His was a smile that showed the teeth, and we’re all the poorer without it

"Opposition to the war, and all it stood for, was not just common but deep and widespread - whether from shoppers, students, parents, our teachers, or anyone we cared to ask."

Since I like being Irish, I now regard St Patrick's Day as a welcome vehicle for my long-held feelings of Hibernian Supremacy, and a handy excuse to push Irish culture on to unsuspecting, but usually grateful, friends here and online

'There’s not much I can say about Enoch Burke and his family that hasn’t been said better, and indeed funnier, elsewhere — there is, in fact, not much I can say about them that hasn’t already been said about the bubonic plague'

"...the most stirring responses are those from those who don’t just recognise the child staring back at them, but miss them dearly; the act of seeing their youthful sense triggering a flood of memories..."

"These cuts obviously happened for the same reason; so that millionaires could make their product more commercial to a world, and consumer base, that’s changed."

Despite having a extremely low tolerance for physical discomfort in real life, I find survivalist fiction irresistible. I’ve watched every movie ever made about someone becoming stranded in a sprawling forest, or having to endure a desert or frozen wilderness.

We must be clear-eyed and vigilant about the people behind these protests and what they actually want

"Telling my English friends about St Brigid's Day has certainly been instructive, since they’re so beaten down by the ensh*ttification of every aspect of life here, the idea of a new public holiday seems fizzily insane."

Whatever way you slice it, this was a banner week for Irish film and something we should be truly proud of