One for the weekend

Hello! Happy St Patrick's Day wherever you are ... Dublin is full of tourists dressed as leprechauns and claiming their Irish ancestry, Irish people getting very very drunk, and grey skies (with a little rain, and a little snow.) All the same, it's a nice idea: the parade is on, and I saw a wonderful bilingual play about the Irish language last night in Smock Alley, called 'Focal Point.'

I was going to write a full weekend post, but instead how about an Irish Film Special to go with Paddy's Day, and the weather?! 

- One for DUBLIN: The Barrytown Trilogy (Based on Roddy Doyle's Books)

The Commitments (I still haven't it; Sorry Dubs)

The Snapper

The Van ('a good insight into what the world cup in Italy in 1990 meant for the nation.')

- For A GOLDEN OLDIE: Quackser Fortune has a Cousin in the Bronx

('Gene Wilder stars as a simple bloke shovelling shit on the streets of Dublin, then selling the manure off as fertilizer. Falls in love with a rich American student who goes to trinity... Dublin is very much a canvas here, and a charming little tale'.)

- For a CLASSIC: My Left Foot

('A tour de force from Mr Day-Lewis in the rare auld times. You've probably heard a lot about this film, but what you didn't know was that me Da drank in the same pub as Christy Brown.')

- For a FAVOURITE: I Went Down 

('An Irish Road Film with wit and hilarity aplenty. Not only is it my favourite Irish Film, it's one of my favourite films full stop.') 

- For the FIRST ONE I REMEMBER WATCHING: Waking Ned

(I hope it's still as good as I remember!)

- For 'to be sure to be sure' FAKE IRISH: Leap Year

(I seriously think this is worth watching just for the hilarious stereotyping - yes of course Ireland has no public transport at all, ever. Everyone is still very strictly Catholic, and lives on a farm)

- For the IRISH ABROAD: In Bruges

- For an appalling attempt at the ACCENT: P.S. I Love You

(I will admit, I'm a big girl's blouse when it comes to romantic comedies so I still get into the film by the end how ever blindingly obvious it is ... but Gerard Butler's accent...is it Scottish? English? American? Leprechaun? Probably all of the above.)

N.B. I will readily admit, a lot of this list was not originally mine ... it was written for me by the nice bloke I now live with WAY before we started dating; because I was doing a show about Dublin called 'City Electric' and he was so shocked and appalled and my lack of knowledge about Ireland and Irish film - something I am still attempting to improve! The italics are his comments, which you may be able to tell anyway because they appear to be written in an Irish accent.

Dublin Film