Ceantar Scannán Short Documentary Bursary Recipients Announced for 2026 / Faighteoirí Sparántacht Ceantar Scannán Clár Faisnéise Gairid Fógartha do 2026
Ardán, as manager of Galway City of Film, is delighted to announce the recipients of the Ceantar Scannán Short Doc Bursary for 2026!
Tá áthas ar Ardán, atá mar bhainisteoir ar Chathair Scannán na Gaillimhe, na faighteoirí do Sparántacht Ceantar Scannán Clár Faisnéise Gairid do 2026 a fhógairt!
The first documentary is ‘Stedi Whidden a Ladu / Whispers on Health with the Land’ by Aoife Ní Mhaoildeirg/ Delaney Reade, Oein DeBhairduin, and Cáit Dwyer, and the second documentary is ‘Getting Lost in the Garden’ by Jamie Costello.
An chéad chlár faisnéise isea ‘Stedi Whidden a Ladu / Whispers on Health with the Land’ le hAoife Ní Mhaoildeirg/ Delaney Reade, Oein DeBhairduin, agus Cáit Dwyer, agus an dara clár ná ‘Getting Lost in the Garden’ le Jamie Costello.
The successful applicants will receive €3,000 to help them make a short documentary of between five and fifteen minutes in duration. Alongside the bursary, the two teams will be mentored by Galway-based filmmaker Donal Haughey of Hawkeye Films.
Gheobhaidh na hiarrthóirí rathúla €3,000 chun cuidiú leo clár faisnéise gairid idir cúig agus cúig nóiméad déag ar fhad a léiriú. Taobh leis an sparántacht, déanfaidh an déantóir scannán Donal Haughey ó Hawkeye Films atá lonnaithe i nGaillimh meantóireacht ar an dá fhoireann.
One of the 2025 Short Doc Bursary teams – Normagh Heaney and Jessie Greene – will be premiering their work ‘Blackrock’ at this year’s Docs Ireland happening later this month!
Beidh ceann de na fóirne ó Sparántacht Clár Faisnéise Gairid 2025 – Normagh Heaney agus Jessie Greene – ag cur a gcuid oibre ‘Blackrock’ i láthair ag Docs Ireland na bliana seo níos déanaí sa mhí!
Read more about the 2026 recipients below/ Tuilleadh faoi fhaighteoirí 2026 thíos:
Documentary One/ Clár Faisnéise a hAon: ‘Stedi Whidden a Ladu / Whispers on Health with the Land’ by/ le Aoife Ní Mhaoildeirg/ Delaney Reade, Oein DeBhairduin, and/ agus Cáit Dwyer
Aoife, Oein & Cáit are a collective of filmmakers and herbalists who will be working together to create ‘Stedi Whidden A Ladu’ -a documentary exploring Mincéirí (Irish Traveller) & Irish herbalist knowledge and folklore. Through conversation, storytelling, and observation of the land, Oein and Cáit will reflect on the role of herbalism & folklore in the modern world- how it might support community wellbeing, resilience and keep otherwise lost cultural memories alive. Across the short filmset on a land-co-operative, Oein & Cáit will discuss in-season Galway plants.
Comharghrúpa de dhéantóirí scannán agus luibheolaithe atá in Aoife, Oein agus Cáit a bheidh ag obair lena chéile chun ‘Stedi Whidden a Ladu’ a chruthú – clár faisnéise a phléann Mincéirí (Lucht Siúil na hÉireann) agus eolas agus béaloideas luibheolaithe na hÉireann. Tríd comhrá, scéalaíocht agus breathnóireacht ar an talamh, déanfaidh Oein agus Cáit machnach ar an ról atá ag luibheolaíocht agus béaloideas i saol an lae inniu – an tslí a bhféadfadh sé tacú le sláinte pobail, athléimeacht agus cuimhní cultúrtha a bheadh caillte murach é a choinneáil beo. Sa ghearrscannán lonnaithe ar chomharchumann talún, pléifidh Oein agus Cáit plandaí na Gaillimhe atá i dtráth.
