Spotlight: Irish Myths and Legends - 12 emerging screenwriters selected for Screen Ireland’s flagship New Writing scheme
Posted: 12th January 2026
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to announce and congratulate the successful finalists for the Spotlight: Irish Myths and Legends, the fourth iteration of Screen Ireland’s flagship writing talent development scheme, which is aimed at discovering and developing fresh and original new voices. This round of the flagship scheme invited screenwriters to submit TV series concepts inspired by Ireland’s rich mythology and cultural heritage. With 350 applications, the scheme saw the highest number of applications ever received for Spotlight, since its establishment in 2018.
11 final projects and a total of 12 writers – based across Ireland, from counties like Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Kildare, Sligo and Wicklow – will now develop their ideas into a detailed bible and pilot screenplay over the course of the programme.
Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, said:
"Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate the writers selected for the latest edition of Spotlight, the agency's flagship new writing scheme. With a record-breaking number of applications for the initiative, the successful projects represent a wide range of talent and voices. We're looking forward to these original takes on classic Irish myths and legends, and to supporting the next steps for these new screenwriters, both in their stories and careers.”
The successful Spotlight projects and screenwriters are:
- Tara by Margaret Kane-Rowe
- Bandruí by Sheyla Preve
- The Bastard Product of Shangri Lawns by Brendan O’Connell
- The Banshee Next Door by Lizzie Lynch
- The Skin We Shed by Tanya Bridgeman
- Damhsa Na Déithe by Faebitha Rahiman
- The Fairy And The Tinker by Bernard Sweeney
- Big Super Mega Genius by Oisín McKeogh
- Once More, With Feelings by Dara Fennema
- Slánú by Edelle Kenny & Aoife Leonard
- Rinka by John Mackey
As part of the Spotlight initiative, the successful screenwriters/teams will be paired with a script editor, supported by Screen Ireland, and a mentor for the duration of the programme, alongside additional training and skills development opportunities. The programme will culminate in an alumni networking event, with professionals from the Irish screen industry and past participants of the Spotlight scheme in attendance.
Spotlight was established in 2018 as the ‘New Writing Scheme’ and is now Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland’s highly competitive, flagship screenwriting talent scheme aimed at discovering and developing fresh and exciting new voices.