Comedy. Six-part BBC TV series.
Anthony Head, Warren Clarke, Jenny Agutter and Dean Lennox Kelly.
Director: William Ivory.
Production company: Company Pictures.
Filmed in Northern Ireland – Belfast, Portaferry, Ballywalter and Bangor. And Dublin.
The series follows Maurice Riley (Anthony Head) and Syd Woolsey (Warren Clarke), old friends who return from the good life on the Costa del Crime, where they have spent their ill-gotten gains, to a quiet Devon fishing village, where they plan to eke out their retirement. However, the quiet life is not for them and, with money running short, they quickly find themselves drawn back into a life of crime, only to find that crime has moved on and they have got new things to learn.
Available on DVD.
“Invitation to a Dynamite Party” (1981) (60 mins) TV drama. “Cribb” Season .2. Episode 6.
Alan Dobie, David Waller, William Simons, Charles Keating and Jeananne Crowley.
Director: Alan Grint.
The final episode in the two-season series.
‘You must understand that we are not dealing with petty thieves or one of your backyard murderers, Cribb. We are fighting a secret society pledged to wrench Ireland from Her Majesty’s dominion by every means at its disposal.’ The year is 1884. London is being terrorised by a series of bomb blasts – even within Scotland Yard! Reluctantly, Sergeant Cribb (Alan Dobie) attends a course in the science of infernal machines in a bid to gain expert knowledge of explosives and beat the criminals at their own game. With Constable Thackeray (William Simons) the prime suspect, Cribb feels bound for professional and personal reasons to track down the truth at any cost. And very soon he is abducted at gunpoint by an Irish-American hammer-thrower and finds himself an unwilling but vital member of the Dynamite Party.
Not available separately, so you have to buy the boxed set to get the solitary Irish episode.
Available on DVD as a part of a box set.
“I.R.A King of Nothing, The” (2006) (85 mins) Thriller.
Damian Chapa, Rachel Hunter, Joe Estevez and Cian McCormack.
Director: Damian Chapa.
Low budget movie filmed in Northern Ireland – Belfast, County Antrim. Also in Bray, County Wicklow.
Bobby O’Brien (Damian Chapa) grew up in the IRA during ‘The Troubles’ and now feels let down by the Peace Process. He sets out to continue the fight as a volunteer in the Continuity IRA.
Available on DVD.
“Ireland, A Nation” (1914) (U.S.) (Silent)
Barry O’Brien.
Director: Walter McNamara.
Script by P.J. Bourke.
The film had only one public showing in Dublin in January 1917 at the Rotunda before the British authorities banned it. Banned for several years in Ireland while it played for packed houses in America in such places as Chicago.
Filmed in Baltinglass and Glendalough, County Wicklow.
In 1920, the Gaelic Film Company added scenes from the contemporary situation in Ireland – the Auxiliaries, the Black and Tans and the death of Terence MacSweeny, the Lord Mayor of Cork. The story of Robert Emmet and more modern attempts to obtain Home Rule in Ireland.
More here: http://www.tcd.ie/irishfilm/silent/ireland-a-nation.php
And on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qMqM7SyTqoY#!
“Ireland’s Rough-Hewn Destiny” (1929)
Gearoid O’Lochlinn.
Director: Victor Haddick.
A film about an Irish-speaking St. Patrick.
No further information.
“Ireland, The Oppressed” (1912) (U.S.A.)
Robert Vignola, Jack Clark, Sidney Olcott, Alice Hollister.
Director: Sidney Olcott.
Filmed in Beaufort, County Kerry.
An old Irishman named Marty tells how 50 years ago he helped an Irish priest escape to America after the priest was found to be supporting tenants who were about to be evicted by their landlords. Marty along with others in the “White Boys,” a secret agrarian society, deal with an informer in their efforts to help the priest. Peggy, Marty’s girlfriend, is sentenced to seven years in jail for helping with the rescue of the priest, but she later marries Marty.
