A wee look at Irish flicks at the library

March is Irish Heritage Month in the United States, and it’s safe to

say that Irish or not, we Americans love to celebrate St. Patrick’s

Day. And in the spirit of keeping it a safe holiday, why not

celebrate your Irishness -- or love of Irishness -- by sitting back

and enjoying one of the many terrific films that have come out of

Ireland?

The Abbey Theatre and the Dublin’s Project Arts Centre have been

home to countless wonderful actors and playwrights. This great pool

of talent has merged into a thriving Irish film industry, now

exporting their product worldwide.

It’s no secret that “The Quiet Man” and “Finian’s Rainbow” are not

beloved by the Irish themselves, given the quaint portraits of those

whimsical, wee people with accents as thick as peat. But the recent

growth of their indigenous film industry is correcting the Darby

O’Gill view of the Irish.

The epic film “Michael Collins” offers a good sense of the

beginning of modern Irish political problems.

Many more of the recent Irish films deal with current “troubles.”

“In the Name of the Father” and “The Boxer” both feature outstanding

performances by Daniel Day-Lewis. Helen Mirren is equally moving in

both “Some Mother’s Son,” about the hunger strike of prisoner Bobby

Sands, and “Cal,” a love story set against the divisions in Northern

Ireland. And for an extraordinary you-are-there experience, “Bloody

Sunday” presents an arresting view of the 1972 civil rights march

that ended in a massacre.

But Irish life is not always, or purely, political. There are some

wonderful films that deal with life in Ireland from a more personal

viewpoint, whether from the underground, gangster world (“The

General” and “Veronica Guerin”) or merely the tragic/comic world that

is life as it really is (“Intermission,” “Circle of Friends”).

There is the haunting story of the American who returns to uncover

the tragic story of his father in “This is My Father” with Aidan

Quinn and James Caan. Pierce Brosnan gives the performance of his

life in “Evelyn,” a film about an Irishman’s determination to gain

custody of his children, who are held in an orphanage by the state.

Leprechauns notwithstanding, there is a strong strain of whimsy in

the Irish character. So, if it is smiles and laughter you want, there

are “Waking Ned Devine,” “I Went Down,” “Summer Fling,” “The

Matchmaker” and “An Everlasting Piece,” none of which can be

summarized in one sentence for all the wacky characters and crazy

twists of plot.

It’s impossible to speak of Ireland without mentioning James

Joyce. The library has the films “Ulysses,” “A Portrait of the Artist

as a Young Man” and John Huston’s exquisite final film based on a

story from “The Dubliners,” “The Dead.”

And there’s more. If nonfiction (or documentary) films are your

preference, you can check out “The Irish in America: Long Journey

Home,” “In Search of Ancient Ireland,” “Ireland: A Writer’s Island,”

“An Irish Country Calendar” or “Portrait of Ireland.”

Whatever your taste or inclination, the library has a wealth of

Irish films to get you in the mood for Irish Heritage Month and its

most important day -- St. Patrick’s.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Sara Barnicle. All titles may be

reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at

https://www.newportbeach library.org. For more information on the

Central Library or any of the branch locations, please contact the

Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.