List of films featuring the Irish Republican Army

This is a list of films in which the Irish Republican Army, a faction thereof or a break away organisation (whether real or fictional) is portrayed either through its plot or by a main character.

Title Director Notable cast Summary Released NotesJuno and the PaycockAlfred HitchcockMaire O'Neill, Edward Chapman, Sidney Morgan, Sara AllgoodA long suffering wife's dismay as her troubled family is unwound by the prospect of wealth. Her husband is useless, her son is pursued by rebels for informing, and her daughter is dangerously in love with a lawyer due an inheritance. She tries to save her family from the storms that follows. Based on the 1924 play by Seán O'Casey.1930The InformerJohn FordVictor McLaglenA disgraced former IRA member decides to inform on his former comrade and use the bounty to emigrate. His former comrade is then killed in a gunfight and things spiral as it becomes known it was he who informed. Based on the novel by Liam O'Flaherty.1935Beloved EnemyH.C. PotterMerle Oberon, Brian Aherne, David NivenDuring the Irish War of Independence an Irish rebel leader and a British aristocratic woman fall in love. The rebel however is pursued by a British Army officer.1936My Life for IrelandMax W. KimmichAnna Dammann, René DeltgenA Nazi propaganda film where a young student who sells out his love interest to the Secret Service after seeing her with a wanted Irish revolutionary, must risk his life to rehabilitate himself.1941I See a Dark StrangerFrank LaunderDeborah Kerr, Trevor HowardA young Irish woman becomes a Nazi spy.1946Odd Man OutCarol ReedJames MasonA wounded Irish nationalist leader in Belfast attempts to evade police following a failed robbery. (The group he belongs to is not named, but the IRA were the only Irish republican group active at the time.)1947The Quiet ManJohn FordJohn WayneA retired boxer returns home to Ireland. He falls for a fiery red-head, whose brother forms a rivalry with him.1952The Gentle GunmanBasil DeardenJohn Mills, Dirk BogardeIRA Volunteer Terry Sullivan (Mills) become disillusioned with a bombing campaign of London during the Second World War.1952Shake Hands with the DevilMichael AndersonJames Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, Glynis JohnsA young American gets involved in the 1921 battles between the Black and Tans and the IRA, - but at last he becomes sick of all the killing and puts an end to it by shooting an IRA-leader.1959A Terrible Beauty (also known as The Night Fighters)Tay GarnettRobert MitchumThe Night Fighters is a look at the conflicted loyalties that trouble a daring young IRA recruit who comes to realize that some of his IRA cohorts are seriously misguided, and that the Nazis aren't to be trusted as allies. Based on the 1958 A Terrible Beauty novel by Arthur Roth.1960The Day They Robbed the Bank of EnglandAldo RayPeter O TooleIn London in 1901, during Ireland's struggle for independence, Charles Norgate, an Irish American, is recruited by Irish revolutionaries to rob the Bank of England. Iris Muldoon, widow of an Irish independence martyr, enlists Norgate for the heist. Led by O'Shea, the group plans to steal one million pounds in gold bullion as a political statement. 1960Ryan's DaughterDavid LeanSarah Miles, Robert Mitchum, John Mills, Leo McKern, Trevor HowardIRA men arrive in a village to prepare to receive a delivery of German rifles from a ship offshore. Although the villagers help them recover the weapons during a storm, they are captured by the local British Army detachment on leaving the beach.1970Duck, You Sucker!Sergio LeoneJames Coburn, Rod SteigerAn Irish explosives expert on the run and a Mexican bandit unintentionally get involved in the Mexican Revolution.1971A Sense of LossMarcel OphülsDocumentary shot over six weeks in December 1971, and January 1972, the film consisted of interviews with Protestants, Catholics, politicians, and some soldiers, combined with TV news clips of bombings and violence.1972NO GO!Richard ChaseDocudrama about both the Provisional IRA and Official IRA in Derry's Bogside.1973HennessyDon SharpRod Steiger, Lee RemickAfter his family is killed, a once peaceful Irishman plots revenge, setting out to destroy the British Parliament.1975The Eagle Has LandedJohn SturgesMichael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert DuvallA former IRA man sheltering in Nazi Germany, where he works as a lecturer, is parachuted into England to make preparations for a Luftwaffe parachute unit, disguised as Polish soldiers, tasked with capturing or killing Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.1976The Patriot GameArthur MacCaig A history of the Northern Irish conflict from 1968 to 1978, including the origins of the IRA and the conflict itself.1979documentaryThe OutsiderTony LuraschiCraig Wasson, Sterling Hayden, Patricia Quinn, Niall O'BrienAn Irish-American man travels to Ireland during the 1970s and joins the IRA. Based on the book The Heritage of Michael Flaherty by Colin Leinster. 