Available……?
“Irish Girl, The” (1917)
Kathleen Murphy.
Director: J.M. Kerrigan.
“Irish Hearts” (1927) (U.S.A.)
Mary McAvoy.
Director: Byron Haskin.
Sheila follows her boyfriend Emmett to America from Ireland. In America, Emmett has taken up with a flapper named Clarice, and he abandons Sheila. Sheila meets an American named Rory. On the day that Sheila was to have married Emmett, he changes his mind and instead marries Clarice. Sheila goes to the wedding party, and she makes a mess of the dinner. Sheila then goes on to marry Rory.
No other information.
“Irish and Proud of It” (1936) (78 mins) Comedy Drama.
Richard Hayward, Dinah Sheridan, Liam Gaffney.
Director: Donovan Pedelty.
Exteriors shot in County Antrim with interiors at Wembley Studios, London.
Reissued in 1952 (?)
Donogh O’Connor is an Irish singer making good in London who, at a banquet, expresses the desire to return to the little village, Ballyvoraine, where he was born. Two of his friends, owning an aeroplane, gratify his desire by kidnapping him and depositing him on a hillside near his birthplace. Thus, begins the adventure of the middle-aged Irish gentleman with his London-acquired manners and his full-dress suit contrasting with the humble clothes of the villagers. He forms a friendship with a pretty, young colleen, Moira Flaherty, and aids her in reforming her sweetheart, Sean Casey, who has joined a gang illegally distilling poitín. The gang is led by an American gangster, Mike Finnegan, who has also returned to his boyhood home. The two vie for control of the hearts and minds of the villagers, with O’Connor having the distinct advantage of being able to sing the old Irish ballads.
Copy held by Limerick Film Archive.
The full film may be viewed here: “Irish and Proud of It”
“Irish Cinderella, The” (1922) (72 mins) Silent. Drama.
The Cinderella story is put into an Irish context with stress on Irish patriotism.
Not available.
“Irish Destiny” (1926) (73 mins) Silent. Romantic/Drama.
Denis O’Dea, Una Shields, Daisy Campbell, F.J. McCormick, Maureen Delaney, Paddy Dunne Cullinan.
Directors: I.J. Eppel & George Dewhurst.
Produced by the Irish Film Company.
Banned in the U.K. by the British Board of Film Directors.
Filmed mainly around Dublin. Exterior filming also shot in Enniskerry (?), Glendalough and Greystones, and the interiors shot at Shepherd’s Bush Film Studio in England.
When the notorious “Black and Tans” arrive at his village of Clonmore, IRA man Denis O’Hara discovers a plan to raid a secret IRA meeting, and he races to Dublin to warn his colleagues. He reaches the city but is shot and captured by British soldiers. Denis is imprisoned in Kildare but manages to escape along with his fellow prisoners. Believing him to be dead, his mother goes blind from the shock, and his girlfriend Moira is abducted by fellow villager Beecher, who is in league with the Tans. Denis arrives back in Clonmore just in time to rescue Moira. With the burning of the Customs House in Dublin, the War of Independence is soon over and a truce is reached with the British.
Available from Amazon on DVD (2009) RTE release – scarce. Also from the Irish Film Institute, Temple Bar, Dublin.2.
“Irish for Luck” (1936) (68 mins) Comedy.
Athene Seyler, Margaret Lockwood, Patric Knowles, Gibb McLaughlin, Terry Conlin, George Dillon, Eugene Leahy and Edward Rigby.
Director: Arthur Woods.
Adapted from a novel by L.A.G.Strong.
Aka “Meet the Duchess”.
Filmed at Teddington Studios, London.
