ABSTRACT
This chapter interrogates the relationship between Irish cinema and film genre, a relationship that appeared until recently to be mutually exclusive. By looking at the history of both genre theory and Irish cinema, I attempt to show that this was not the case and suggest that an early form of what some consider as the current Irish cinematic obsession with genre movies can be seen in one of the earliest Ardmore productions. I don't wish to underplay the significant changes that have occurred in the interim but instead seek to understand why, firstly, the influence of genre has previously been so little discussed in Irish cinematic history and, secondly, how the impact of genre has changed in more contemporary Irish cinema.
