Between the freshness of the Irish 'first-wave', and much-praised recent features such as Adam & Paul, the array of Irish films between may have been neglected. Díóg O'Connell petitions on their behalf.

There has been a tendency, through the practice of Irish film criticism, to denigrate contemporary Irish cinema as the poor relation in comparison to its more radical predecessor, the first wave, a habit that can be difficult to break once it gains ground. This earlier period is bookended by Bob Quinn's Caoineadh Airt Ui Laoire (1975) and Joe Comerford's Reefer and the Model (1988), the end of the period coinciding with the termination by Charles Haughey of the first Bord Scannán na hÉireann (The Irish Film Board). The work of Joe Comerford, Cathal Black, Bob Quinn, Pat Murphy, and Thaddeus O'Sullivan presents an impressive range of cinematic output and marks Ireland's entry onto the international cinematic landscape for the first time.

This period is shaped in a particular way by academics and commentators principally because it can be aligned with international avant-garde movements and art cinema, and ties in with the discourses prevalent within Film Studies in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly those framed within ideological proclivities. The work of these filmmakers and others of the era has presented Irish cinema studies with substantial material for discussion and debate that can be re-presented in various lights. It makes for intellectually engaged viewing and analysis for both the student and teacher and as time passes, is always worth re-visiting. However, the question now needs to be asked whether its legacy is smothering the acknowledgement, appreciation and critical appraisal of more recent Irish cinema. In terms of the Irish cinematic family, the first wave is the first born (and a son to boot), while Irish cinema since the 1990s is in danger of being relegated to middle child status, with all the hang-ups that reputedly befall such offspring.

The full article is printed in Film Ireland 106.