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'The Departed' (2006) -

This film is a cat-and-mouse game about an undercover cop and the Irish mob he's infiltrating. Directed by Martin Scorsese, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg.

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'Brooklyn' (2015) -

Saoirse Ronan plays a young Irish immigrant in 1950s New York. She eventually has to decide between two continents and love interests.

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'Leap Year' (2010) -

In this film, Amy Adams plays a woman who chases her boyfriend around Ireland to propose to him. But what she didn’t expect was to meet a handsome stranger there.

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'Hunger' (2008) -

German-Irish actor Michael Fassbender plays an imprisoned IRA officer in Northern Ireland's Maze Prison, who initiates a hunger strike. The film is by renowned director Steve McQueen.

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'Sing Street' (2016) -

Set in 1980s Dublin, this coming-of-age film follows a young boy who escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the girl he likes.

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'Once' (2007) -

This Irish romantic comedy and musical follows two aspiring musicians who decide to collaborate and end up falling for each other during the process.

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'Philomena' (2013) -

A political journalist (Steve Coogan) picks up the story of a woman's (Judi Dench)search for her son, who she put up for adoption. The journalist ends up convincing her to help with the search.

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'The Irishman' (2019) -

Directed by Martin Scorsese, this epic crime drama tells the story of Irish-American hitman Frank Sheeran who looks back at the secrets he kept as a loyal member of the Bufalino crime family. Starring  Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci.

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'My Left Foot' (1989) -

Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, this biographical comedy-drama tells the story of an Irish man born with cerebral palsy, and the ways he overcomes his setbacks in life.

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'The Crying Game' (1992) -

'The Crying Game' is a thriller that follows a British soldier kidnapped by IRA terrorists. The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1992.

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'P.S. I Love You' (2007) -

Hilary Swank stars as a young widow who discovers that her late husband has left her messages intended to help her move on with her life. You will need plenty of tissues for this one!

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'Michael Collins' (1996) -

In this historical biopic, Liam Neeson plays the revolutionary Michael Collins, who leads the Irish Republican Army in a battle against Britain for Ireland’s independence.

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'Far and Away' (1992) -

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise star in this period drama about two people who flee from Ireland to America. They both face a lot of struggles in their new land.

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'The Guard' (2011) -

In this comedic thriller, an Irish cop (Brendan Gleeson) and his FBI partner (Don Cheadle) uncover corruption in the police department while investigating a drug ring.

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'Wild Mountain Thyme' (2020) -

In this romantic comedy, Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan play a pair of star-crossed lovers who get caught up in their family's land dispute in the Irish countryside.

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'Dancing at Lughnasa' (1998) -

Starring Meryl Streep and Michael Gambon, this 1998 film follows the lives of five close-knit unmarried sisters in rural Ireland in the 1930s.

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'The Quiet Man' (1952) -

A retired American boxer (John Wayne) returns to the village of his birth in 1920s Ireland, where he falls for a spirited redhead (Maureen O'Hara ) whose brother disapproves of their union.

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'Finian's Rainbow' (1968) -

This 1968 Francis Ford Coppola-directed musical has everything Ireland related, from leprechauns to pots of gold and rainbows. Another plus is Hollywood legend Fred Astaire.

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'Circle of Friends' (1995) -

Starring then-newcomer Minnie Driver, the film follows three childhood friends who meet at university in Dublin in 1957. It explored themes of love, friendships, and betrayal.

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'In the Name of the Father' (1993) -

Starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Emma Thompson, 'In the Name of the Father' is a historical courtroom drama charting the aftermath of a coerced confession to an IRA bombing.

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'Pot O' Gold' (1941) -

In this film, a young man befriends an Irish family who happen to be his uncle's worst enemies due to their love of music and constant practices. Starring James Stewart and Paulette Goddard.

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'Intermission' (2003) -

Starring Colin Farrell, this film follows a group of losers in Dublin and their interconnected stories of love, violence, and greed.

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'71' (2014) -

This military thriller takes you to the bloody streets of 1971 Belfast, where a British soldier (Jack O'Connell) fights to stay alive after a being accidentally abandoned by his unit.

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'Angela's Ashes' (1999) -

Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography, this film follows the life of a young boy who moves from New York City to Limerick in Ireland with his family.

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'The Commitments' (1991) -

An unemployed young man from Dublin decides to put together an R&B band made up entirely of the Irish working class. But fame and fortune are more difficult to navigate than they may have thought.

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'The Boondock Saints' (1999) -

Two Irish Catholic brothers seek to clean up the streets of Boston with their own vigilante methods. However, one FBI agent wants them gone.

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'The Snapper' (1993) -

After a wild night out, an Irish woman discovers she’s pregnant. Her small town wastes no time trying to figure out who the father is.

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'In America' (2002) -

This semi-autobiographical film follows an Irish immigrant family who adjust to life in New York while also grieving the death of a child.

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'The Magdalene Sisters' (2002) -

'The Magdalene Sisters' follows three young Irish women who try to escape the dehumanizing abuse as inmates of a Magdalene Sisters Asylum.

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'The Wind that Shakes the Barley' (2006) -

Set during the Irish War of Independence, this film tells the story of two brothers who were torn apart when fighting against British forces in the 1920s. 

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'Irish Wish' (2024) -

Lindsay Lohan continues her comeback in this Netflix rom-com released just in time for St. Patrick's Day! Lindsay Lohan is heartbroken when her best friend gets engaged to the love of her life, but a wish for true love sends her on an unexpected adventure (in Ireland, of course). 

Sources: (Harper's Bazaar) (Country Living) (Den of Geek)

See also: Spectacular movies shot in Spain

© NL Beeld