20 of the Best Irish Language Films
Irish language films are experiencing something of a renaissance. With more films being made every decade and with greater budgets to work with, Gaeilge is finding its way to the screen with increasing fervor. The last few years have seen groundbreaking milestones achieved, from the 2022 movie An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) becoming the first film in Irish to be awarded an Oscar nomination, to the breakout success of Kneecap (2024) and how it helped bring attention to the Irish language.
Whether you’re looking for enjoyable resources to help you learn Irish, experience some Irish culture, or simply relax with a bowl of popcorn on your lap, we hope the following is a handy place to start. The movies on this list are fully—or nearly fully— in Irish, unless otherwise stated. Here are what might possibly be the 20 best Irish language films, in no particular order.
1. Róise & Frank [2022]
Set in An Rinn (Ring), in the Gaeltacht of County Waterford, Róise, a grieving widow, disengages from life…until she is visited by a stray dog that possesses the characteristics of her late husband Frank. Convinced that the dog is the reincarnation of her husband, Róise finds new joy in her life spending time with “Frank” again. Originally titled Mo Ghrá Buan (My Eternal Love), it premiered with dog-friendly releases in some cinemas in Ireland.
2. Foscadh (Shelter) [2021]
Loosely based on Donal Ryan’s novel The Thing about December, recluse John Cunliffe inherits valuable land when his parents pass away. Having always lived as a recluse, Cunliffe must figure out who has his best interests at heart, and who doesn’t. Foscadh premiered at the 2021 Galway Film Fleadh, where it won Best First Film.
3. Kneecap [2024]
One of the biggest movies in 2024, worldwide, is likely Kneecap. With all three members of the band (DJ Próvaí, Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara) playing themselves in a stylized, fast-paced, wild-ride of a biographically-inspired film, it only adds to the frenetic rise of these rap legends. Both an insight into Urban Belfast and a love song to the Irish language, Kneecap is going to be considered one of the most important Irish films for a long, long time.
Read our review of Kneecap for a more detailed look at the film.
4. Kings [2007]
Nominated for 14 Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) and winner of five, Kings is a bilingual film about a group of friends who leave Connemara for London but return thirty years later for the funeral of a friend. Discovering the circumstances of their friend’s death recasts their youth and the lives they have lived since. Starring Colm Meaney as Joe Mullan, the actor was honored on a 2008 Irish stamp for the role.
5. Poitín [1978]
When it comes to the Best of Irish language films, why not start at the beginning of the industry? Shot in Connemara on 16 mm film, Poitín is the first feature movie to be made entirely in Irish, and the first to receive a script grant from the Arts Council of Ireland. Michil, a known moonshiner, is harassed by two degenerates, whom he must outwit in order to save himself and his daughter. You can watch the entire film here.
6. Black ‘47 [2018]
An action movie set in the Gaeltacht of Connemara? Why not. Martin Feeney, a Connacht Ranger, deserts the British Army to return home to his family during the worst of the famine. With local families evicted from their homes and turned out to starve, he fights against the landlords, as well as the authorities sent to capture him. With much of the dialogue in Irish, Black ‘47 shows the grim reality of the famine while being inherently entertaining.
7. Cré na Cille (Graveyard Clay) [2007]
Based on the novel of the same name by prominent Irish language author Máirtín Ó Cadhain, Cré na Cille was filmed in 2006, on the centenary of his birth. Largely set in a Connemara graveyard, the town’s spirits parley with each other after death, getting into arguments both absurd and humorous. The film was noted for the “richly textured and complex” Irish used.
8. Spongebob an Scannán (The SpongeBob Movie) [2021]
True, it’s not an Irish film, but as the first Irish language version of a movie on Netflix, Spongebob an Scannán: Rith, Spúinse, Rith is probably worth listing. SpongeBob and his friends must venture to the Lost City of Atlantic City to try to retrieve his pet snail. Rith, Spúinse, Rith is a delight for children and adults alike.
9. Arracht (Monster) [2019]
In a similar vein to Black 47, Arracht is set in Connemara at the start of the famine. Colmán Sharkey survives on the fish he catches and the potatoes he grows, and is convinced to take in Patsy Kelly as an extra hand. Kelly left the Royal Navy under suspicious circumstances, and seems to have within him a violence that comes into play when the English landlords raise the rents during the famine. Arracht won several festival awards, including Best Feature Film at the Glasgow Film Festival in 2020.
10. Doineann (Hurricane) [2021]
The first Irish-language film to be made and produced in Northern Ireland (County Down), Doineann’s protagonist is a Dublin journalist on vacation with his wife and son on an island off the coast of Ireland. He’s called away to work, and upon his return finds his wife and child missing. He has to figure out what has happened to his family as a terrible storm approaches and threatens to shut down the island.