An impoverished Irishwoman known as ‘The Duchess’ (Athene Seyler) adopts her orphaned niece, Ellen O’Hare (Margaret Lockwood), although she is poor. ‘The Duchess’ succeeds in keeping her creditors at bay, and even deceives a Dublin bank when her allowance ceases by re-opening her overdrawn account. Ellen then goes to Dublin where she befriends a street performer, Terry O’Ryan. ‘The Duchess’ takes the two entertainers, along with the family retainer, Thady, to London where they get a spot on the ‘In Town Tonight’ talent programme. Initially unsuccessful, they return to Ireland where ‘The Duchess’ discovers that she has inherited £50 and the two young entertainers are offered a contract. TCD.IE
Not available.
“Irish Hearts” (1934) (69 mins) aka “Norah O’Neale” (USA).
Lester Matthews, Nancy Burne and Molly Lamont.
Director: Brian Desmond Hurst.
Based upon a novel by Dr.Abrahamson entitled “Night Nurse”
Filmed at Clogher Head, County Louth (according to IMDB), and also at Cricklewood Studios, England.
Set in Ireland the film is based around Dermot Fitzgerald, a surgeon at St. Brigid’s Hospital, Dublin, who loves Nurse Norah, but is unwilling to marry her. Meanwhile, Nurse Otway, having been operated on for appendicitis by Dermot, compromises him by kissing him in front of the matron. Dermot then announces his engagement to Nurse Otway and then typhus breaks out in the seaside village of Innisfallen. Dermot is asked to help the resident doctor and through overwork contracts the fever himself. Nurse Otway, realising that Dermot does not love her, calls Nurse Norah to take her place at his bedside, renouncing her engagement. Dermot recovers to realise Norah is to be his wife. www.briandesmondhurst.org/irishhearts.html
Not available. Copy held at Irish Film Archive.
“Irish Jam” (2006) (94 mins) Comedy.
Eddie Griffin, Dudley Sutton, Tom Georgeson and Anna Friel.
Director: John Eyres.
Set in Ireland but filmed in England – Cornwall (Portloe).
The Irish village of Ballywood is up for sale and a developer has plans to turn it into a theme park. The locals decide to run a massive poetry contest in hopes of raising enough money through entry fees to buy the village. The prize, the deeds to the village pub – the only property in the town not owned by the landlord – is won by con artist, Jimmy ‘The Jam’ McDevitt (Eddie Griffin), of South Central L.A. on the run from bill collectors and a jilted lover.
Available on DVD.
“Irish Luck” (1925) (70 mins) Comedy. Silent.
Thomas Meighan, Lois Wilson and Cecil Humphreys.
Director: Victor Heerman.
Production company: Famous Players-Lasky Corporation.
Exterior shots were filmed in Dublin (Phoenix Park Racecourse); Killarney, County Kerry and Blarney, County Cork.
Tom Donahue, a New York traffic cop, wins a trip to Europe and $2,000 in a popularity contest in a newspaper. He decides to visit relatives in Ireland. Arriving in Dublin, he learns that he bears a striking resemblance to Lord Fitzhugh, with whom he becomes friends, and who is the nephew of the Earl of Killarney. The earl, who is ill, wishes to see his nephew to put past acrimony to rest, but he is kidnapped. Fitzhugh’s sister, Lady Gwendolyn, persuades Tom to take his place. Tom successfully impersonates Fitzhugh, and thus secures his inheritance. He also discovers a conspiracy led by another nephew, Douglas, to kill Fitzhugh after the uncle’s death and thus gain the estate. Fitzhugh is freed, and Tom wins Gwendolyn. TCD.IE
Not available.
“Irish R.M., The” (UK) TV mini-series. (1983-85). Comedy.
Peter Bowles, Bryan Murray, Niall Tobin, Doran Godwin, Anna Manahan, Lise-Ann McLaughlin, Faith Brook, Beryl Reid and Brendan Conroy.
Based upon tales of E.OE. (Edith) Somerville and Martin Ross (Violet Florence Martin), two cousins from Anglo-Irish families in Galway.
Shot entirely on location in County Kildare.
