Something remarkable is happening in the world of Irish-language film-making. Last weekend, Colm Bairéad's An Cailín Ciúin, a moving adaptation of a story by Claire Keegan, swept the Irish Film and Television Awards, winning eight categories including best film. Bairéad's film took the audience prize at the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival and a special jury prize at the Berlin Film Festival.
On the same night as the Iftas, it emerged that Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy's Róise & Frank, an enchanting comedy concerning a widow's friendship with a stray dog, had won the audience award at the prestigious Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Seán Breathnach's Foscadh, Ireland's entry for international feature at the upcoming Oscars, went on release last week. Tomás Ó Súilleabháin's Arracht, winner of best Irish film at the 2020 Dublin International Film Festival, recently concluded a successful run in domestic cinemas. Films in the native tongue such as Bob Quinn's Poitín (1978) and Tom Collins's Kings (2007) have received acclaim through the decades, but the current rush of acclaimed, popular Irish-language features is unprecedented. What is going on?
Irish speakers are desperate for contemporary popular culture and this new wave requires no special pleading
Innovation in funding is certainly an important factor. The projects mentioned above were all developed under the Cine4 initiative. Launched by TG4, Screen Ireland and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, the scheme seeks to take two Irish-language projects to production each year. "The two films … will be given a full festival life and theatrical release prior to their broadcast premiere on TG4," the Cine4 website explains.
There is more to the renaissance than that. The full houses for Arracht in cinemas and the audience prizes at festivals for An Cailín Ciúin and Róise & Frank confirm that a hitherto untapped appetite is being satisfied. Irish speakers are desperate for contemporary popular culture and this new wave requires no special pleading. “What’s surprising people is the quality of the filmmaking that’s coming through,” Bairéad says. There is much more to come.