11. Rún Cheannanais Mhóir (The Secret of Kells) [2009]
The first and most well known of Tomm Moore’s “Irish Folklore Trilogy” from Cartoon Saloon is available in the Irish language, as is the other two. Rún Cheannanais Mhóir presents Ancient Ireland and its mythology as a visual and cinematographic delight, and has become one of the most celebrated animations of the last several decades. The central character, Brendan, lives in an abbey with his uncle in the 9th century. Under threat of Viking attacks, drama unfolds over the creation of The Book of Kells, a manuscript that is able to “turn darkness into light.” One of its many self-references is the character Pangur Bán, a white cat whose is written about in a poem from the real life Book of Kells.
12. Amhrán na Mara (Song of the Sea) [2014]
As the second of Tomm Moore’s “Irish Folklore Trilogy” (See Rún Cheannanais Mhóir above and Na Conriochtai below), ten-year-old Ben discovers that his sister is a Selkie, a mythological creature that has characteristics of both seals and humans. He is brought into her adventure when he learns that his sister must save faerie creatures from Macha, a Celtic goddess. Unlike the other two films in the trilogy, this one is set in contemporary times.
13. Na Conriochtaí (Wolfwakers) [2020]
The final installment in Moore’s trilogy, Na Conriochtaí follows Robyn Goodfellowe, an apprentice wolf hunter during a time that her village is looking to kill the last wolf pack. Her loyalties become confused, however, when she meets another young girl, one who can allegedly turn into a wolf in her sleep. Like Rún Cheannanais Mhóir and Amhrán na Mara, the film was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards.
14. Song of Granite [2017]
Shot in black and white, this beautiful biographical film shows the rise of Connemara sean-nós singer Joe Heaney. The poetic rendering of the life behind Heaney’s music provides a meditative 104 minutes of pleasure.
15. An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) [2022]
A year after An Cailín Ciúin was released, it made history by becoming the first Irish Language film to be nominated for an Academy Award. Based on the novella Foster (2010) by Claire Keegan, nine-year-old Cáit is sent to live on the farm of the Kinsellas, an older, childless couple, while her mother prepares to give birth. That summer the three of them grow close together as they each face their demons.
Read our profile of An Cailín Ciúin here.
16. An Bronntanas (The Gift) [2014]
A rescue crew working off the coast of Connemara discover a dead woman and millions of euros worth of drugs. They’re faced with the difficult decision of reporting what they found, or using it to bring economic stability to the area. You can probably guess which way they go, in this 2014 Irish language thriller.
17. Rocky Ros Muc [2017]
This documentary follows the story of boxer Seán Ó Mainnín from his hometown of Ros Muc, County Galway to Boston, where he eventually got to fight for the World Title. The film chronicles his complicated journey, including a brush with organized crime. Although presented in English, many of the interviews, including those with Seán Ó Mainnín himself, are in Irish.
18. Tarrac (Surge) [2023]
After her father suffers a heart attack, Aoife (played by Kelly Gough), ends up entering a Naomhógs racing competition. Set off the coast of a rural town in County Kerry, Aoife and her friends try to reclaim former glory in the competition as unlikely entrants. Tarrac is a heart-warming, if not predictable, film, and well worth a watch.
19. Lón sa Spéir(Men at Lunch) [2012]
The documentary Lón sa Spéir (translating literally as “Lunch in the Sky”) is available in both Irish and English (the latter under the title Men at Lunch). It delves into the mysteries and implications behind the iconic 1932 photograph Lunch atop a Sky Scraper that depicts a group of immigrants eating on a steel beam suspended above New York City. Directed by Seán Ó Cualáin and produced by his brother, Éamonn Ó Cualáin, LónsaSpéir premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2012. The film is a tribute to the immigrant experience in the United States, particularly to those who came from Ireland.
20. Finky [2019]
Micí Finky is a piano player and puppeteer who leaves Galway for Glasgow hoping for a new start in life. When an accident leaves him paralyzed from the waist down and with only one hand, he joins a violent avant-garde circus. Part surreal and fantastical, Finky received a nomination in the First Feature Competition at the 2019 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Dathaí Keane, the director, said the film was inspired by the novel Deoraíocht by Irish-language author Pádraic Ó Conaire.
If anything, the above movies prove that the Irish language has been, and continues to be, an important medium for the film industry. Such movies put the culture of Ireland on the screen in an authentic way that may, at times, be harder to capture in English. From heartfelt comedies to edge-of-the-seat thrillers to thoughtful documentaries, the increasing number of films—and the attention they receive—suggests that this just might be the era of the Irish language movie. What better news for those interested in learning Irish?
Anything we missed on our list of best Irish language films? Let us know in the comments. We’re always looking for a great watch as Gaeilge.
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