Ireland 1895. Major Sinclair Yeates (Peter Bowles), a retired British army officer is appointed a Resident Magistrate in the West of Ireland in the days before Irish independence. Living in a ramshackle country house surrounded by the community’s eccentric inhabitants, Major Yeates is confronted with the characteristic blend of curious affection and mutual misunderstanding that exists between the Irish and their English neighbours. Yeates must struggle to be accepted into his new community while trying to come to terms with the demands and compromises of his new position.
Available on VHS and DVD.
“Irish Stew” (1993) (50 mins) Comedy/Drama. Lovejoy BBC TV series – Season 4 Ep.10.
Ian McShane, Phyllis Logan, Dudley Sutton, T.P.McKenna and John Kavanagh.
Director: John Crome.
Filmed on location in Ireland – Dublin, County Meath, and County Wicklow.
Lovejoy and his associates travel to the Republic of Ireland to try to pick up some cheap bargains. While there he becomes involved in keeping an historic book out of the hands of a shady businessman.
Available as part of the Season.4. box set.
“Irish Vampire in Hollywood, An” (2007) (90 mins) Fantasy/Horror.
Ken Baker, Morgan-Ray Borck and Conor Coghlan.
Director: Pegarty Long.
Original title “The Irish Vampire Goes West”.
Filmed in Ireland and in the USA – California.
Low budget – $250,000
Available on Region .1. DVD (2012)
“Irish Vendetta, An” (1920) Drama
William Powell, Kitty Hart.
Director: William Powell.
During the filming of this movie’s climax, William Powell was thrown from his horse onto the railings when his horse bolted on the Leopardstown racecourse. He died two days later in the Mater Hospital on June 6th, 1920.
Apparently, nothing of William Powell’s works have survived.
Not available.
“Irish Whiskey Rebellion, The” (1972) (92 mins) Drama
William Devane, Anne Meara, Richard Mulligan, David Groh and Stephen Joyce.
Director: Chester Erskine.
Aka “A Change in the Wind”.
Filmed in the USA – The film was shot on location on Fire Island, NY.
On the May Day in 1927 that the world anxiously awaits news of pilot Charles Lindbergh’s daring flight across the Atlantic, Irish Republican Army veteran Harry (Stephen Joyce) arrives at Fire Island, New York, where he intends to land a shipment of contraband whiskey. Hoping to send the proceeds from the illegal sale back to his comrades in Ireland, Harry must avoid brutal Coast Guard Lt. Commander Ashley (William Devane), who is searching for him. Befriended by showgirl Goldie Fain and her companion Fitzmaurice, Harry also evades Maxie, the representative of the local crime syndicate that resents the Irishman’s intrusion into their territory.
Does not appear to have had a VHS or DVD release.
“Irish Wives & English Neighbors” (1907) Comedy.
Director: Arthur Melbourne-Cooper (the pioneer British moviemaker http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Melbourne-Cooper).
Or is it Irish Wives & English Husbands??? First Irish feature film.
“Iron Harp, The” (1958) (90 mins) ITV Play of the Week.
Robert Urquhart, Maureen Connell, David Kelly, Richard Harris, Arthur Howard.
Director: Owen Cliff.
Based on a play by Joseph O’Conor.
Production company: Associated-Rediffusion Network Productions.
Richard Harris film debut??
Can the friendship which has grown up between a young English captain and the Irish ‘rebel’ who has taken him prisoner survive the bitter hatreds of war and the knowledge that they both love the same girl? (TV Times).
Seems unlikely to have survived as IMDb message forum indicates that most episodes have been lost.
“I See a Dark Stranger” (1946) (98 mins) Drama.
Aka “The Adventuress” (USA).
Deborah Kerr, Trevor Howard, Raymond Huntley, Liam Redmond, Harry Webster, Liam O’Gorman, Breffni O’Rourke, Cecil Forde, and Eithne Dunne.
Director: Frank Launder.
Written by Sidney Gilliat.
Filmed in England (Devon), the Isle of Man, Ireland (Dublin, Dundalk and Wicklow).
