3. ‘My Left Foot’ (1989)

This emotionally brutal film takes an intimate look at the 1920 Irish revolt that gave birth to the Irish Republican Army. Excellent Irish actor Cillian Murphy stars as Damien, a young man bent on taking a job in London until atrocities at the hands of the British inspires him to join the fight for Irish independence. It’s an unflinching look at ugly acts playing out against a beautiful country, and it won the Palme d’Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

5. ‘Hunger’ (2008)

Michael Fassbender’s first collaboration with British director Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) turned out to be a career-maker. Fassbender lost a scary-looking amount of weight to play the part of Bobby Sands, an Irish volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army who led a famous prison hunger strike in 1981. And his stamina extends

This beautifully animated film is in part a celebration of illustration itself. Set in a medieval village under threat of Viking attacks, a spirited and mischievous young boy seeks out the tutelage of a master illustrator, whose painstakingly crafted book contains wonders. Filled with spirits and sprites in shades of green and gold, the intricate artwork draws heavily on Celtic mythology and folklore for a transportive coming-ofage tale.

Daniel Day-Lewis has won a record three best-actor Oscars. His first came courtesy of his astounding performance in this film about real-life Irishman Christy Brown, a working-class artist born with cerebral palsy who only had control over his left foot, which he used to become a painter. It’s an incredible true story, a real triumph-of-the-spirit sort of thing, but that central, devoted performance of a character with an extreme physical disability also awes — it’s claimed that Day-Lewis even broke two of his own ribs during filming.