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The worst Irish movies ever made - SEE VIDEOS

Haunted castles, Irish stereotypes and, best of all, Viagra spiked water supplies



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What are the worst Irish movies ever made?

We think we have come up with the Top 5 but if you have any better or worse ideas, feel free to join in.

From stereotypical views of Ireland in “Leap Year” and atrocious acting and accents in “Far and Away” to the embarrassing tales of “High Spirits” and “A Tiger’s Tale,” there have been some really awful films made about or in Ireland.

Here at Irish Central we’re saved the number one spot for one of the most bizarre movies ever made. “Holy Water” is a tale about a group of men who put Viagra in their town’s water supply. Need we say more?

Here’s our full list of the top worst Irish movies of all time:

Holy Water  (2009)

Just a short description of this Irish movie will show you quickly why it got our number one vote. The story centers around the town of Kilcoulins Leap, home of a famous Holy Well.  A postman, Podger Byrnes, comes up with a plan to hijack a van of Viagra and sell it in Amsterdam. When the plan goes wrong and Viagra’s makers send in their muscle, the postman and his friends hide the load of Viagra down the town’s Holy Well. You can guess the hilarity that follows.

Far and Away (1992)

Back in 1992 “Entertainment Weekly” spelt out perfectly what was wrong with this Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman epic about venturing into the Wild West in the 1800s. The review read, “Cruise has no edge, no inner fire. He lacks the passionate, volatile qualities that might have expanded the character into something more than a screenwriter’s concoction. … Machine-tooled and weightless — that’s Cruise in ‘Far and Away’. And that’s the movie as well."

This movie is also an example of some of the worst Irish accents and lines in an Irish movie. The most famously bad line from this movie is one of Cruise’s when he says to Kidman’s character, “You're a corker, Shannon. What a corker you are.”

FAR AND AWAY: Movie Trailer. Watch more top selected videos about: Movie Trailers, Thomas Gibson

Leap Year (2010)

Guilty of leaving Ireland in the dark ages, “Leap Year” sees Oscar nominee Amy Adams as Anna, a woman desperate to marry her long term boyfriend. She plans a trip to the Emerald Isle for February 29, where traditionally in Ireland women can propose to men.

“The New York Times” got it right when a critic described “Leap Year” as one of the worst movies of the year. The romantic comedy paints modern Ireland as a backward country where a power surge caused by Adam’s Blackberry wipes out electricity for an entire town. The hackneyed love story does little to promote the true identity and lure of Ireland.

The Tiger’s Tail (2006)

Written and directed by Englishman John Boorman, this is one Irish film that belongs on the editor’s floor. Good points start and end with the cast line up, which includes Brendan Gleeson and Kim Cattrall (with a very unconvincing Irish accent).

Gleeson plays Liam, a property developer in Ireland’s economic heyday whose dodgy dealings leave him seeing a double of himself, akin to Macbeth’s ghosts who haunt him for the duration of the film.

High Spirits (1988)

The brilliant Peter O’Toole plays a major role in this movie which does not paint the Irish or Americans in the best light. Stereotypes and an embarrassingly predictable story earned this movie a place on our list. 

The movie tells the story of a busload of American tourists who arrive at Peter Plunkett’s Irish castle which he pretends is haunted. 

