Jim Sheridan

The Hobbledehoy’s Top 10 Irish Films

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By Michael Stevenson

St. Patrick’s Day during a Covid Lockdown requires a good fil-um or three. I’ve seen each of these many times. Which are your favorites?

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022 directed, written, and co-produced by Martin McDonough)

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star as two lifelong friends who find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship. Featuring a brilliant supporting cast, that included Kerry Condon as Siobhán and Barry Keoghan as Dominic (both nominated for Academy Awards) and a minature donkey named “Jenny” who will steal your heart.

In the clip below, Siobhán sympathetically rejects Dominic’s proposal.

“Ryan’s Daughter” (1970 David Lean)

– Critics hated it, the cast hated each other. David Lean was so traumatized by the experience, he didn’t make another movie for 15 years. I love every fame, especially the ones featuring the Dingle shore. 

“In Bruges” (2008 Martin McDonough)

– Great performances from Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, and Ralph Fiennes. McDonagh’s dialogue is raw ferfucksake, but very funny and sometimes poetic.

“I Went Down” (1997 Paddy Breathnach)

– This hilarious road movie was my first taste of actor Brendan Gleeson, who might be the best actor in the world.

“The Quiet Man” (1952 John Ford)

– On my first trip to Ireland, a bank teller in Dublin told me I spoke “just like John Wayne.” Though not true, this remains the best compliment I’ve ever had. Bless her.

“The Commitments” (1991 Alan Parker)

– Maybe not the best of Roddy Doyle’s Barrytown Trilogy books (I loved “The Van”), it is certainly the best film adaptation mainly because of the amazing musical performances by a truly great soul band created for the film.  

“The Magdalene Sisters” (2002 Peter Mullen)

– Excellent film on the subject of Catholic Church abuse in Ireland. Be prepared to become very angry.

“In America” (2002 Jim Sheriden)

– Beautiful biographical story of Sheriden’s immigration from Ireland to NY’s Hell’s Kitchen in the sixties. Two sisters age 6 and 11, Emma and Sarah Bolger, acting for the first time, steal the movie.

“Into the West” (1992 Mike Newel)

– Mystical story of Irish gypsies on the run and a magical horse named Tir na Nog. I’ve always liked Gabriel Byrne, too. 

“The Butcher Boy” (1997 Neil Jordan)

An Irish “A Clockwork Orange,” complete with Sinead O’Connor as the Virgin Mary (Sinead sings a great version of the folk song of the title.) Very disturbing.


“Finian’s Rainbow” (1968 Francis Ford Coppolla)
Despite the talents of Fred Astaire, Yip Harburg, and Francis Ford Coppolla – this thing was a mess. Still, worth it if only for Petula Clark who is terrific. How are things in Glocca Mora?


Honorable Mention:
The Guard, Waking Ned Devine, Once, The Field, The Snapper, The Crying Game, My Left Foot, Cal, In the Name of the Father, Secret of Roan Inish, Philomela, The Van, The Boxer, Hear My Song, The General.

11 Great Songs from Films for Saint Paddy’s Day

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By Dai Bando

The Voice Squad “The Parting Glass” (from Waking Ned Devine, d. Kirk Jones, 1999) 

The Hothouse Flowers frontman Liam Ó Maonlaí performed this classic in 1999’s Waking Ned Devine but I best love the recording sung a capella by The Voice Squad. Said music critic Rick Anderson, “By taking the traditional Irish repertoire and harmonizing it in a generally British style, the three members of the Voice Squad have created something new and absolutely wonderful. “

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/2Ob4jL2zsoFSUTzX7XpEcf?si=59d8de8be13a418e

The Corrs “Time Enough for Tears” (from In America, d. Jim Sheridan, 2002)

This song plays over the final credits in Jim Sheridan’s heartbreaking autobiographical film In America (2002). Written by U2’s Bono with occasional collaborator Gavin Friday. I’ve long believed the fashion mag good-looks of Dublin’s Corrs sisters’ worked against them as artists. They’re amazing musicians and vocalists. The Corrs are Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle, mandolin, ukulele), Sharon (violin, keyboards, vocals), Caroline (drums, percussion, piano, bodhrán, vocals) and Jim … well who gives a feck about Jim.
This song was said to have been recorded in just one take. It’s Andrea who whispers at the song’s conclusion “I know…it’s ok.” ‘Tis indeed.

