Screen Ireland has launched its annual slate of film, television and animation productions in Dublin, outlining projects due to reach audiences across 2026.
Speaking at the event, Derry Girls actress Jamie-Lee O'Donnell said she wanted to "show support back" to the agency, adding that she felt it was important to represent Screen Ireland and the wider industry. She said the organisation had backed projects that helped her career and that she was "very proud to be Irish" and of the work being produced.
O'Donnell also said Irish culture has long drawn interest internationally, but that she felt the more "stereotypical" view of Ireland was being pushed aside, with audiences increasingly engaging with Irish stories "with respect".
Watch: Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O'Donnell talks to RTÉ's Arts and Media Correspondent Evelyn O'Rourke
The launch, held at Trinity College Dublin, brought together industry figures from across the Irish screen sector, with Screen Ireland describing the slate as spanning feature film, television, documentary, animation and short films.
A total of 87 projects are scheduled for release in 2026, including 22 feature films, 17 documentaries, 13 TV dramas and animated series and more than 30 short films.
Among the projects announced is Power Ballad, a music-led film from Once and Sing Street director John Carney, starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas.
Other titles include The Lost Children of Tuam, described as a dramatisation of Catherine Corless's campaign to uncover the history of the Tuam mother-and-baby home, and documentary projects such as The Slightest Touch, which examines the friendship between actor Colin Farrell and Emma Fogarty, who lives with epidermolysis bullosa (EB).
Screen Ireland also highlighted international television productions filmed in Ireland, including Mercenary: An Extraction Series and the MGM Amazon-produced Wednesday, which the agency said is the largest production to have filmed in Ireland in recent years.
Alongside the slate, Screen Ireland published annual industry figures, saying 2025 was another record-breaking year, with film, television, documentary and animation contributing €544m to the Irish economy, a 26% increase on 2024. It also said that, over the past decade since it began investing in television drama, it has invested €29.5m in the area.
Chief executive Désirée Finnegan said the 2026 slate "showcases a diverse range of bold, creative and original stories", while chair Ray Harman said that despite challenging international conditions, production figures in Ireland are at an "all-time high".