I See A Dark Stranger is a suspense-filled, highly entertaining spy drama about a young Irish girl, Bridie Quilty (Deborah Kerr) whose father delights in spinning tall tales about his role in the 1916 uprising against the British. When Bridie comes of age she decides to leave her rural home and seek out the IRA, but she unwittingly falls in with a German spy called Miller (Raymond Huntley), believing that he is part of the IRA. Miller recruits Bridie and finds her a job working in a sleepy village pub near a British military prison. But when British Army Officer David Byrne (Trevor Howard) arrives in the village to recuperate, he falls in love with the quarrelsome Bridie. Suspicious that Byrne is an intelligence officer Miller decides that Byrne needs to be eliminated and asks Bridie to help him…
Available on VHS (used) and on DVD.
“Islandman, The” (1938) (48 mins) Drama.
Gabriel Fallon, Cecil F. Ford, Eileen Curran and Brian O’Sullivan.
Director: Patrick Heale.
Not available.
“Island of the Great Yellow Ox” (1972) (3 x 25 mins) Children’s TV Drama. BBC/RTE.
Blanaid Irvine, Oliver Maguire, Jimmy O’Toole.
Based on the book by Walter Macken.
Conor, his younger brother and two of his friends venture to a local island in his father’s boat. While there, they unknowingly uncover a secret that has been kept for over two thousand years. But Lady Agnes and her husband, the Captain, have discovered the secret as well and they will stop at nothing to keep it to themselves, even if it means trapping the children on the island forever…
Last shown on television 1981.
Does not appear to have been released on VHS or DVD.
“Isolation” (2005) (95 mins) Horror.
John Lynch, Essie Davis, Sean Harris, Marcel Iures and Ruth Negga.
Director: Billy O’Brien.
Filmed in County Wicklow.
An experiment in bovine genetic modification goes horrifically wrong. Dan Reilly (John Lynch), a cattle farmer in the remote Irish countryside, whose ex, Orla (Essie Davis), a vet, has convinced him to take part in a profit-driven experiment on his cows, run by John (Marcel Iures), a scientist who seems very concerned with maintaining secrecy. Orla is conducting a routine check on a pregnant cow, and her hand is inside the animal, checking the unborn calf when something bites at her…
Available on DVD.
“I Thank a Fool” (1962) (100 mins) Drama.
Peter Finch, Susan Hayward, Diane Cilento, Cyril Cusack, Kieron Moore, Athene Seyler.
Director: Robert Stevens. Screenplay by John Mortimer.
Based upon a novel by Audrey Erskine Lindop.
Filmed at Crookhaven, County Cork and in England – Merseyside.
Dr. Christine Allison (Susan Hayward) is convicted of manslaughter for the mercy-killing of her terminally ill, married lover. After serving two years in prison, she is unable to find work. Then back into the picture comes Stephen Dane (Peter Finch) the prosecutor responsible for her conviction. Dane wants her to live in his home and look after his disturbed wife Liane (Diane Cilento) but, suspicious, she presses him for the reason he wants her. Dane tells her that he needs a trained doctor, but not one who has the power to commit Liane to a mental institution. Since Christine’s medical license has been taken away, she is perfect. Desperate, she accepts the job…
Available on Warner Bros. “Archive Collection” DVD.
“It’s Handy When People Don’t Die” (1980) (102/122 mins) Historical Drama
Garret Keogh, Bob Carlile, Brendan Cauldwell.
Director: Tom McArdle.
Filmed on location in Counties Cavan and Monaghan.
In the Irish village of Boolavogue, Wexford, in the summer of 1798, the inhabitants are increasingly affected by the unsettled political situation in the country. The village cobbler is murdered by British yeomen and all of the young men except for Art (Garret Keogh) leave to fight in the Rebellion. Art is a bewildered innocent who hides from the people as the political and military events are converted to legend. His life is gradually transformed and he, too, decides to join the uprising at Vinegar Hill. Those left behind in the village – the women, the children and such men who are too old or infirm to fight, try to continue with normal lives as the war continues. TCD.IE
Can’t be found online.
