Rocky Ros Muc, a documentary about Connemara boxer Sean Mannion, has become the first Irish language film ever to have been longlisted for an Oscar.

The documentary charts the Irish boxer's journey from the quiet Gaeltacht village of Ros Muc in Galway to his boxing career in Boston.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, the film's co-producer and director Michael Fanning, said: "We tell the story of Sean Mannion's boxing career but also the life of the Irish in Boston and the links between not just Galway, not just Connemara, but Ros Muc and the city of Boston and we tell the story of Irish emigration, identity and community through the life of a boxer."

Mannion's most notable bout was in October 1984 when he fought for the WBA world title crown in Madison Square Garden, New York City.

Fanning said that the Irish language documentary film can "hold its head high amongst the best documentaries in the world."

"In some ways it is great to have this documentary in Irish considered amongst all these other feature documentaries from around the world", he told the News at One.

"That is testament to the fact that any story in any language can hold its head high if it's good enough. For me the Irish language only serves to underline the strength of the story."

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"It is a great story, and really to considered amongst some of the top documentaries produced around the world is testament to the strength of the story of Sean Mannion and his life story", he added.

The documentary is one of 170 submissions for the Documentary Feature category for next year's Academy Awards. The short-list will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

As well as Rocky Ros Muc, there are five other Irish entries in the longlist; Elian, The Farthest, No Stone Unturned, and School Life.

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