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Film Studies: National Cinemas

This guide highlights selected resources for various national cinemas.

Introduction to Irish cinema

The films of the Lumière brothers were shown in Irish musical halls at the turn of the 20th century, with the first dedicated cinema opening in 1909, and local film production beginning in 1910. The first fiction film with an Irish subject, Irish Wives and English Husbands (1907), was directed by an Englishman, Arthur Melbourne-Cooper: the film’s title points towards the binding connection between the two nations. In the early 1910s, the New York-based Kalem Company made a cycle of films set and filmed in Ireland: these were intended for the large Irish-American audience in the US. The first Irish film company, the Film Company of Ireland (FCOI), was set up by James Mark Sullivan in March 1916: emulating the Kalem films, the FCOI released a number of historical melodramas and comedies based in rural settings.  ...

Kuhn, A., & Westwell, G. (2020). Ireland, film in. In A Dictionary of Film Studies. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 13 May. 2021

Searching the online catalog

You can use the subject heading below to find resources in the online catalog. The call number range is also included. The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are 2 distinct political entities, but they do share the island. More information about Northern Ireland is also included on the Northern Ireland page.

Introductory reading(s)

Selected book titles

Finding journal articles

Our collection does not have journals that cover Irish cinema exclusively. You can use Film & Television Literature Index to find articles or use the search box at the top of the page.

Selected movie titles

Find more Irish film titles in the library's online catalog.

Internet resource(s)