Listen on Spotify at:
https://open.spotify.com/track/65pFJZpvdwFKwr6MeZg88e?si=7076de4d23d44b5a

Marcus Mumford “Farewell” (“The Leaving of Liverpool”) From Inside Llewyn Davis ( d. Joel & Ethan Coen, 2013)

The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem had a top 10 hit with “The Leaving of Liverpool” in Ireland in 1964. Liam Clancy was chumming with then-unknown Bob Dylan is his early days in Greenwich Village. Dylan swiped the song from Liam, renamed it, and recorded it as “Farewell”. The song has also been swiped, renamed, and/or adapted by several other artists, most notably The Dubliners and The Pogues. This track is from the outstanding concert film made with the Llewyn Davis creative team,  Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of Inside Llewyn Davis  and features the singing of Marcus Mumford with support from the Punch Brothers.
Listen on Spotify:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbNtUygmsSU

The Hothouse Flowers “Sweet Marie I’m Alive” (from Joe Picket, 2021)

I purchased my first Hothouse Flowers LP in a Dublin record shop in the late1980s and I’ve been a fan ever since. Liam Ó Maonlaí is the most soulful Irish singer since Van Morrison. The Flowers have recorded several great songs (“Forgiven”, “Emotional Time”, “Don’t Go”) but my favorite is the beautiful break-up song, “Sweet Marie.” The song played during the season one finale of Paramount’s critically acclaimed series Joe Picket.


Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6V3JHMgZV2tmcgtaiYlukr?si=550fd1eb1ab04062

Clanned “Theme From Harry’s Game” (1982)

The unusual title for this Gaelic song derives from its use in the 1982 TV series “Harry’s Game,” a Brit TV series about a special agent who infiltrates the IRA to find an assassin. In 1992, the song was again used in the Harrison Ford movie Patriot Games making the title all the more confusing.

Clanned is the name of the band comprised of Donegal’s Brennan family. The song, featuring  Moya’s haunting multi-tracked Gaelic vocals, was not only used in TV and films, but famously used in a Volkswagen commercial. Jason Flom, the RCA exec who negotiated the deal with Volkswagen, recalled in a Forbes interview: “It was lucky the lyrics were in Gaelic because it was actually a funeral dirge, and I don’t think if I was Volkswagen, I would be playing a funeral dirge in my ad for cars. But, we never told them.”
The Brennan family have a younger sister not in the band but who sings by the name of Enya who is said to have more money than God or even Volkswagon.

Listen on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/track/7CTSDg60OC15XUJusBLPuo?si=d7663f04830a4b50 

Petula Clark “How Are Things in Glocca Mora?” (Finian’s Rainbow, d. Francis Ford Coppolla, 1968)

Lyrics by the legendary songsmith Yip Harburg. Pet Clark once revealed in an interview that there was much smoking of weed during the filming of “Finians Rainbow” and that includes Fred Astaire. How are things in Glocca Morra?. Apparently, things are pretty baked at 4:20 pm.

Listen on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/track/6WB07tNTA7wBeq3itJlep7?si=0ab2de10a0244e99

Kate Bush “Mná na hÉireann” (Women of Ireland) from Barry Lyndon (d. Stanley Kubrick, 1968)

Lyrics written by Ulster poet Peadar Ó Doirnín (1700–1769), with the musical “air” composed by Seán Ó Riada (1931–1971)  ”Women of Ireland” was made famous as arranged and played by Paddy Moloney and The Chieftains in Stanley Kubrick’s film Barry Lyndon. This version sung by Kate Bush (mom was Irish), and was arranged by trad-Irish uberman Donal Lunny. Beautiful.

The Chieftains on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7ljMc5PRHtSUYWtqBIpUCl?si=16aa11a4026b480c

Glen Hansard & Maketa Irglova “Falling Slowly” (from Once, 2007)

Lovely song from 2007’s the low-budget Indie gem Once. Written by Irish singer/songwriter Glen Hansard (who also co-stars in the film alongside Czech-Icelandic singer-songwriter Maketa Irglova). “Falling Slowly” won the Oscar for Best Song beating out three nominated songs from Disney Studios, no less!  The 2012 Broadway stage adaption of Once won eight Tony awards and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
Listen on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/track/6EIVLz5xM1xE29r0OmIkWt?si=fc034f7cd27c437a

Dave Berry “The Crying Game” (d. Neil Jordan,1991)

This song isn’t Irish, nor was the singer Dave Berry who had a chart hit in England with the original in 1964. The 1991 film, also titled The Crying Game was written and directed by Irishman Neil Jordan. His film explores themes of race, sex, nationality, and sexuality against the backdrop of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Jaysus, what’s more Irish than that?
Boy George performs “The Crying Game”  in the film. I really love the original by Dave Berry whose real name was not “Crying Boy Berry” but actually “David Holgate Grundy.”

