“The Wind That Shakes the Barley,” has taken the prestigious Palme d’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival and Market. Written by Ken Loach and featuring Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunningham, Orla Fitzgerald, and Padraic Delaney, among others, it is a story of the Black and Tans involvement in Irish Civil War.

The Cannes Film Festival and Market is the internationally famous film festival and this, its 59th year, found it entertained by a strong Irish showing with a further 13 films beyond the winning “Wind…Barley” Some of the films shown were Paul Mercier's “Studs” starring Brendan Gleeson, Mark Hammond's “Johnny Was” and Patrick Kenny's “Winter's End.” Irish films currently in production including John Boorman's “The Tiger's Tail,” Paddy Breathnach's latest film “Shrooms” and “The Front Line” directed by David Gleeson.

Irish films have a piquancy all their own, and now with the new economy in Ireland, the creative arts are finding new opportunities for expression. The Irish Film Board sponsored a Pavilion at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and will open a new office in Los Angeles in September. Minister O'Donoghue said " Irish films have come a long way, and now achieve real quality on a consistent basis. I am particularly happy that an Irish film is represented in the most prestigious category of this Festival's Official Competition, with Ken Loach's 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley', a story about the Irish Civil War. The production has an Irish cast, and was filmed entirely on location in Cork and Kerry.”

It’s a great time to be a fan of Irish movies!

Cillian Murphy is a quiet type in person, but he can play the most troubled of characters without a hitch. See for yourself in any one of these great movies…

Bitter Harvest

Breakfast on Pluto