Ireland's growing career options in film and drama
Film and TV have become significant employers in the country through increased production at Ardmore and Troy studios in Limerick (pictured).
That old 1930s Noel Coward lyric cautioning against a career in entertainment — ‘Don’t put your daughter on the stage Mrs Worthington’ — is clearly outdated for the aspiring drama students of 2024.
Amongst the new Leaving Certificate Senior Cycle Programmes is the addition of Drama Film and Theatre Studies. The new subjects will be introduced next year for fifth-year students starting the 2025/2026 school year.
Speaking about the newly introduced subjects, Education Minister Norma Foley said: “The new subjects of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies will offer students a new learning experience and avenue to demonstrate their talents and develop key competencies.”
The announcement came in tandem with Screen Ireland and the National Talent Academies exhibiting similar initiatives in the Government of Ireland Village at this year’s National Ploughing Championships.
In partnership with Young Irish Film Makers, the Irish Film Institute and Fresh Film, they were on-site to showcase the wide range of exciting and rewarding career pathways available in the Irish creative screen industry, for anyone interested in pursuing a career in the sector.
Added to this was the launch in July of the National Talent Academy for the VFX initiative aimed at upskilling and providing new opportunities for the rapidly expanding visual effects and post-production sector in Ireland which has recorded a 326% increase in revenue since 2019.
The sector’s work includes some of the biggest films and television series in the world, from Marvel Studios’ and to FX’s for Disney Plus. These developments come at a time when film and TV have become significant employers in the country through increased production at Troy and Ardmore studios.
Earlier this month Coimisiún na Meán announced the awarding of over €10.1m of funding across TV and radio under the latest round of the Sound & Vision Scheme. The newly announced Round 53 allocation represents the largest single funding round in the history of the scheme and will fund the production of 91 projects across TV and radio by independent producers and broadcasters around the country.
Coimisiún na Meán is the regulator of broadcasting and online media in Ireland and was established in 2023 as a successor to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.
Rónán Ó Domhnaill, Media Development Commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán said: “The Sound & Vision Scheme has gone from strength to strength, continuing to fund programming for Irish audiences, with a focus on Irish culture, heritage and experience. Sound & Vision remains a vital funding source for broadcasters and independent producers, enabling them to create programming for audiences that would otherwise not get made.”
Funding from Round 53 will contribute to An Coimisiún’s ambition of developing a thriving media landscape that reflects the diversity of people and traditions.
“Of the 35 television productions funded, 80% feature women as producers and 54% have women as directors. We look forward to seeing and hearing the projects funded under this Sound & Vision round on our screens and on our airwaves.”
According to PwC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2023-2027, the Irish Entertainment and Media industry is set to grow at an annual rate of 3.62% to 2027 reaching €6.12bn, up from €5.12bn in 2022. This growth is primarily fuelled by increasing internet access and significant growth in mobile advertising and video-on-demand subscriptions.
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