In the guide below, you’ll find 14 of the best documentaries on Netflix Ireland.
Now, as I’ve said in our guides to the best series on Netflix Ireland and the best movies on Netflix Ireland, what I think is deadly, you may think is shite.
So, I’ve whacked in the Rotten Tomatoes score next to each of the documentaries included in the guide below.
If you’re looking for interesting documentaries on Netflix that are actually worth the watch, you’ll find plenty here.
The Best Documentaries on Netflix Ireland
If you’ve spent as much time fluting around on Netflix as I have, you’ll know that there’s a lot of crap out there.
It can take time to sift throw the bad stuff and actually land on something that’ll grip you from beginning to end.
Below, there’s a solid mix of documentaries, with everything from movies on the vigilante groups fighting the Mexican cartels to films about Auschwitz.
: 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
Going off Rotten Tomatoes scores, the Accountant of Auschwitz is up there with the best documentaries on Netflix Ireland.
In a nutshell: The documentary looks at 94-year-old Oskar Gröning, a former German SS officer that was nicknamed ‘The Accountant of Auschwitz’.
Gröning was put on trial in Germany and was charged with complicity in the murder of a staggering 300,000 Jews at Auschwitz during 1944.
2. The Great Hack: 88% on Rotten Tomatoes
The Great Hack was released in 2019 and is a documentary about the Cambridge Analytica scandal involving Facebook.
In a nutshell: The documentary explores an alarming scenario where data was weaponized for political gain.
The film looks at the work of Cambridge Analytica and how it influenced the UK’s Brexit campaign along with the 2016 US elections.
3. American Factory: 96% on Rotten Tomatoes
You’ll regularly see American Factory topping lists of the best documentaries on Netflix Ireland. it was released in 2019 and was directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert.
In a nutshell: The documentary offers an insight into a situation where a Chinese billionaire opened a new factory in an abandoned General Motors plant.
The story follows the issues and challenges that come into play as high-tech China battles against working-class America.
4. Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez: 73% on Rotten Tomatoes
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez is a true-crime documentary that was released in 2020.
In a nutshell: The film looks at the story of convicted murderer and former American footballer Aaron Hernandez and shines light on how he transitioned from a National Football League star to a convicted killer.
5. Blue Planet: 83% on Rotten Tomatoes (one of my favourite documentaries on Netflix Ireland)
Blue Planet is special. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a nature documentary series that was created by the BBC and it’s narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
In a nutshell: The brilliant Sir David Attenborough narrates a series that offers an insight into Planet Earth’s marine environment. Each episode takes a look at marine life and marine behaviour that had never before been filmed.
6. Planet Earth: 96% on Rotten Tomatoes
Attenborough strikes again! Planet Earth was released in 2006, took over five years to make and was the most expensive nature documentary ever created by the BBC.
In a nutshell: Kick-back and relax as Attenborough shows you some of the world’s greatest natural wonders. Expect everything from vast oceans and deserts to the polar ice caps and more.
7. The Staircase: 94% on Rotten Tomatoes
The Staircase was released back in 2004. It’s a French miniseries that documents the trial of Michael Peterson, a man convicted of murdering his wife.
In a nutshell: Novelist Michael Peterson claims that his wife died after falling down the stairs in their home.
The investigating medical examiner, however, believes that she was beaten with a weapon. The documentary follows the murder investigation.
8. Flint Town: 95% on Rotten Tomatoes
Flint Town is another one that tends to feature high in guides to the best documentaries on Netflix Ireland. The documentary offers an insight into the men and women that serve to protect the city of Flint in Michigan.
In a nutshell: Flint is statistically one of America’s most violent cities. Many of those living there have little trust in the police, thanks to the coverup of a water contamination incident.
The documentary revolves around those working in the police force that are serving to protect urban areas of the city.
9. Icarus: 94% on Rotten Tomatoes
Icarus was released in 2017 and it delves into the world of doping in sports. A chance meeting that the director has with a Russian scientist makes this a very interesting watch.
In a nutshell: Filmmaker Bryan Fogel sets off on a mission to uncover the truth about doping in sports.
The documentary explores everything from dirty urine samples and unexplained deaths to the Olympics and beyond.
10. The Keepers: 97% on Rotten Tomatoes
The Keepers is one of the best documentaries on Netflix Ireland if you go off Rotten Tomatoes scores.
In a nutshell: The seven-part documentary explores the unsolved murder of Nun Sister Cathy Cesnik, who worked at Baltimore’s Archbishop Keough High School.
Sister Cathy disappeared in November of 1969 and her body wasn’t found until two months later. Her killer was never brought to justice.
11. Evil Genius: 80% on Rotten Tomatoes
The documentary follows the story of the murder of Brian Wells. His killing was a high-profile incident in 2003 and is often referred to as the “pizza bomber” case.
In a nutshell: This documentary follows the story of Brian Wells who robbed a bank with an explosive device around his neck. Things only get weirder from here.
12. Amanda Knox: 83% on Rotten Tomatoes
Amanda Knox is a documentary about an American woman of the same name. Knox was twice committed and twice acquitted of the murder of a student in Italy in 2007.
In a nutshell: This documentary offers an insight into the murder Meredith Kercher (Knox’s roommate) and the lengthy investigation, trials and appeals that followed.
Knox was convicted of the murder and subsequently spent four years in prison in Italy. She was then acquitted.
13. Black Fish: 98% on Rotten Tomatoes
Black Fish is one of the older documentaries on Netflix Ireland in this guide. It was released in 2013 and follows the story of Tilikum, an orca whale held by SeaWorld.
In a nutshell: This documentary offers an insight into Tilikum, a killer whale in captive that has killed several people.
The film highlights the immense issues with the global sea-park industry along with how little we know about these incredible creatures.
14. Cartel Land: 90% on Rotten Tomatoes
Cartel Land was directed by Matthew Heineman and it examines the fractured state of the ongoing drug war taking place along the border between the US and Mexico.
In a nutshell: The documentary shines the spotlight on the Mexican Drug War, focusing on the vigilante groups that battle against the drug cartels.
What documentaries on Netflix Ireland have we missed?
Have you watched a documentary on Netflix recently that knocked you sideways? Let us know in the comments section below!
Looking for something else to binge on? Hop into our guide to the best shows on Netflix Ireland.
Keith O’Hara has lived in Ireland for 35 years and has spent most of the last 10 creating what is now The Irish Road Trip guide. Over the years, the website has published thousands of meticulously researched Ireland travel guides, welcoming 30 million+ visitors along the way. In 2022, the Irish Road Trip team published the world’s largest collection of Irish Road Trip itineraries. Keith lives in Dublin with his dog Toby and finds writing in the 3rd person minus craic altogether.