Spend your socially-distanced St. Patrick's Day with these Celtic-inspired documentaries and films. Examine the holiday's time-honored traditions, dive into Ireland's rich history, or study Saint Patrick's life and ministry. If you prefer some cheerful escapism, check out Nick Hornby's sweet Irish immigrant romance Brooklyn or the Dublin-set musical Sing Street.
Celebrate the luck of the Irish with these informative documentaries and uplifting films! They are excellent additions to your St. Patrick's Day collections.
Patrick
(2011) 45 min. DVD: $14.99. Gary Wilkinson (dist. by Vision Video).
In this docudrama, filmmaker Gary Wilkinson goes far beyond the modern traditions associated with Saint Patrick—such as parades and wearing green—to explore the real man behind the myths, an effort that's getting renewed attention through an examination of his writings.
Sing Street
Anchor Bay, 106 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $34.99, July 26
Set in Dublin during the economic depression of the mid-1980s, this sensitive and perceptive coming-of-age fable from Irish writer-director John Carney marks the third of his engaging, music-themed, semi-autobiographical films, following Once and Begin Again.
The Story of Ireland
(2011) 2 discs. 294 min. DVD: $29.98. BBC Worldwide Ltd. (avail. from most distributors). ISBN: 0-7806-8444-3.
Do not expect a travelogue or evocation of quaint pubs and clover from the BBC-aired series The Story of Ireland, which tells a sharply political saga, beginning with host Fergal Keane's memories of growing up in a 1970s Belfast war zone with relatives in the IRA before laying out a chronicle of the centuries of violence that shaped Ireland's terrible, lasting divisions.
Brooklyn
Fox, 105 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $39.99, Mar. 15
The Irish immigrant experience serves as the basis for this sweetly poignant assimilation story, enhanced by a superbly confident ensemble cast.
St. Patrick: Pilgrimage to Peace
(2020) 63 min. DVD: $19.99. Vision Video.
One hardly needs a reason to go on a spectacular video journey through ancient haunts in Ireland. But this deeply informative and visually beautiful account of St. Patrick's life and ministry in a widely divided, 5th century Ireland is a pretty good excuse to gaze upon the island nation's unending green.