Under the Hawthorn Tree

Ireland, 1845, and the potato crop has failed, bringing terrible hunger and plague. Everywhere people are dying or emigrating. The family of young Eily, Michael and Peggy, around whom this story revolves, does not escape. Their baby sister dies and is buried under a hawthorn tree. Their mother leaves them alone to go in search of their father. The children are determined to avoid certain death in the workhouse, where the poor are sent. So they set off on the dangerous journey across Ireland to find their great-aunts, Nano and Lena, whom they have only heard about in their mother’s stories.

Directed by Bronagh Murphy, Siobhan Lyons, Under the Hawthorn Tree leans on a strong ensemble — Liane Murphy, Chris Bollard, Doireann Lawlor — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1998.