The Williamsburg Regional Library | Programs

The Celtic Film Series is presented by the Williamsburg Regional Library in cooperation with the local chapters of the St. Andrew's Society and the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians.

All films are FREE and shown in the Williamsburg Library Theatre, 515 Scotland Street

Wednesday, October 1, 7 p.m.
Once (2007, rated R)
Williamsburg Library Theatre, 515 Scotland Street
How often do you find the right person? This modern-day musical tells the story of an Irish busker on the streets of Dublin and an Czech immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story.

Wednesday, November 5, 7 p.m.
Gregory's Girl (1981, rated PG)
In his Scottish New Town home, gangling Gregory and his schoolfriends are starting to find out about girls. He fancies Dorothy, not least because she has got into the football team - and is a better player than him. He finally asks her out, but it is obviously the females in control of matters here, and that very much includes Gregory's younger sister.

Wednesday, December 3, 7 p.m.
Bitter Harves (How Harry Became a Tree) (2001, rated R)
Believing that "a man is measured by his enemies," Harry Maloney (Colm Meaney) plots to destroy George O'Flaherty, the most powerful man in town. Unfortunately for Harry, his chosen nemesis is also the town's matchmaker, and he needs George to broker the marriage of his dim but handsome son, Gus (Cillian Murphey). Being indebted to George only fuels Harry's irrational hatred more. But somehow, no matter how hard he schemes to bedevil George, Harry proves to be his own worst enemy. The tangled turn of events is both comic and tragic. You won't know whether to laugh or cry -- so true of the Irish condition.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009, 7 p.m.
My Childhood and My Ain Folks (1972 and 1973, unrated)
The first two parts of Bill Douglas' influential trilogy harks back to his impoverished upbringing in early-'40s Scotland. Cinema was his only escape - he paid for it with the money he made from returning empty jam jars - and this escape is reflected most closely at this time of his life as an eight-year-old living on the breadline with his half-brother and sick grandmother in a poor mining village.

Wednesday, February 4, 7 p.m.
My Way Home (1978, unrated)
The conclusion of Bill Douglas' autobiographical trilogy follows an older Jamie during his national service in the Royal Air Force. Unforgettable performances by a cast of professionals and nonprofessionals, including Stephen Archibald as Jamie, conclude this trio of real-life dramas.

Wednesday, March 4, 7 p.m.
Kings Spoken in Irish, with subtitles. (2007, unrated)
In the mid 1970s a group of young men left the west of Ireland, bound for London, filled with ambition for a better life in a place where they could be kings. Thirty years have passed when they meet again. For some of them those thirty years have been hard. As the truth about their lives and long-held secrets are laid bare, the men discover that ultimately it is your friends who break your heart - and your friends who can save it.

Wednesday, April 1, 7 p.m.
Mary of Scotland (1936, unrated)
Mary Stuart returns to Scotland to rule as queen, to the chagrin of Elizabeth I of England who finds her a dangerous rival. This John Ford-directed film stars Katharine Hepburn, Fredric March, John Carradine. (Note: This film is a substitute for the previously announced one.)

Wednesday, May 6, 7 p.m.
The General (1998, rated R)
Based on the book by Paul Williams, this film tells the story of Martin Cahill the notorious thief and gang leader who ruled the underprivileged Dublin neighborhood of Hollyfield in the 1980's. While many were oppressed under the church's authoritarianism and the government's high taxes, Cahill made a fortune stealing while avoiding paying taxes and still collecting the Dole. What was striking about Cahill was that he used the establishment's own laws against it, making him impossible to convict. His Robin Hood-like adventures made him the Jesse James of his time.

Wednesday, June 3, 7 p.m.
The Conflict (Catholics) (1973, rated R)
This story centers around a group of Irish monks who firmly believe that the Mass should be said in Latin as it was when Rome first became Christian. These monks are willing to defy the Pope to preserve the Faith even if their own faith has failed them. Stars Trevor Howard, Martin Sheen and Cyril Cusack.