As the Galway Film Fleadh returns with a remarkable programme of new Irish cinema, we extend our warmest congratulations to all the cast and crew whose work will be showcased at this year’s festival. These productions reflect the strength, creativity, and resilience of Ireland’s filmmaking community, and we wish everyone involved the very best as they share their stories with audiences in Galway and beyond.
At Fishpond.ie, we are committed to supporting the Irish creative industry by facilitating meaningful connections between casting professionals and acting talent. Our platform serves as a resource for those seeking to discover and engage with performers across the country. For the productions listed below, we are proud that Fishpond.ie was utilised as part of the casting search, providing actors with the opportunity to be considered for inclusion in these noteworthy projects.
To the filmmakers, performers, and crews behind these projects — your vision, craft, and the heart you’ve poured into these stories is what makes the Galway Film Fleadh so special. This festival stands as a celebration of your creativity and commitment, and we’re honoured to witness your work take its well-earned place on one of Ireland’s most important cultural stages. We hope you enjoy every moment.
If you have the chance, we encourage you to attend the Fleadh, experience these powerful films first-hand, and celebrate the remarkable talent shaping the future of Irish cinema. Book here.
7 FEATURE FILMS
BÁITE
September, 1975. Summer is coming to an end. Peggy Casey prepares for a big weekend of fishing. Her pub will be full to the door, and she desperately needs the business.? It has been a few months since it rained and, as a result, the water level is extremely low. When a body is found in the receding waters of a lake, the discovery is big news in the locale. Detective Sergeant Frank Ryan is sent from Dublin, and what he discovers sheds a disturbing insight into the history of the valley, and the difficult relationships that bind Peggy and the three older members of her family. Over the course of his investigation, Detective Ryan not only reveals the terrible truth behind the dead woman’s story, but also the deepest secrets of the Casey family.
Date: Wednesday 9 July | 19:00
Director: Ruán Magan
Writer: Sheena Lambert
Producers: Siobhán Ní Ghadhra and John Brady
Casting: Mairéad Campbell
Cast: Eleanor O’Brien, Moe Dunford, Pádraig Ó Loingsigh, Juliette Crosbie, Denis Conway, Gearóid Kavanagh, Fionnuala Gygax, Mark MacGearailt, Aonghus Óg McAnally, Tara Breathnach and Oisín Mistéil.
GIRLS AND BOYS
On Halloween night in Dublin, rugby player Jace meets aspiring filmmaker Charlie at a college party. They both attend Trinity but come from different worlds. Charlie is trans, many of her friends are queer and involved in the arts, while Jace mostly hangs out with other straight guys from his team or business course. Despite their differences, they strike up a connection. After the party is abruptly broken up by the Guards, they continue getting to know each other while wandering around nighttime Dublin, reminiscing and sharing their dreams and concerns for life after college. When a startling connection from their shared past is revealed, Jace is forced to reckon with long-buried actions, and the social identity he’s taken for granted.
Date: Saturday 12 July | 15:00
Director/Writer: Donncha Gilmore
Producer: Gearóid Gilmore
Casting: Donncha Gilmore
Cast: Liath Hannon, Adam Lunnon-Collery, Francis O’Mahony, Oisín Flynn, Joe McGucken, Justin Ensor
READY OR NOT
It’s summer in Dublin in 1998. These young teenagers are all attitude, high ponies, and low-waist jeans. Everyone is talking about sex, but no one is talking about consent. What Katie thought would be a summer of hanging out in the estate, blaring her favourite tunes, and playing football with her best mate, became a summer of expectation, crossing lines they didn’t know existed, and trying to find their way back to each other. A bursting coming-of-age story with a twist, revealing the greyness we create to make sense of the world, rooted in deep friendships they hope can stand the test of huge change.
Date: Saturday 12 July | 11:00
Director: Claire Frances Byrne
Writer: Lynn Ruane
Producer: Ruth Coady
Casting: Alison Crosbie / Maureen Hughes
Cast: Ruby Conway Dunne, Alex Grendon, Molly Byrne, Alicia Weafer, Lewis Brophy, Dane Whyte O’Hara
SOLITARY
In rural Ireland, Brendan, a widowed farmer, lives a quiet life on the edge of a village. When his home is broken into, a growing sense of fear and isolation takes hold. As violence touches the community, and trust in the system fades, Brendan must confront what it means to feel safe, to grow old, and to be truly alone.
