Irish language drama is ‘now on the international stage’
FÍS TV Summit 2025 reveals West of Ireland produced TV drama stands on the brink of opportunities and challenges
An international audience for Irish language drama, produced in the West of Ireland, can be captured if the industry takes advantage of tapping into diverse markets and wider funding opportunities.
This was the message of the FÍS TV Summit 2025, organised by Ardán, the largest and most important event for the TV and AV industry in Ireland, attracting 350 attendees, including speakers from RTÉ, TG4, BBC, Channel 4, Sky, and Channel 5, industry experts and leading producers and production companies.
The international success of Irish language crime thriller, CRÁ, screened on both TG4 and the BBC, was a focal point of the event which took place in the Radisson RED in Galway City. In the words of Máire Ní Chonláin Commissioning Manager of TG4, the success of a series like CRÁ has put “the Irish language on the international stage”.
CRÁ, starring leading Irish actors Dónall Ó Héalai and Seán T. Ó Meallaigh; was shot in Donegal, and featured the Donegal dialect of Irish; was screened on TG4 and the BBC, and was the result of cross-border cooperation, backing, and funding from Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund, Screen Ireland, and Coimisiún na Meán, among others, and has since become the second most requested programme on iPlayer on BBC NI.
While CRÁ has shown what the Western AV industry can achieve, speakers at FÍS emphasised that co-production with British and EU broadcasters, developing relationships, and greater awareness of how to access different funding sources are vital to future-proof the sector.
Julie Clark, Director of Production, ITV Studios UK Scripted, noted that British production companies are beginning to see the value of working in Ireland and with Irish producers, cast, and crew.
She said film crews here are often “more adaptable, more flexible” than in the UK, due to experience in covering diverse projects in independent and major film productions, as well as in different styles of TV. She also noted “a passion about storytelling and the creativity as opposed to they’re just coming onto another job”.
Marc Lorber, founder & Exec Producer at The Art of Coproduction, told the conference that Ireland, being English speaking, but with an ability to also produce content in Irish and being next door to Britain, but a full EU member, was a huge advantage to securing co-production and accessing diverse markets and wider funding streams.
“Screen Ireland and Screen Producers Ireland have to find those bursaries, those partnerships, those connections with Canadians, Australians, obviously with English speaking countries, but with non-English speaking as well, the Germans, the Spanish, the Nordics and the French, where there is money and opportunity,” he said.
Collaboration was also emphasised for the Irish TV Unscripted sector, which covers light entertainment, reality TV, sports broadcasts, and documentaries. Shinawil’s Larry Bass said 2024 had been challenging for the sector with various factors, including shifts to online, and cutbacks, reducing available funding.
However, there was optimism that the newly introduced Section 481 tax incentive for non-scripted TV production has the potential to generate sustainable jobs in the industry.
“We’ve got Europe’s first unscripted tax credit coming and it’s going to radically alter the way the Irish market is perceived internationally,” said Jamie Macken, Director of Business Development & Corporate Affairs at Bigger Stage.
Speakers noted that this will only be realised through ongoing lobbying for the credit’s full implementation, along with strategies to attract younger talent and enhance the international appeal of Irish formats.
Intellectual Property and film and TV adaptations were also examined throughout the FÍS Summit, including a proposal for a unique talent show concept whereby audiences could interact with authors and their narratives in real time, as a way of delivering unscripted entertainment in a fresh manner. Ailish McElmeel of Deadpan Pictures, also stressed the importance of Irish producers holding 50% of the IP in order for the industry to remain competitive.
While the present situation’s triumphs and challenges were considered, the future was present in all discussions, with the importance of developing Irish talent in the production, scriptwriting, and crew sectors, foremost in speakers’ minds.
“We are punching above our weight and we can keep going,” said Jackie Larkin, founder of Newgrange Pictures. “We’re in Europe, so there’s lots of opportunities that we need to keep tapping into. We’re English speaking and Irish speaking, so we just need to keep working those methods.”
The Guardian feature:
FÍS TV Summit:
The FÍS TV Summit is Ireland’s premiere annual event for Television and Broadcasting professionals, bringing creatives from all sectors of the TV industry together to listen, learn and connect.
The event, now in its 8th year, has hosted guest speakers and panelists such as Kerry Ehrin (The Morning Show), Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass), Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), Beau Willimon (House of Cards), Jimmy McGovern (Cracker), Amy Huberman (Finding Joy), Noemi Spanos and Sarah Phelps (Dublin Murders), and Anne Mensah (Netflix).
FÍS TV Summit’s key stakeholders include Ardán, Screen Ireland, Gréasán na Meán Skillnet, TG4, Coimisiún na Meán, WRAP (Western Region AV Producers’ Fund), Creative Europe Media Desk, Northern Ireland Screen, National Talent Academy Film & TV Drama, ATU Galway City, University of Galway, and our hospitality partners, Radisson RED Galway.
Link to FÍS TV Summit 2025 Information Booklet
Ardán:
Ardán is a registered charity based in the CREW Enterprise and Innovation Hub, Wellpark Road, Galway city, and operating in the West of Ireland and beyond. We support creatives in the audio-visual industry, in film, TV, games, and animation, through funding, training, and events, and by providing opportunities for entry, emerging, and established individuals working in the screen sector.
Previously Galway Film Centre, Ardán rebranded in 2022 to reflect the broader geographic and sectoral focus of the organisation which includes the greater Western Region and newer industry sectors including games and animation.
Within its screen talent development remit, Ardán manages the Galway UNESCO City of Film designation, WRAP (Western Region Audio Visual Producers’ Fund), the National Talent Academy for Film & TV Drama, and the annual FÍS TV and Games Summits.
Ardán also co-manages several other funding and training opportunities including the CÚRAM Science on Screen Documentary and Animation Commission, the RTÉ Short Film Commission, the Wild Galway Games Incubator, IndieDev: The Cross-border Games Prototype Fund, PTG: Prepare to Gamify!, and much more.
