Looking to get into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day? Nothing will put you in the festive spirit of the holiday quite like a fine Irish film.

A list of the best films for St Patty's Day
YouTube
loading...

As your brushing up on your brogue and donning your green hat and tie, here are 10 classic Irish-themed films that you could enjoy leading up to the celebration on the 17th.

'Waking Ned Devine' - 1998

A comical movie about the small Irish town of Tulaigh, whose residents tries to cash in a lottery ticket of the winner, Ned Devine, who has been found dead. Ireland's rules specifically state that the winner must claim the prize, so the townspeople do all they can to protect the secret and split the money 51 different ways. The true meaning of friendship and the value of money turns out to be the real lessons learned.

 


'The Quiet Man' - 1952

John Wayne and Maureen O' Hara star in this classic film. John Wayne is an American boxer who returns to the homeland and buys his family's land. Wayne falls in love with the sister of a local squire and spends much of the film trying to court O' Hara's character but must do so in a true Irish manner.

 


'The Brothers McMullen' - 1995

Edward Burns' first feature is a family drama centering on the tumultuous love lives of three small-town, Irish-American brothers. One of the more well-known indie films that turned into a huge success on the big screen.

 


'Far & Away'  - 1992

Ron Howard directed this movie about 2 Irish immigrants portrayed by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The movie follows the the duo on their trip from Ireland to America and their search for better lives.


'The Gangs of New York' - 2002

Gangs of NY tells the tale of the violent rise of gangland power in New York City at a time of massive political corruption and the city's evolution into a cultural melting pot set the The movie stars Daniel-Day Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. Martin Scorsese finally brought the film to the big screen almost 30 years after he first began to plan the project. As waves of Irish immigrants poured into the New York neighborhood of Five Points, a number of citizens of British and Dutch heritage who were born in the United States began making an open display of their resentment toward the new arrivals.

 


 'Circle of Friends' - 1995

Minnie Driver gets her break through role in this movie with Chris O'Donnell. The film follows three childhood friends from a small Ireland town as head away to college in Dublin. O'Donnell plays the good-looking rugby star that falls in love with Driver's character Bernadette, known to her friends as 'Benny.'


'The Commitments' - 1991

Jimmy Rabbitte, played by actor Robert Arkins,  tries to assemble a rhythm & blues show band in a working class community in Dublin. A really enjoyable movie and an equally great soundtrack.

 


'The Departed' - 2006

Irish-American mafia boss, Frank Costello, portrayed by legendary Jack Nicholson, enrolled some of his most promising youngsters in the police academy. Years later the police have infiltrated the gang with one of their own. Neither organization knows there is a spy among them.The movie won 4 Oscars, including best picture.


'The Devil's Own' - 1997

A policeman played by Harrison Ford plays Good Samaritan to a visitor from Ireland, only to discover that he has a possibly deadly secret. Belfast-born Frankie McGuire, played by Brad Pitt, saw his father gunned down by enemy soldiers at the age of eight, and when he grew up he joined the Irish Republican Army, determined one day  to avenge his father's death.

 


'The Boondock Saints' - 2000

Two Irish brothers from Boston accidentally killed a couple of mafia thugs. They turned themselves in and were released as heroes. They then see it as a calling by God and started knocking off mafia gang members one by one in this vigilante cult classic.


What are some of your favorite St. Patrick's Day movies?  Leave your comments and choices below.

More From 105.7 The Hawk