1979The Long Good FridayJohn MackenzieBob Hoskins, Helen MirrenA London crime boss is beset by problems which prove to be caused by the Provisional IRA, targeting his organisation following coincidental events that incorrectly implicate his involvement.1980Guests of the NationJohn J. DesmondTwo British enlistees being held captive by the IRA during the Irish War of Independence form a sense of camaraderie with their IRA guards. Difficulties ensure when they are to be executed. Based on a short story by Frank O'Connor.1981Television filmHarry's GameLawrence Gordon ClarkRay Lonnen, Derek ThompsonAn IRA rifleman who assassinated a British minister in front of his family in London is tracked down by an undercover British Army officer. Based on Gerald Seymour’s 1975 novel.1982Television serialGiro City (also known by And Nothing But the Truth)Karl FrancisGlenda Jackson, Jon Finch, Kenneth Colley, Bruce Alexander, Sharon MorganDrama about a TV current affairs team who are working on two major news stories, and find themselves coming up against censorship and self-censorship in the media.1982Television filmCalPat O'ConnorHelen Mirren, John Lynch, Donal McCann, Ray McAnally, John Kavanagh, Tom Hickey, J. J. MurphyA young Provisional IRA member wants to leave after falling in love with the widow of a victim. Based on a novella by Bernard MacLaverty.1984The Glory BoysMichael FergusonAnthony Perkins, Rod Steiger, Alfred Burke, Joanna LumleyThe IRA assigns one of its members to aid a PLO assassin in his attempt to kill an Israeli nuclear scientist in London, while British Intelligence officers attempt to prevent and capture them.1984Television serialContactAlan ClarkeSean ChapmanA platoon of British paratroopers on border patrol in South Armagh face a series of tense encounters. Based on A.F.N. Clarke's experiences as a Parachute Regiment officer in 1970s Northern Ireland.1984Television filmIn This CornerAtom EgoyanAn amateur boxer from Canada becomes an unwitting pawn in The Troubles when he is convinced by Irish Republican Army to help smuggle accused member back into Ireland as part of his entourage.1986Television filmA Prayer for the DyingMike HodgesMickey Rourke, Bob Hoskins, Alan Bates, Liam Neeson, Leonard Termo, Camille Coduri, Alison DoodyA former IRA member escapes to London and tries to forget his past.1987Naming the NamesSylvestra Le TouzelStuart BurgeYoung Belfast woman committed to republican cause caught in web of conflicting loyalties and violence. Based on a short fiction story by Anne Devlin.1987TV movieAct of BetrayalLawrence Gordon ClarkElliott Gould, Patrick BerginAn IRA informer and his family are given new identities and new lives in Australia but the IRA are still determined to track them down.1988TV movieThe DawningRobert KnightsAnthony Hopkins, Hugh Grant, Jean Simmons, Trevor Howard, Rebecca PidgeonDepiction of the Irish War of Independence through the eyes of the Anglo-Irish landlord class.1988The GrasscutterIan MuneTerence Cooper, Ian McElhinneyAn Ulster Volunteer Force informer living under an assumed identity in New Zealand is revealed, with both loyalist and republican groups eager to track him down.1988A Casualty of WarTom CleggFollowing an American air strike on Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi's personal residence, the Libyan leader agrees to supply the IRA with weapons in revenge for Britain's involvement. Aware of the plans, MI5 persuade a former SAS man to go undercover and investigate the shipment. It is a dangerous mission especially with all becoming increasingly suspicious of him, who having retired, has become a well-known writer.1989Television filmElephantAlan ClarkeA chilling commentary on the sectarian murders which are everyday events there, covering several sectarian murders that happened during the troubles.1989Television filmWho Bombed Birmingham?Mike BeckhamJohn Hurt, Martin ShawDocudrama about the Birmingham Pub Bombings and the subsequent Birmingham Six.1991Documentary filmBehind the MaskFrank MartinA documentary on the life and attitudes of IRA members. Includes interviews with Brendan Hughes, Martin Meehan, Joe Cahill, Gerry Adams, and Martin McGuinness, as well as some others.1991Documentary filmThe TreatyJonathan LewisBrendan Gleeson, Bosco Hogan, Ian Bannen, Julian Fellowes, Barry McGovernDepiction of the negotiations for the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty towards the end of the Irish War of Independence, and the aftermath of the treaty leading to the Irish Civil War.1991Television filmForce of DutyPat O'ConnorAdrian Dunbar, Donal McCann, Patrick MalahideAn RUC detective is consumed by guilt after he fails to act decisively in a moment of terror. As the pressure on him builds, he gradually loses control of his life.1992Television filmPatriot GamesPhillip NoyceHarrison FordA former CIA analyst witnesses and intervenes in an attempted kidnapping of the British Minister of State for Northern Ireland by a radical IRA splinter group. The group then aims to take revenge on him, while he aims to stop them.