Janet Maslin, critic of the New York Times said that "Meryl Streep has made many a grand acting gesture in her career, but the way she simply peers out a window in Dancing at Lughnasa ranks with the best.

Everything the viewer need know about Kate Mundy, the woman she plays here, is written on that prim, lonely face and its flabbergasted gaze.

"[3] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine wrote that "a luminous cast reveals long-buried feelings.

And she is matched by Kathy Burke's bawdy Maggie, Brid Brennan's secretive Agnes, Sophie Thompson's slow-witted Rose and Catherine McCormack's bold Christina, who never married the father of her son.

"[4] Kathy Burke received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Drama from the International Press Academy (Satellite Awards).