Dave Berry original on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1jQtC8sF34LjlsH6TP8D5K?si=355f88b59fe64675

Sinead O’Connor “The Butcher Boy”(d. Neil Jordan,1997)

The late Sinead O’Connor (who portrayed an apparition of the Virgin Mary in the film) sings a lovely version of the titular traditional folk song. Neil Jordan’s film is a disturbing retelling of the Patrick McCabe brilliant novel. Lovers of the song must also hear the legendary Tommy Makem perform it. The ballad’s tune was also regrettably used in the 1966 hit  “The Ballad of the Green Berets” by Barry Sadler. An even deeper dive is in the film Caddyshack, when Bill Murray mumbles the “Green Berets” song under his breath while he is connecting the wires to the plunger as he prepares for his final battle with his gopher nemesis.

Tommy Makem on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4A4GkentJ6FWXXM86RwzJI?si=9fa73030e34346ce

Seamus Egan ”Weep Not For the Memories / I Will Remember You” (from The Brothers McMullen, 1995)

This song became a pretty big pop hit for Sarah McLaughlin who added the lyrics. but it was originally written and recorded as an instrumental by Seamus Egan, leader of the Irish-American supergroup “Solas.” Edward Burns wrote the screenplay and starred in the film. 


Sarah’s version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FacDkraAvlI
Seamus on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4hiO8zs3Ng0CNrAbxCrDDA?si=0c85dbe55d4b4a4c

The Hobbledehoy’s Top 10 Irish Films

by

By Michael Stevenson

St. Patrick’s Day during a Covid Lockdown requires a good fil-um or three. I’ve seen each of these many times. Which are your favorites?

“Ryan’s Daughter” (1970 David Lean)

– Critics hated it, the cast hated each other. David Lean was so traumatized by the experience, he didn’t make another movie for 15 years. I love every fame, especially the ones featuring the Dingle shore. 

“In Bruges” (2008 Martin McDonough)

– Great performances from Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, and Ralph Fiennes. McDonagh’s dialogue is raw ferfucksake, but very funny and sometimes poetic.

“I Went Down” (1997 Paddy Breathnach)

– This hilarious road movie was my first taste of actor Brendan Gleeson, who might be the best actor in the world.

“The Quiet Man” (1952 John Ford)

– On my first trip to Ireland, a bank teller in Dublin told me I spoke “just like John Wayne.” Though not true, this remains the best compliment I’ve ever had. Bless her.

“The Commitments” (1991 Alan Parker)

– Maybe not the best of Roddy Doyle’s Barrytown Trilogy books (I loved “The Van”), it is certainly the best film adaptation mainly because of the amazing musical performances by a truly great soul band created for the film.  

“The Magdalene Sisters” (2002 Peter Mullen)

– Excellent film on the subject of Catholic Church abuse in Ireland. Be prepared to become very angry.

“In America” (2002 Jim Sheriden)

– Beautiful biographical story of Sheriden’s immigration from Ireland to NY’s Hell’s Kitchen in the sixties. Two sisters age 6 and 11, Emma and Sarah Bolger, acting for the first time, steal the movie.

“Into the West” (1992 Mike Newel)

– Mystical story of Irish gypsies on the run and a magical horse named Tir na Nog. I’ve always liked Gabriel Byrne, too. 

“The Butcher Boy” (1997 Neil Jordan)

An Irish “A Clockwork Orange,” complete with Sinead O’Connor as the Virgin Mary (Sinead sings a great version of the folk song of the title.) Very disturbing.


“Finian’s Rainbow” (1968 Francis Ford Coppolla)
Despite the talents of Fred Astaire, Yip Harburg, and Francis Ford Coppolla – this thing was a mess. Still, worth it if only for Petula Clark who is terrific. How are things in Glocca Mora?


Honorable Mention:
The Guard, Waking Ned Devine, Once, The Field, The Snapper, The Crying Game, My Left Foot, Cal, In the Name of the Father, Secret of Roan Inish, Philomela, The Van, The Boxer, Hear My Song, The General.