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7 epic Irish action movies you've probably never heard of

And (mostly) for good reason.

A still from Vampires Vs Leprechauns (Causeway Pictures/Vimeo)

AND TO THINK you thought that Irish cinema began and ended with My Left Foot. How wrong you were.

1. Legend of the Bog (2009)

What’s that? Vinnie Jones in a low-rent horror about bog bodies coming to life? Set in “the massive swamps of Ireland”? It’s only a wonder nobody made it sooner. Or, as Vinnie would say: “Oi!”

YouTube/chuxiin

2. Rawhead Rex (1986)

“What I saw wasn’t human. It was very tall.” Only in Ireland would that pass for supernatural. Anyway, this film follows a the eponymous Rawhead Rex, a “particularly nasty demon” who sets out on a cross-country destruction spree after being inadvertently released by a farmer.

Rumour has it he gave up after reaching Athlone and is now working as a secondary school teacher.

YouTube/jewbo23

3. The Irish Vampire Goes West (2007)

“Marla journeys to d’faraway Emerald Oisle. But once she arrived, d’luck of d’Irish turned against her.” Features blood-sucking, diddly-eye music and possibly the most extravagant use of the ‘creaking door’ sound file ever in a feature film trailer. All in all, a classic.

YouTube/Pegarty

4. Fatal Deviation (1998)

A cult favourite for years and notoriously labelled “the worst film ever made” by Cracked.com, this low-budget epic set in the kung-fu slums of Trim, Co Meath has a lot going for it. And by “a lot” we mean laughable fight scenes, quasi-spiritual guff, and possibly Ireland’s first ever training montage.

Did we mention that you can watch the full thing online?

In the meantime, here’s a taster:

YouTube/acekingie

5. Holy Water (2010)

When inept crooks meet Viagra in small-town Ireland, hilarity ensures. Is there a “hardened criminals” joke in the trailer? Yes, of course there is.

YouTube/HolyWaterFilm

6. Strength and Honour (2007)

Remember that Irish film with Vinnie Jones above? Well, what if we told you there was an Irish film with Vinnie Jones AND MICHAEL MADSEN? And Vinnie Jones plays a Traveller? That means he has to do an accent, you know. And if there’s one thing Vinnie doesn’t like, it’s ACCENTS.

YouTube/Strengthpromo

7. Vampires Vs Leprechauns (2013?)

A film so powerful, they haven’t even made it yet. But with vampires AND leprechauns, what could possibly go wrong? We’re expecting a hilarious culture-clash comedy where everyone ultimately learns a little about themselves.

Or alternatively, something like this:


Vimeo/Causeway Pictures. Video not working? Try again here.

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