Teresa McGrane to receive 2026 Maureen O’Hara Award

Former Deputy CEO of Screen Ireland Teresa McGrane has been named as the recipient of the 2026 Maureen O’Hara Award.

The award, which celebrates women who have made outstanding contributions to the film and television industries, will be presented as part of a special interview event during the 27th annual Kerry International Film Festival (KIFF).

McGrane served as Deputy CEO of Screen Ireland for more than two decades, overseeing significant expansion in national film production and talent development. Since 2023, she has held the role of Chief Operating Officer at Wild Atlantic Pictures, whose recent credits include Lee Cronin’s The Mummy and Saipan. She was also awarded the Outstanding Contribution to the Industry accolade by the animation sector in 2023.

Responding to the announcement, McGrane said: “I am delighted to be the recipient of this year’s award. It comes at a time for me personally where reflection on the past 25 years of growth in the industry is enormously satisfying. I acknowledge the hard work, duty and service of past Chairpersons, Boards, CEO’s and wonderful staff at Screen Ireland who served the industry with enormous dedication and commitment. Heartfelt thanks to the Kerry International Film Festival for this beautiful award in this very special place.”

The presentation and public interview, facilitated by producer Lesley McKimm, will take place on Friday, October 16, at 7pm in Randles Hotel.

KIFF launches REEL TALK industry series

Kerry International Film Festival has introduced REEL TALK, a new series of panel discussions, workshops, and industry sessions taking place across the four-day event.

The initiative aims to connect emerging talent, crew, and creative professionals with established industry figures to discuss practical career development, regional production, and independent filmmaking.

All REEL TALK events take place at ANAM on New Street and are free to attend, though advance registration is required via the festival website.

REEL TALK Schedule Highlights

Thursday, October 15

12.30pm | The State of the County: Seán Mulchinock from Screen Kerry delivers a presentation detailing regional production opportunities, local funding avenues, and skill development programmes.

1.00pm | The Kerry Crew Experience: A panel exploring inter-departmental collaboration on set. Featuring script editor Kate Leys, costume designer Michelle Navarro, and intimacy coordinator Bronagh McAuley.

2.15pm | Script & Story Masterclass: Script and story editor Kate Leys (Whitetail) breaks down the process of screenplay development and story engineering. Delivered in collaboration with NTA Crew South, an initiative of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland managed by Film in Limerick.

3.30pm | Making Diatribe: Building an Independent Feature: Director Shaun O’Connor, producer Mo O’Connell, and writer Paul Cahill share a case study of their independent feature shot entirely in County Kerry. Supported by the National Talent Academy for Film & TV.

Saturday, October 17

11.00am | Storyboard Masterclass: Hollywood storyboard artist John Coven (Jurassic World, The Lion King, Logan) leads a session on visual storytelling. Supported by the National Talent Academy for Animation.

3.15pm | Inclusive Filmmaking Case Study: Director Aisling Byrne and team unpack the creation of Oscar-qualifying psychological thriller Mary is Missing, produced by inclusive arts organisation Run of the Mill.

Festival launch set for September 22

Organisers of the Kerry International Film Festival have confirmed that the full 2026 screening lineup and schedule will be officially unveiled on Tuesday, September 22.

The festival takes place across multiple venues in town from October 15 to 18. This year’s edition is supported by principal funders the Arts Council of Ireland, Kerry County Council, and Fáilte Ireland, with headline sponsorship provided by Kerry Airport.

Ticket bookings for all announced events, including the free REEL TALK sessions, are now open on the official festival website at kerryfilmfestival.com.

Felicity’s Summer in Killarney
Week 13

A few weeks later and the end of summer was quickly approaching. Auntie Sheila and Jack insisted that they needed to spend a nice day out in town to make up for all the chaos they’d had on the night of the Kerry v Cork game.

Auntie Sheila was looking at things to do. “The Riverdance is on at the Gleneagle Arena, how about that? And we’ll need dinner too of course, but I’d like to take you to Salvador’s.” Jack and Felicity both agreed that it would be lovely.

