Screen Ireland

Screen Ireland, formally Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, is Ireland's national development agency for the film, television, animation and wider screen-production industries. It operates under the aegis of the Irish government and supports projects through development, production and distribution funding, while also investing in skills, talent development, business capability and international promotion. The agency is the successor to the Irish Film Board, an institution created to strengthen filmmaking in Ireland and to develop a sustainable indigenous production base. The Irish Film Board was first established under the Irish Film Board Act 1980. During its initial period it funded or co-funded a limited group of feature films, including Eat the Peach, Anne Devlin and Angel, but its activities were suspended after several years. The later international success of Irish-connected productions such as My Left Foot, The Crying Game and The Commitments helped revive political and industry support for a permanent national film agency. The board was reconstituted in 1993 under the chairmanship of Lelia Doolan by Michael D. Higgins, then Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. Its renewed mandate combined cultural development with the creation of production capacity, employment and exportable creative businesses. During the 1990s and 2000s, the agency helped support the growth of Irish feature filmmaking and the emergence of internationally recognised writers, directors, producers and performers. Projects associated with its funding included films such as I Went Down, Disco Pigs, Bloody Sunday, The Magdalene Sisters, Omagh, Adam & Paul, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Once and Garage. The agency also contributed to the development of Irish animation, after lobbying by independent animators and organisations including Anamú led to a stronger public funding role for animated projects. That support later became associated with internationally successful works such as The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers. Screen Ireland's remit extends beyond purely Irish stories. It supports international co-productions, incoming production and the development of Irish crews and facilities. Ireland's film-tax framework, originally introduced under Section 35 of the Finance Act 1987 and later associated with Section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, helped attract productions such as Braveheart and Reign of Fire. The resulting activity expanded the country's technical and craft base, which in turn benefited indigenous productions. Ireland subsequently became a location and production base for television series including The Tudors, Ripper Street, Penny Dreadful and Vikings. The agency adopted the name Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland in 2018. The change reflected its broader remit across cinema, television, animation and digital-era screen production rather than film alone. Its support mechanisms cover feature films, feature documentaries, short films, television drama, television animation and related development activity. Screen Ireland-backed or associated productions have received major international recognition, including the Palme d'Or for The Wind That Shakes the Barley, an Academy Award for the song from Once, and international awards and nominations for films such as The Secret of Kells, The Lobster, Room, The Breadwinner, Song of the Sea and The Quiet Girl. Screen Ireland is publicly funded, with its annual allocation determined through the Irish state budgetary process. The agency's role is therefore both cultural and industrial: it seeks to encourage distinctive Irish creative work, improve access to professional opportunities, attract international production, strengthen companies and crews, and increase the global reach of Irish screen content. It remains an active public-sector institution rather than a commercial studio, broadcaster or listed company.

The institutional history of Screen Ireland begins with the Irish Film Board, created under the Irish Film Board Act 1980 to encourage filmmaking in Ireland. Its first operating period was relatively brief: it funded or co-funded ten feature films over approximately seven years, including Eat the Peach, Anne Devlin and Angel, before its work was suspended by the government led by Taoiseach Charles Haughey. The absence of a permanent film agency did not prevent Irish filmmakers from achieving international success. Films such as My Left Foot, The Crying Game and The Commitments demonstrated both the creative potential of Irish talent and the economic value of a stronger domestic production infrastructure. Industry advocates subsequently pressed for the board's restoration. In 1993 the institution was reconstituted under chair Lelia Doolan by Michael D. Higgins, then Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. The revived board was intended to develop an indigenous industry while making productive use of Ireland's technical facilities and creative workforce. From the 1990s onward, the board supported a growing range of Irish feature films, documentaries and shorts. The agency's activities coincided with the development of production companies, writers, directors, performers and technical crews capable of working both domestically and internationally. Films associated with this period included I Went Down, About Adam, Disco Pigs, Bloody Sunday, The Magdalene Sisters, Omagh, Adam & Paul, Breakfast on Pluto, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Once, Garage, The Guard, Calvary, Brooklyn and Room. Animation became an increasingly important part of the agency's remit. Independent animators and students, including people associated with Anamú Animation Base, advocated for public support during the 1990s. Screen funding for animation helped establish a more durable Irish animation sector and supported projects that later achieved global recognition, including The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers. The agency also participated in Ireland's development as an international production location. Tax incentives introduced through Section 35 of the Finance Act 1987 and later continued through Section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 helped attract foreign productions. High levels of incoming production improved the experience and employment prospects of Irish crews, while international projects such as Braveheart and Reign of Fire increased Ireland's visibility as a filming location. In television, Ireland became associated with productions including The Tudors, Ripper Street, Penny Dreadful and Vikings. In 2015 the government announced that the agency's name would change because its work had expanded beyond cinema and because contemporary screen production was no longer defined by photographic film. The new bilingual identity, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, was formally introduced on 18 June 2018. The rebranding marked a wider mandate covering television, animation and other screen formats while retaining the agency's role in feature-film development and production. Screen Ireland now functions as a public development and funding body rather than as a conventional studio. Its responsibilities include project development, production and distribution support, professional training, skills development, international promotion and sector-building. Its supported productions have received major recognition, including the Palme d'Or for The Wind That Shakes the Barley, an Academy Award associated with Once, and major festival or awards recognition for The Lobster, Room, The Breadwinner, Song of the Sea and The Quiet Girl. The agency's public mission combines cultural representation, creative opportunity, employment, enterprise development and Ireland's participation in international screen production.

