Ireland On The Silver Screen: Reel Two Quiz

Answer: The Wind That Shakes The Barley

Made in 2006, the movie is set in Cork in 1920 at the height of the Irish War of Independence against Great Britain.

The movie reflects on the brutal side of the war, with atrocities by both the rebels and the authorities.

While a peace treaty is signed and parts of Ireland will get their independence, the terms split former colleagues, friends and relatives and more brutality follows in a civil war.

Cillian Murphy and Pádraic Delaney, as the brothers, lead the cast, along with Mary Murphy and Liam Cunningham.

"The Wind That Shakes The Barley" won the Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Answer: Circle of Friends

Made in 1995, it is based on a novel by Maeve Binchy, with some striking plot differences.

Chris O'Donnell, Minnie Driver, Saffron Burrows, Alan Cumming and Colin Firth, all respected actors, led the cast, and the movie got a good reception from the critics.

Answer: Philomena

In some ways this is a companion movie to "The Magdalene Sisters". Both cover what is now seen as a shocking conspiracy by Irish church authorities in their treatment of young women who were pregnant out of wedlock.

Judi Dench plays Philomena Lee trying to find out what happened to the baby son taken away from her in the 1950s when, as a teenage unmarried mother, she had been forced to put up her child for adoption.

(She is played as a younger woman by Sophie Kennedy Clark.)

Philomena had been just one more of the young women supposedly being cared for while working in the laundries of the Magdalene Order of nuns.

Answer: Darby O'Gill And The Little People

Just look out for a young Sean Connery is all I want to say about this piece of patronizing twaddle.

It was made in 1959 and stars Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, and Jimmy O'Dea as well as the aforementioned Mr Connery. It's all about an estates gamekeeper trying to outsmart some leprechauns.

One critic called it "one of the best fantasies ever put on film", so I guess I am going to have to look for some retraining in this movie criticism malarkey.

Answer: Angela's Ashes

The film is based on the book "Angela"s Ashes", which won Frank McCourt a Pulitzer Prize.

Book and movie are based on McCourt's own experiences of growing up in poverty with an alcoholic father as the head of the family.

Even moving to Limerick did not solve their problems. More poverty, and tragedy, followed until his mother, Angela, was left alone to bring up her children.

Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle led the cast.

Answer: Tristan & Isolde

Released in 2006, the romantic drama features an unusual love triangle, and some steamy scenes.

It is set England and Ireland in the fifth century and focuses on the aftermath of a struggle for power between an Irish king and tribes from Britain resisting his incursion.

After an Irish raid on a castle where the British leaders are meeting, Lord Marke of Cornwall takes the orphan Tristan into his own family.

Years later, Tristan is badly wounded in battle and is brought back to life by Isolde, daughter of the Irish king and they fall in love.

Tristan then wins a tournament designed to secure peace and discovers that Isolde has been betrothed to Lord Marke.

Despite this, they begin a love affair. Does it end happily? You will have to watch the movie to find out.

James Franco and Sophia Myles play the lovers.

Answer: Once

Released in 2007, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová play the musicians in this comedy.

Hansard plays a young street busker and Irglová a flower seller who have a brief relationship. However, he has a girlfriend and she has a husband, so there can be no long term life together.

Answer: The Van

Released in 1996, "The Van" is based on the novel of the same name by Roddy Doyle. It is also the third part of a trilogy that opens with the book, and movie, "The Commitments".

The movie tells of two friends who buy an old van and start up a fish and chips business. Initially it is successful, but their friendship starts to waver.

Colm Meaney and Donal O'Kelly play the friends.

Answer: The Guard

"The Guard" is a dark comedy and cinema goers loved it so much it became the best-selling Irish movie of all time.

Released in 2011, Brendan Gleeson plays a sergeant in the Irish police service, an Garda Siochana - officers are familiarly known as 'Guards' - and Don Cheadle plays an FBI agent.

The agent has been sent to investigate drug smuggling and, after the murder of another Guard, the agent and the sergeant team up to catch the killers.

"The Guard" was nominated for a raft of awards and won five at the Irish Film and Television Award in 2012.

Answer: Leap Year

"Leap Year" is a 2016 romantic comedy in which American Amy Adams travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day.

However, she ends up falling in love with handsome Irishman Matthew Goode.

With all the usual Irish stereotypes ramped up to the maximum, the film was not a critical success.