The Irish film industry has grown somewhat from the late 20th century, due partly to the promotion of the sector by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and the introduction of heavy tax breaks.

[6] Most films are produced in English as Ireland is largely Anglophone, though some productions are made in Irish either wholly or partially.

According to a 2009 article in Variety magazine spotlighting Irish cinema, up to 1999/2000, Ireland had only two filmmakers "anyone had heard of": Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan.

[7] Former Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen (2008–2010) said that “the film industry is the cornerstone of a smart and creative digital economy”.

[9] Some of the most successful Irish films include The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), Intermission (2003), Man About Dog (2004), Michael Collins (1996), Angela's Ashes (1999), The Commitments (1991), Once (2007) and The Quiet Girl (2022).

Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie (2014) holds the record for the biggest gross on the opening day of an Irish film in Ireland.

It was directed by Sidney Olcott, who returned the next year to shoot over a dozen films primarily in the small village of Beaufort, County Kerry.

[8] Notable films that have been filmed in Ireland include The Quiet Man (1952), Ten Little Indians (1965), The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965), The Lion in Winter (1968), The First Great Train Robbery (1979), Excalibur (1981), The Fantasist (1986), Braveheart (1995), Reign of Fire (2002), King Arthur (2004), The Guard (2011), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017).

[citation needed] The first cinema in Ireland, the Volta, was opened at 45 Mary Street, Dublin, in 1909 by the novelist James Joyce.

However, following a number of box-office flops in the early to mid-1990s, including 1994's Thumbelina and A Troll in Central Park and 1995's The Pebble and the Penguin, the studio soon declared bankruptcy and was closed in 1995.

However, IFB funded films like Intermission, I Went Down, Man About Dog, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, and Adam & Paul proved popular with domestic audiences and had "respectable" box office performance in Irish cinemas.

[23] Both the Oscar-winning film Once and the Palme d'Or winner The Wind That Shakes the Barley experienced international success in the early 21st century.