Date: Friday 11 July | 14:30
Director/Writer: Eamonn Murphy
Producer: Alan Breslin
Casting: Rob Treloar
Cast: Gerry Herbert, Cailum Carragher, Cate Russell
SPILT MILK
Spilt Milk follows 11-year-old Bobby O’Brien, a precocious and energetic boy obsessed with becoming a great detective like his hero, television sensation, Kojak. Set against the backdrop of 1980s working-class, inner-city Dublin, Bobby and his pal Nell torment their family, friends, and neighbours as they set up their own private investigation enterprise. When Bobby’s big brother Oisin disappears Bobby and Nell must embark on a quest to find him.
Date: Sunday 13 July | 11:00
Director: Brian Durnin
Writer: Cara Loftus
Producers: Laura McNicholas, James Heath
Casting: Áine O’Sullivan
Cast: Cillian Sullivan, Naoise Kelly, Danielle Galligan, Laurence O’Fuarain, Pom Boyd, Lewis Brophy
SUNPHLOWERS
In the days that follow her husband’s death, Catherine confronts some daunting challenges, including the realities of rural isolation, the threat of organized crime targeting her home, and the looming prospect of financial ruin. Initially, she finds herself overwhelmed by the weight of these responsibilities, all while trying to provide emotional support for her three adult children. However, through a combination of pride and determination, Catherine taps into a reservoir of strength she never knew she possessed. She tackles each issue head-on with resilience and empowerment, illustrating how, even in the face of profound adversity, it is possible to reclaim one’s life, and find a path to healing.
Date: Thursday 10 July | 21:30
Writer/Director: Dave Byrne
Producer: Liz Kenny
Casting: Gillian Reynolds
Cast: Anne McCrudden, Patrick Bergin, Abigail O’Regan and Jerry Fish
TRAD
From their home in the Donegal Gaeltacht, gifted fiddle player Shóna McAnally and her little brother Mickey take to the road with a troupe of wandering musicians, on a cross-country journey of adventure, romance, and musical exploration.Téann Shona McAnally, fidléir cumasach as Gaeltacht Thír Chonaill, agus a deartháir óg Mickey ar thuras bóthair le compántas ceoltóirí fánacha, ag trasnú na tíre ar aistear spreagúil, rómánsúil a thugann léargas nua dóibh ar cheol traidisiúnta.
Date: Friday 11 July | 20:15
Director/Writer/Producer: Lance Daly
Casting: Sarah Hone
Cast: Megan Nic Fhionnghaile, Aidan Gillen, Sarah Greene, Peter Coonan, Ann Skelly, Henrique Zaga, Cathal Coade Palmer, Dallán Woods, Francis O’Mahony, Sonny Daly, Labhrás Sonaí Choilm Learraí
5 SHORT FILMS AND DOCUMENTARIES
AGGREGAT
Weary from centuries of war, death and destruction, an imagined collective consciousness of all the oceans and seas of the world takes on corporal form and visits a former Nazi rocket test site and concentration camp.
Date: Sunday 13 July | 10:30 (Irish Documentaries 2)
Director/Writer: MJ Whelan
Producers: Siobhan Fanning, Gary Lennon
Casting: MJ Whelan
COGAR
I bhfiantas álainn iarthar Chiarraí caitheann iníon atá faoi dhobrón cogar na seanmhuintire agus an phobail a leanúint chun teacht ar a hathair – agus ar an todhchaí – nárbh eol di riamh cheana.
Date: Wednesday 9 July | 10:00 (Gearrscannáin)
Stiúrthóir/Scríbhneoir: Elaine Kennedy
Léiritheoir: Claire Cassidy
Stiúrthóir Páirteanna: Elaine Kennedy
SAPPHIRE
Grieving the recent death of his mother, Sapphire struggles to understand a world that seems like it has changed forever. While working at the docks one night, his overwhelming grief fractures the very laws of reality.
Date: Fri 11 July | 11:30 (Irish Fiction 3 – The Land)
Director/Writer: MJ Whelan
Producer: Aoife Derwin
Casting: Sophie Pearson
PARTING
Katie’s departure day for Australia brings unspoken feelings to the surface. Older sister Laura wrestles with guilt over missed connections, and the weight of being left behind, as they navigate their final morning together.
Date: Sat 12 July | 09:30 (Irish Fiction 4 – Between Us)
Director/Writer: Olivia McLaughlin
Producers: Olivia McLaughlin, Conor Hayes
Casting: Olivia McLaughlin
PICTURE GIRL
Nonverbal autistic teen Sadie develops a crush on the girl next door, and expresses her feelings through drawn portraits.
Date: Thurs 10 July | 10:00 (Irish Fiction 1 – In Other Words)
Director: Simon Brown
Writer: Mitzi Smishkewych Kosovske
Producer: Wolodymyr Smishkewych
Casting: Wolodymyr Smishkewych
