Irish Entertainment for St. Paddy's Day
A bonus March issue!
Now that you’ve heard all about Wild Mountain Thyme…
If you’re looking for other Irish movies for the big day—perhaps something more than escapism, yet very Irish—here’s a lovely movie you might have missed: Oscar-nominated The Quiet Girl.
Based on the novella Foster, by Claire Keegan, it’s a gentle, contemplative film.
The story is deceptively simple: In 1980s rural Ireland, nine-year old Cait is sent away to stay with relatives for the summer. Yet in its simplicity, the film is all about kindness, empathy, and healing.
My heart was wrung by Cait—she was unloved and neglected by her overwhelmed, pregnant mother and shiftless father. Even her sisters scorned her.
But the story isn’t at all grim.
Rather, it explores how even the most silent, inexpressive child can blossom with love and care and attention.
I read Foster last year, and this novella was so impactful that as soon as I finished it, I started back on page 1 and read it all over again. True devotion and tenderness suffuse this short, quiet book.
Just as it does in the film. Its emotional power is not only in its quiet loveliness, but that most of the scenes are in the Irish language (with subtitles). The softness of the language, with its sibilant consonants, many of them sh sounds, adds to the film’s empathy and hopefulness.
Yet there’s something I didn’t catch until my second viewing—something so inexpressively sweet I feel a catch in my throat just thinking of it. Right at the end, Cait murmurs something nearly inaudible to her foster father…and it’s not in the subtitles.
You only know what she said if you read the book.
If you’re a fan of uplifting entertainment—my absolute favorite viewing these days is the All Creatures Great and Small series—there’s a good chance The Quiet Girl will work for you. It’s available on Hulu, Disney+, Prime and Apple TV!
To me, The Quiet Girl is right up there with Wild Mountain Thyme as the best film experience I’ve had in a long time.
There’s no such thing as coincidences.
Well, it often seems that way to me anyway. I think Einstein said something along those lines too.
Still, with St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, quite by accident, I’ve been in a Perfect Storm of Irishness!
I placed Dublin author Marian Keyes’ latest novel, My Favorite Mistake, on hold at the library earlier this winter…and my turn came up last week!
So I dove right in, and am fully immersed in all the shenanigans of Ms. Keyes’ favorite cast of characters, the Irish Walsh sisters.
The sisters and their mother have decamped from Dublin to Connemara in County Galway, and to be honest, the Walshes are a bit bonkers. Okay, about half of them are.
Mammy Walsh, Claire, and Helen are almost certifiable, and Rachel was a bit mad in her former life as an addict.
However, Anna, the protagonist of My Favorite Mistake, her elder sister Margaret, and Dad Walsh seem to be fairly sane. Yet madzers or not, the whole family is fabulously entertaining.
Besides her propulsive plots, and all-around hilarious writing, Ms. Keyes novels are chock-full of colorful Irish idioms, though I’m certain she also makes up a lot of zingers of her own.
“Gom” is an Irish expression that means—as near as I can tell—a dweeb, or a dork. Mammy Walsh calls her daughter Anna a “gomaloon” (since apparently she’s looney to boot). Referring to the novel’s womanizing male protagonist, Anna’s best friend calls him “Shagger McShagger.”
Once the sisters begin sashaying around a remote seaside village, Keyes’ Irish speech really picks up steam. Just the small-town side characters alone are worth a read!
The Story Collector by Irish author Evie Woods emerged at the top of my TBR pile recently. With a storyline based on Irish fairy folklore (which I adore!), it’s very different from the modern, slang-filled Keyes novel, but enjoyable in its own way.
Although I’ve read a fair amount about Irish fairy mythology, I’ve been delighted to learn even more fairy lore.
One Christmas gift from my husband John was a DVD class about Irish culture and history! After the holidays, we were too busy watching Ted Lasso (then immediately watching it a second time, then being tempted to watch it a third!) to give the class a go.
But now, two discs in, it’s great fun to view some of the places we saw on our trip to Ireland a few years back…and very interesting to get a deep dive into the places we didn’t!
If you’re game for even more Irish entertainment, I did a series of St. Patrick’s Day-related posts on my Little Farm blog last March…here’s one about Irish food!
What’s up at our Little Farm…
Our food garden in mid-March is just awakening from it’s winter sleep…but there are signs of crops yet to come…
It can’t be a coincidence that some of the easiest and most reliable crops you can grow are up first in the spring!
And for local readers:
I was invited to create a writing class for Spring, and couldn’t resist. “The Way of the Resilient Writer” will be held April 13!
Thank you so much for joining me this week on my Irish/St. Patrick’s Day adventuring. And if you celebrate St. Paddy’s, I hope you have a marvelous time!
Sending my best from our mossy woods to you—
Warmly,
Susan, from the Foothills
You're right, Sue. It was a case of too many films with too many titles. I am best with newer films with recognizable actors.
Stay well
I wish I could remember the titles. I am bad at titles unless the film was based on a book I have read. Talk soon.
Love, Mom