For many, St. Patrick’s Day is an excuse to put on every green item in your wardrobe and sink as many pints of Guinness as you possibly can. But for Irish people, or those with Irish parentage (like myself), it’s also an opportunity to celebrate a unique and extremely special country. Ireland is one of my favorite places on Earth, and I’m lucky enough to be a citizen of “The Emerald Isle.”
As part of honoring my heritage, understanding Ireland’s difficult history is important. One movie that chronicles a particularly dark chapter in the country’s past is “The Wind That Shakes the Barley,” directed by Ken Loach and starring Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy. Released in 2006, it’ll celebrate its 20th anniversary later this year, and upon release, it became the highest-grossing Irish-made independent film at the time. Set during the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent Irish Civil War, it’s a war drama centered on two brothers who initially fight together, but are then torn apart as they end up on opposing sides.