On the day, Auntie Sheila brought Felicity and Jack to out for dinner. Felicity had never been into Salvador’s before. It was very atmospheric – warm and rustic.

The trio were laughing away when Auntie Sheila glanced at her watch. “Oh shoot, we’ve got to go guys otherwise we’ll miss the start of the show!”

They quickly paid for their meal and hustled down towards the shuttle stop. They got there just as the last passenger was boarding. Auntie Sheila fished out coins from her purse for the bus driver, and he nodded them along.

Felicity collapsed into the aisle seat next to Jack, with Auntie Sheila on her other side. She giggled at the frazzled state they were all in. Auntie Sheila’s hair had exploded into a frizz when met with the rush, and Jack looked like he had just woken up despite having been awake since the early morning.

They got to the Arena and quietly found their seats. The performers were entrancing; Felicity could hardly look away.

After the show, which was mercifully jerky-free, the trio trudged back to the shuttle bus. The crowd was far larger than when they arrived. It was crowded on board, but they managed to squeeze into the first shuttle headed back into town.

Felicity let herself get lost in the hubbub on the bus. She wondered if she would have time for things like this once she started college. She refused to let herself hope that her Garda apprenticeship application would be accepted.

Felicity stepped off of the bus with the rest of the crowd, mind still wandering. She waited for Jack and Auntie Sheila to rejoin her. “I’d love to go for something sweet right about now.”

Jack looked pensive. “How about Murphy’s Ice Cream? They’re always open late in summer.”

Felicity questioned the validity of it still being summer, given that it was September. She was going home at the start of next week. No small part of her dreaded the return to Dublin. But she would enjoy Killarney whilst she was here, not dwell on the future.

The group trundled down Main Street towards Murphy’s. As expected, the lights inside were on; warm and welcoming. They each sampled a few flavours before settling on what they wanted.

They milled around Murphy’s, at a bit of a loss about what to do next. “We could catch some live music,” Jack suggested. They jumped on the idea with vigour and Auntie Sheila suggested Buckley’s in The Arbutus.

And what a time it was! The evening was filled with laughter, joy and music, a far sight from that night not long ago when Anthony was still a looming threat. But that had passed. There would be other times in life to worry but now was not one of them.

Excursion
Felicity had been anxiously anticipating her Leaving Cert exam results for weeks. It had eventually boiled down to the final couple of hours, and she couldn’t help but wonder if this was all for naught.

She didn’t know what she wanted to do. She had applied for a variety of courses as the guidance councillors advised, but all she wanted was for her Garda apprenticeship application to be accepted. Felicity didn’t let herself think about what would happen if she succeeded, but nonetheless there was a small flame of hope that would not be extinguished.

The clock passed 10am. Felicity hurriedly refreshed her browser and signs into her CAO portal. Oh my gosh. She had done it. She had gotten what she needed for her first choice of courses. Not that it would matter if she got her apprenticeship, but she didn’t want too many eggs in one basket. Now she only had to wait for offers and the decision about her apprenticeship application.

To celebrate, Felicity called Jack and they decided they would go out to the National Park. Jack wanted to take her over to Avoca, but those plans were dashed when they saw a string of emergency service vehicles – mainly fire engines – rushing up the winding road.

There must have been another fire. The heatwave had been dragged out for long enough, for almost a month now. Even on the days when there was cloud it was unbearably hot and humid. Too hot to think, that’s for certain.

Instead, Jack turned around at Ladies View and they went to Muckross. Jack found a blanket in the boot of the car, and deciding that would be enough they ventured out to Dundag beach. It was slightly cooler under the shade by the beach, but it was still too warm to function.

Felicity was far happier to be here enjoying nature rather than out in town drinking, especially after the match day and Anthony’s arrest. It was a great relief that he had been arrested, but she still looked over her shoulder for him or the men in black whenever she was out of the house.

Here on Dundag it was far easier to relax than anywhere else. They had a picnic blanket, some cold drinks and what felt like all the time in the world.