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40 Comments

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I think "Leap Year" did indeed stereotype Ireland as well as mis-label large tracts of land and sea. But "worst movie"? My husband will watch anything with Amy Adams in it. Maybe it reminds him of when I was younger and didn't restore my hair color through chemistry... It did make me want to go back. Our last trip must've been 1993 so we missed the big roar of the Celtic Tiger...
Sorry "Far and Away" is not an Irish movie. It starts in Ireland, but is about Irish American outside of Boston. I know you will find this funny, but alot of Irish Americans live outside of Boston, and the large cities. As a matter of fact my family was Republican, and Irish Catholic. The Movie "Far and Away" shows how Irish Catholics were used by the Irish Politician like the Kennedys and Fitzgerlds. Tom Cruise's character in the movies reminds me of tales of my great grandfather. The first of our family to settle in America. In our family tales, he is bigger then life, and dearing.
The comments below are more interesting (although I'll remember not to rent these 5 worst)....wow...some people really take themselves seriously, huh!? I will try to see The Field...and I loved In the Name of the Father, too.
I thought Leap Year was entertaining, the scenery was beautiful, and the leading man was handsome. For REALLY GOOD movies, though, The Field is outstanding and I LOVED Waking Ned Devine. The dialogue at the beginning is somewhat difficult to understand, but once past that, it is hilarious. I've seen it twice and probably will again some day. In the Name of the Father and Circle of Friends are also good.
The Quiet Man is the worst Irish movie. John Wayne abuses his wife Maureen O'Hara. Among the best, "Cal" and "The Field"
roderahara...The movie you are referring to is IRISH JAM. Should have been ISLE OF MAN JAM...as that is where it was filmed. No surrogate for California though.
You guys (IMHO) haven't even come close to the worst Irish movies...ever. Try these for size if you can stand them, or find them (they all made it to DVD). 1. CRUSH PROOF-1998-with Darren Healy; 2. DEATH GAMES-2002-with Jason Berry; 3. DEAD MEAT-2004-with Maria Araujo; 4.HOOLIGANS-2004-with Andy Curtis; 5. ISOLATION-2005-with John Lynch; 6. BOY EATS GIRL-2005-with Samantha Mumba. After watching this trash, you will want to nominate FAR AND AWAY, for the best movie...ever. I'm not considering foreign actors accents...that's another issue entirely.
The absolute worst Irish movie is one that is so bad that I thought so little of it that I didn't even take the time to note the name. It's set in a small Irish village where an African-American man (a comedian in real life, I think) saves the village from a developer. I was channel surfing late one night and watched the last few minutes of it while waiting for another movie to begin. Did anyone else ever see it? It's one of those movies that wasn't released - it escaped.
I guess I have to agree....Movies are made for entertainment not up for historical value and Political correctness.. spell entertainment. I think I'd go to see Holy Water, a comedy, .
I have to agree with some of the others I've read. Holy Water actually looks entertaining. The winner of the Worst Irish Movie Ever title is Far and Away. It's just bad. It's not even good enough for me to call it "terrible".
I think someone is too stuck in reality or has a self-image issue. I don't care if 'The Quiet Man' is not or never was real. It was great fun and I'll watch it again anytime just to get my dose of romantic fantasy. 'High Spirits' was a blast and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a laugh. Anyone who believes its antics are a real portrayal is a fool, though. Haven't seen 'Holy Water' but like 'Ned Devine' it is probably hilarious, too. I would like to see the list of top best Irish movies. Would 'The Field' perhaps be near the top? We go to movies to be entertained which doesn't always mean reality, reality sucks you know. Any vote of mine for best movie would be the ones that I enjoyed no matter the subject. Perhaps the author wants the Irish to be portrayed as gangsters like all these Boston Irish movies these days. Go see the 'Departed' for a good laugh.
Well, isn't this a lovely way to start the morning...bashing! We all have an opinion and welcome to it. So, I will venture mine. Movies are for entertainment. If you want history and accuracy, watch National Geographics or the History Channel. I love The Quiet Man and watch it every St.Patrick's Day. It was been a family tradition to view it after returning from St. James since I was a little girl. Darby O'Gill is wonderful in its child like happy manner. Leap Year was funny and with Matthew Goode advising Amy Adams to put things in the washer, "it'll be grand" was grand.I laughed hard at that male mentality. So..... If you don't like them, don't watch them...and if you do watch them...and you don't like them....don't watch them again. Simple!
Far and Away - good history on the land rush but bad casting. The Quiet Man? Wonderful memory film. My dad was there when it was filmed and the stories he told me about it were absolutely hilarious. This film is for us to relive memories of our family stories. Different ending than the short story. Darby O'Gill and the Little People?! Wonderful way to pass on our Irish legends to our children!!!! You guys are looking at this from a different perspective than I am. I can tell you every cut made in the Quiet Man and and every time it's on the tube. Why? Because my dad and I sat side by side and watched this together - MORE THAN ONCE!!!! Darby O'Gill - Again, watched with my parents and brothers and were told wonderful stories about their lives and beliefs in the "Auld" Country. Also, in release in 1977, first movie my husband and I took our daughter to as a family and every Irishman in Fairbanks, Alaska working on the pipeline was at the movie house with us. Great Treat!!! Wonderful Memory. What about The Informer with Victor McLaughlin? Or Wind That Shakes The Barley? We waited in line for this in San Francisco and every IA that I ever knew was there. All agreed that it was super consiseant with what we were told by our folks. History, memories and legends must be preserved or we will eventually lose our identity. Haven't seen the other 4 films. Too much $$$$ to put out for something with bad reviews. Although I did see Irish Jam on TV and got a big kick out of it. So absurd it was funny!!!
"Darby O'Gill and the Little People," anyone? How can that not be THE worst?
I enjoyed the trailer for Holy Water!! I think we could all use a laugh right about now:-)




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