A series of essays considering the nature and direction of Irish film and television. Topics include coverage of the ‘Roy Keane’ affair, the first Irish-language soap opera, the New Irish Gangsters, Irish identity post 11 September, images of Belfast in contemporary Irish cinema and female punishment in Irish history and culture. Keeping it Real will appeal to those interested in Irish film, media and cultural studies. It reflects a new popular and academic desire to extend the notion of Irishness to include not just the inhabitants of the State but also the wider diaspora - particularly of great Britain and North America, questioning issues of national identity and ethnicity.