The first edition of Historical Dictionary of Irish Cinema was published in 2007. This second edition covers the years from 1896 (the first public cinema screening in Dublin) through 2018 (Irish Film Board is officially renamed Screen Ireland). The front matter of the book includes a 10-page chronology that serves as a useful overview of key events in the development of Irish cinema, and an in-depth introduction that provides crucial historical and political context and expands on the chronology. The concluding bibliography is subdivided by topic: genre, censorship, actors, and so on. The dictionary itself is alphabetically arranged, and entries range in length from one paragraph to three pages. Besides actors, directors, and films, subjects covered include editors, musicians, production companies, reports on the industry, studios, publications, governmental and cultural organizations, and concepts (e.g., censorship, LGBTQ cinema). Inclusion of younger screenwriters, directors, and actors—among them Chris O’Dowd, Saoirse Ronan, Jack Reynor, and Rebecca Daly—makes the work more relevant to students. Any entry mentioned within another is bolded for the reader’s convenience. A valuable resource for those interested in film studies, Irish studies, or world cinema.Recommended. All readers.

Choice Reviews

The Historical Dictionary of Irish Cinema is an excellent contribution to the field by two of the most active scholars in the area of Irish film and media studies. This book significantly improves on its predecessor and it will enrich the study of Irish cinema whilst benefiting anyone with an even casual interest in the field.

Estudios Irlandeses

The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Irish Cinema, published as part of Rowman & Littlefield’s “Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts” series, offers a much needed, and comprehensive, update of the first edition, published in 2007. Over 200 pages longer than the original edition, with several new entries and, as the authors, Roddy Flynn and Tony Tracy, note in the preface, “virtually all of the original entries [. . .] substantially revised or rewritten” (xi). This new edition reflects the remarkable growth of the Irish film industry in the last decade. The wealth of information on Irish cinema available in this historical dictionary is carefully structured in such a way that not only is specific information easily found, but essential contexts and overviews of the Irish film industry as a whole are provided…. This book is an essential reference text for scholars of Irish cinema and an incredibly useful resource for anyone with an interest in the subject.

Irish Studies Review