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Irish cinema has long been popular in Brazil. My Left Foot (1989), In the Name of the Father (1993), Room (2015), Belfast (2021), An Cailín Ciúin (2022) and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) are examples of classics and Oscar nominees that have been especially well-received.

Dedicated Irish film festivals have been held in cities such as São Paulo, Florianópolis, Ouro Preto, Manaus and Salvador, with themes varying from the international dimensions of Irish cinema to screen biographies and cultural trauma, showcasing the work of John T. Davis, Thaddeus O’Sullivan, Alan Gilsenan and Pat Murphy, among other filmmakers. The bilingual series Ireland on Film: Screenplays and Critical Contexts (2011-), with screenplays and subtitled DVDs, features the work of some of these directors.

Comhaltas Brasil, the Brazilian branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the organisation that promotes and preserves traditional Irish music and culture around the world, was established in 2018, twinned with Comhaltas Bray in Ireland. It promotes music, dance and Ireland’s native language, Gaeilge, through study opportunities and an annual festival of Irish music. A number of groups perform traditional and contemporary Irish music across Brazil, often at increasingly popular St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. U2, Ireland’s most famous rock band, first toured Brazil in 1998, and has since sold out some of the country’s largest venues.

Traditional Irish dances such as Céilí and set dancing, and the now world-famous Riverdance, are also increasing in popularity. Banana Broadway, a Brazilian dance school run by Fernanda Faez, who has been working with Irish dance since 1998, was runner-up at the 2017 Irish Dancing World Championship. Among the school’s projects and accomplishments are Cia Celta Brasil, the first professional Irish dancing company in Brazil which, in 2013, performed at Rock in Rio, and Festival Celta Brasil, which has held 19 editions. The beauty and singularity of Irish dance is now appreciated all over Brazil.