Choose from a host of world-class movies that capture the island of Ireland’s gorgeous scenery, the sharp wit of its people and its fascinating history.
The stunning Wild Atlantic Way plays a starring role alongside Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in The Banshees of Inisherin, a dark comedy filmed on Inishmore and Achill Island off Ireland’s dramatic west coast.
Green is the symbolic colour of St Patrick’s Day, and you can experience the wonderful hues of Ireland’s natural landscapes on screen in Netflix’s The Wonder. Filmed in County Wicklow, cinematographer Ari Wegner paid tribute to the colours of Ireland: “the green-ness, and a deep, rich brown – a real rainbow of green and brown – and also this kind of purple-y heather.”
You can’t fail to be beguiled by one of the best-loved Irish movies, The Quiet Man, featuring the spectacular landscape of Connemara playing a leading role alongside John Wayne and Maureen O’ Hara. Of the same vintage is the famous Darby O Gill and the Little People, an entertaining film full of leprechaun magic and wit that will immerse you in Irish folklore.
If a fine romance is your soft spot, settle down with PS I Love You or the award-winning Brooklyn, both of which feature beautiful backdrops in Ireland’s Ancient East.
For fans of musicals, great choices include the Oscar-winning Once, the quirky Sing Street, and of course the vibrant and unforgettable The Commitments, all set in Dublin.
To delve into the history of Ireland don’t miss The Wind that Shakes the Barley and the Oscar-winning film, Belfast.
Or for pure escapism head to a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, where you will actually find yourself in the west of Ireland, most memorably on the dramatic UNESCO World Heritage Site of Skellig Michael.
Irish music to get you in the mood for St Patrick’s Day
A great way to get into the spirit of St Patrick’s Day is to create an Irish music playlist. From classics such as ‘Whiskey in the Jar’, ‘The Wild Rover’ and ‘Fields of Athenry’ to modern hits from artists such as Westlife, Picture This, Snow Patrol and Hozier, there are plenty of great Irish songs to choose from. 
Be sure to include trad music royalty such as The Dubliners and the Pogues, folk artist Christy Moore and new-age masters Clannad.
Mix it up with some Thin Lizzy, Celtic rock by Horslips, and a splash of indie pop from the Cranberries.
On March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, and coinciding with the highly anticipated new release from U2, “Songs of Surrender”, Disney+ will premiere a music docu-special that delves into one of the most remarkable friendships and song writing partnerships in rock ‘n’ roll history. ‘Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman’ is part concert movie, part travel adventure plus a whole lot of Bono and The Edge, with Dave’s humour throughout. As well as the concert performance itself, the docu-special will focus on the extraordinary relationship between Bono and The Edge and how it has developed across 45-plus years of close friendship, plus will document Dublin through Dave’s eyes as he experiences Bono and The Edge’s home city for the first time.
March 17 will also see the release of a new album titled “Songs of Surrender” ― a collection of 40 seminal U2 songs from across the band’s catalogue, re-recorded and reimagined for 2023 in sessions spanning the last two years. The first track to be made available from this brand new set of recordings is the anthemic ‘Pride (In The Name Of Love)’. “Songs Of Surrender” is curated and produced by The Edge and sees the band revisit some of the most celebrated songs of their 40-plus year career, including “With Or Without You”, “One”, “Beautiful Day”, “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Invisible”. It’s a musical reimagining resulting in a completely new recording of each track, to include the arrangements and, in some cases, new lyrics.
Books by Irish authors to celebrate St Patrick’s Day
With four Nobel Laureates among a myriad of renowned writers, Ireland’s book choice is second to none.
Experience a literary phenomenon in James Joyce’s Ulysses. With its own annual festival – Bloomsday which is celebrated in June each year – and fans from Salman Rushdie to Jack Kerouac and George Orwell, Ulysses changed the literary world forever.
Other Irish literary classics that will delight any bookworm include Gulliver’s Travels, the famous satire by Jonathan Swift, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula which launched a thousand horror movies. Oscar Wilde’s only published novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is another gothic horror story which has taken its place in the collective consciousness.
Flann O’Brien’s At Swim-Two-Birds is considered to be one of the English language’s top 100 books, while Nobel prize-winner Samuel Beckett’s trilogy of Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnamable has been called one of the most important pieces of literature of the twentieth century.
A great introduction to the work of acclaimed author Edna O’Brien is her first novel, The Country Girls. Other highly regarded, contemporary female authors include Sally Rooney (Normal People) and Booker prize-winners Anna Burns (Milkman) and Anne Enright (The Gathering).
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