RTE and IFA hold copies.
“Italian Job, The” (1969) (101 mins) Crime/Comedy.
Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Maggie Blye, Benny Hill, Tony Beckley, Raf Vallone.
Director: Peter Collinson.
Filmed in Ireland – at Kilmainham Jail and Ardmore Studios – also in England and Turin, Italy.
Comic caper movie about a plan to steal a gold shipment from the streets of Turin by creating a traffic jam.
Available on VHS and DVD.
“It Is in Us All” (2022) (92 mins) Psychological Drama
Cosmo Jarvis, Rhys Mannion, Claes Bang, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Lalor Roddy.
Writer/Director: Antonia Campbell-Hughes.
Shot in rural County Donegal in four and half weeks in October and November 2020 amid ever-tightening Covid-19 restrictions, last-minute cast changes and ongoing, raging storms.
Hamish arrives on the soil of his mother’s birth; she is felt instantly. A shocking car accident rips him apart, shattering his clenched control. A beast broken, he finds himself lost in the world of his long deceased mother. Young teen Evan, also involved in the accident befriends Hamish.
The tremors of want and love beneath the stifling soil push to the surface, as he is led by the vitality of the unbridled boy Evan. He experiences the electric eroticism of living, and danger. His rage accelerates to violence, and ultimately his vibrant release.
“I Used to Live Here” (2014) (75 mins) Drama
Jordanne Jones, Ross Geraghty, Dafhyd Flynn, Nikita Rowley, James Kelly, Alicja Ayres.
Director: Frank Berry.
Filmed in Dublin – Tallaght.
Thirteen-year-old Amy lives with her father Raymond in Tallaght, west Dublin. Since losing her mother to illness three years ago, Amy has taken over much of the running of the house. But when Raymond’s ex-girlfriend reappears with her baby, Amy feels displaced and troubled, and she starts to spend more time away from the house. When news breaks in the area that a local boy has taken his own life, Amy experiences the temptation of suicide after witnessing the outpouring of love for the boy.
Available on DVD.
“I Was Happy Here” (1966) (91 mins) Drama. b/w.
aka “Passage of Love” and “Time Lost and Time Remembered”.
Sarah Miles, Cyril Cusack, Julian Glover, Sean Caffrey.
Director: Desmond Davis.
Adapted from a short story by Edna O’Brien entitled, Passage of Love.
Filmed in Ireland – County Clare and England – London.
Cass (Sarah Miles), as a young woman, leaves her Irish village for London where she marries Dr. Matthew Langdon (Julian Glover), an older man. After a quarrel, she returns to her village and the young man she once loved, Colin Foley (Sean Caffrey). However, she now finds that she fits neither into middle-class English society nor any longer into her old village life. Matthew follows Cass to Ireland, but he returns to London alone.
Available as an import DVD (2011) on eBay and Amazon.
“I Went Down” (1997) (105 mins) Crime/Comedy.
Brendan Gleeson, Peter McDonald, Peter Caffrey, Tony Doyle Antoine Byrne.
Director: Paddy Breathnach. Written by Conor McPherson.
A crime caper movie set in Ireland’s underworld, which follows the misadventures of a pair of small-time Dublin criminals, Git Hynes (Peter McDonald) and Bunny Kelly (Brendan Gleeson). Forced together to find a missing conman, and with ruthless crime boss Tom French (Tony Doyle) hot on their heels, the pair must learn to trust each other if they are to survive…
Available on VHS and DVD
Irish Movie Madness 
Is Island of the Great Yellow Ox available? I think it’s a classic
Hi,
Thanks for your comment. As far as I know “The Island of the Great Yellow Ox” has never been released on VHS/DVD and was last shown on television in 1981. I have updated my listing following you enquiry.
Best wishes.
David Parks