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This year’s nine-film program, running until May 4, once again covers all aspects of the Irish film scene, from dramas to documentaries and animation, and showcases gems that would otherwise rarely show up on the commercial circuit this side of the pond.

This season’s highlights include the provocative doc Bobby Sands: 66 Days (screening Feb. 3), focusing on the famed IRA leader who died on a hunger strike while imprisoned in 1981, and A Date for Mad Mary (screening May 4), a charming coming-of-age epic.

Unlike most in the rarified film universe, Doyle had never harboured any dreams about running a festival. Frankly, she was not even much of a film buff. She had been a high-school English and math teacher. She had also been a volunteer on the cultural committee of the St. Patrick’s Society.