• 2024

  Board leadership changes

  [1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  Ray Harman became chairperson after Susan Bergin's resignation, and Catherine Magee joined the board.

• 2018

  Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland identity launched

  [1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  The agency formally adopted its current bilingual name on 18 June 2018.

• 2015

  Name change announced

  [1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  The government announced plans to replace the Irish Film Board name with a broader identity reflecting television, animation and changing production technology.

• 2006

  The Wind That Shakes the Barley wins the Palme d'Or

  [1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  The Screen Ireland-associated film received Cannes' Palme d'Or, marking a major international achievement for Irish-supported cinema.

• 1997

  Section 481 tax framework continues

  [1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  The film-production tax incentive framework continued under Section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, supporting Ireland's attractiveness as an international production location.

• 1993

  Irish Film Board reconstituted

  [1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  The board was restored as a state-supported film-development body under chair Lelia Doolan.

• 1993

  Expansion of indigenous feature production

  [1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  The re-established agency began a sustained period of support for Irish feature films, producers, writers, directors and crews.

• 1980

  Irish Film Board established

  [1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  The Irish Film Board Act created the institution that would become the predecessor of Screen Ireland.

Ireland's central public agency for developing, financing and promoting the national screen industries, combining cultural policy with production-sector development.

• Film finance · 1993

  Feature-film funding

  Screen Ireland provides support for the development, production and, where applicable, distribution of feature films. The programme is designed to help Irish writers, directors, producers and production companies bring projects from early-stage development to completed release, while encouraging culturally distinctive work and strengthening the commercial and technical capacity of the Irish film sector.

• Documentary finance · 1993

  Documentary support

  The agency supports feature documentaries and shorter documentary projects as part of its public-service screen mandate. Support can contribute to project development, production and distribution, helping Irish documentary makers develop work for domestic audiences and international festivals and markets.

• Television finance

  Television drama and animation support

  Screen Ireland funds and develops television drama and animated series, reflecting the agency's expansion beyond theatrical cinema. The television function covers projects from development through production and includes management of the agency's television and animation slate.

• Short-film finance

  Short-film funding

  Short-film programmes provide a route for emerging writers, directors and producers to make professionally supported work. They also function as a talent-development mechanism, allowing filmmakers to build credits, test creative approaches and gain experience before moving into larger productions.

• Professional development

  Talent and industry development

  Alongside project finance, Screen Ireland supports skills, training and professional development across writing, directing, producing, animation and technical production. These activities help expand Ireland's creative workforce and improve the industry's ability to serve both indigenous projects and incoming international productions.

• 2018Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland rebrand

  Ireland · International screen industry

  The agency introduced a bilingual identity to communicate a remit that had expanded from film into television, animation and other contemporary screen formats.

  Outcome. The new identity became the agency's public brand from 18 June 2018.

  Source

• 2025

  Television leadership strengthenedOther

  Background

  Television and animation had become important parts of Screen Ireland's portfolio and required dedicated slate management.

  Action taken

  Kate McColgan was appointed Head of Television, with responsibility for the television and animation slate from development to production.

  Aftermath

  The appointment reinforced the agency's broader remit beyond theatrical film.

  Source

• 2024

  Board leadership transitionOther

  Background

  Susan Bergin resigned from the board chair role during a period of continuing public investment in Ireland's screen sector.

  Action taken

  Ray Harman assumed the chairperson position and Catherine Magee was appointed to the board.

  Aftermath

  The organisation retained an active board structure, with leadership focused on oversight of its national screen-development mandate.

  Source

• 2018

  Formal launch of Fís Éireann/Screen IrelandStrategy

  Background

  The agency needed a public identity suited to a screen sector spanning theatrical films, television drama, animation and evolving digital production.

  Action taken

  The Irish Film Board formally became known as Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland from 18 June 2018.

  Aftermath

  The institution continued its funding and industry-development role under the broader bilingual brand.

  Source

• 2015

  Broaden the agency's identity beyond filmStrategy

  Background

  The agency's work increasingly covered television, animation and digital-era production, making the Irish Film Board name narrower than its practical remit.

  Action taken

  The government announced that the organisation would adopt a new name reflecting its wider screen-industry responsibilities.

  Aftermath

  The change culminated in the launch of the Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland identity in June 2018.

  Source

• 2025

  Kate McColgan appointed Head of Television[1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Screen Ireland appointed Kate McColgan to lead management of its television and animation slate from development through production.

• 2024

  Ray Harman becomes board chairperson[1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Ray Harman assumed the chairperson role after Susan Bergin resigned, while Catherine Magee joined the board.

• 2018

  Agency announces transition to Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland[1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The government announced that the Irish Film Board would adopt the bilingual Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland identity to reflect its broader role across film, television and digital-era production.

• 1993

  Irish Film Board is reconstituted[1]Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Irish Film Board was restored as a national screen-development institution after lobbying encouraged by the success of Irish-connected films made during the period of its suspension.

1. 1Screen Irelanden.wikipedia.org
2. 2Screen Ireland official websitescreenireland.ie