Posted by musuem curator Laurel Fritzsch:  Irish immigrants and their descendants’ devotion to Ireland has created an enduring sense of Irish identity throughout the world.   In no case is this more apparent than in the U.S. whose celebration of St. Patrick’s includes the saying “everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!” Most Irish immigrants who settled in Kansas came between 1870 and 1900.  Irish already settled in Kansas, like Leavenworth priest Thomas Butler, often encouraged their fellow countrymen to move to Kansas over other U.S. states.  Read Butler's pamphlet on Kansas Memory. The Irish typically worked on the railroad, as farmers, and as coal miners. Most notably through food, music and politics, first, second and third generation Irish Americans maintained ties to Ireland and influenced U.S. culture and politics.  Writing in 1871, Father Butler writes that: " [Irish Americans] have learned many of the traditions of 'the old land' from their Irish mothers, and their American love of Liberty fills them with enthusiasm for the welfare of Ireland." During Ireland’s War of Independence (which became the civil war that continues today in Northern Ireland) many Americans provided financial support.  Also, many Kansans with Irish ancestry traveled to Ireland to reconnect to their heritage.  One Kansan who traveled to Dublin in the 1930s was newspaper editor William Allen White.   St. Patrick’s Day, Irish music fests, and films about Ireland continue to make Irish cultural identity a part of American cultural identity. So if you’re looking to celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day by settling into your couch instead of dancing the night away, tuck into any of my following top 5 favorite Irish films. Your feedback is welcome, so if you want to argue for or against something on my list, please leave a comment here or on our facebook page. 1) The Wind That Shakes The Barley (PG-13)This dramatic film follows two brothers first during the brutal fighting that occurs during War of Independence (1919-1921), and the controversial partial independence peace deal offered by Great Britain. The deal would be equivalent to the British offering independence for 7 of America’s 13 colonies.  After the long years of intense fighting portrayed during the first portion of the film do the brothers decide that independence for part of Ireland is better than none and support peace, or that there should be independence for all or none and keep fighting? The acting, setting, and plot are all fantastic, and the film will help you understand how the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were created. 2) Waking Ned Devine (PG) This comedy captures small town Irish life as townspeople cope with the death of local lotto winner Ned Divine.   I know that doesn’t sound very funny but trust me, this film will get you laughing.   3) Bloody Sunday (R) This drama was filmed in documentary style and charts the progress a peaceful protest march in Derry, Northern Ireland 1972 from the night before the march to the night after it. It nicely illustrates the confusion that characterized events during the “troubles.”   4) An Everlasting Piece (R) This comedy is set in Belfast during the “troubles” in Northern Ireland.  It is the story of a Protestant and Catholic who attempt to sell toupees together in Belfast.  It does a nice job of capturing the troubles in Belfast while avoiding being depressing.    5) Omagh  (PG-13)This drama tells the story of a” Real IRA” car bomb that killed 31 people in 1998 in the small market town of Omagh, Northern Ireland.  Shot in a documentary style, it is centered around a father's search for justice.  It is a nice counterpoint to the film “In the Name of the Father” which tells the story of people wrongly accused of a bombing.