AOIFE NÍ MHAOILDEIRG/DELANY READE is an emerging filmmaker and professional theatre-practitioner based in Galway. In late 2025, Aoife was diagnosed with myalgic encephalitis- a disability that has left her mostly housebound- and consequently, reignited her interest in filmmaking. Through her work, Aoife aims to explore and challenge the ways capitalist systems distance us from connection, community and nature, and to provide a platform for underrepresented voices to share alternative perspectives on cultivating community. Her work has been supported by the Arts Council Ireland & Galway City Council.
Déantóir scannán atá ag teacht chun cinn agus cleachtóir amharclainne isea AOIFE NÍ MHAOILDEIRG/DELANY READE atá lonnaithe i nGaillimh. Ag deireadh 2025, diagnóisíodh go raibh myalgic encephalitis ar Aoife – míchumas a d’fhág í gafa sa teach don chuid is mó – agus as sin, spreagadh a cuid suime i ndéanamh scannán arís. Trína cuid oibre, tá sé i gceist ag Aoife na bealaí a scarann córais caipitlíocha sinn ó cheangal, pobal agus nádúr a staidéar agus a cheistiú, agus ardán do ghuthanna atá faoi ghannionadaíocht a chur ar fáil chun dearcthaí difriúla ar phobal a shaothrú a roinnt. Thacaigh An Chomhairle Ealaíon agus Comhairle Cathrach na Gaillimhe lena cuid oibre cheana.
OEIN DEBHAIRDUIN is a writer, curator and educator with a passion for preserving the beauty of Mincéirí / Irish Traveller tales, sayings, retellings and historic exchanges. Oein is the author of the award-winning Why the moon travels. His other works are Weave, The Slug and the Snail and Twiggy Woman. Oein is the Curator of Traveller Culture with the National Museum of Ireland. Oein was previously the convener of the Mincéirí focused ‘Urban Herbalism’ group and ran a small Mincéirí community cooperative apothecary space for four years.
Scríbhneoir, coimeádaí agus oideoir isea OEIN DEBHAIRDUIN le díograis chun áilleacht scéalta, nathanna, athinsintí agus malartuithe na Mincéirí/Lucht Siúil na hÉireann a chaomhnú. Tá Eoin mar údar ar Why the moon travels., a bhain gradaim amach. Tá Weave, The Slug and the Snail agus Twiggy Woman mar shaothair eile aige. Tá Oein mar Choimeádaí ar Chultúr an Lucht Siúil le hArd-Mhúsaem na hÉireann. Bhíodh Oein mar thionólaí ar an ngrúpa le béim Mincéirí ‘Urban Herbalism’ agus bhí sé i bhfeighil ar spás beag pobail poitigéara ar feadh ceithre bliana.
CÁIT DWYER is an Irish herbalist. Having undertaken an apprenticeship with the Plant Medicine School (Wexford), Cáit learned to sit with and make medicine from the humble herbs growing around us. Cáit has spent a number of years living in intentional communities, and has curated herbal remedy workshops for both communities and corporations. They are a co-founder of Neantóg Collective- a radical plant medicine collective based in County Galway. Cáit also works with the Mobile Herbal Clinic – a group who aims to support people on the move in Northern Europe.
Luibheolaí Éireannach isea CÁIT DWYER. Tar éis di printíseacht le Plant Medicine School (Loch Garman) a bhaint amach, d’fhoghlaim Cáit chun suí le agus leigheas a dhéanamh as na luibheanna simplí atá ag fás thart timpeall orainn. Chaith Cáit méid áirithe blianta ina cónaí i bpobail beartaithe agus tá ceardlanna leigheas luibhe do phobail agus corparáidí léirithe aici. Tá siad mar chomhbhunaitheoir ar Neantóg Collective – comharghrúpa leigheas plandaí radacach lonnaithe i gcontae na Gaillimhe. Bíonn Cáit ag obair leis an Mobile Herbal Clinic chomh maith – grúpa a bhfuil sé i gceist acu tacú le daoine ag bogadh i dTuaisceart na hEorpa.
“We are delighted to be awarded the Ceantar Scannán Bursary and grateful for the opportunity to tell this story. ‘Stedi Whidden a Ladu/ Whispers on Health with the Land’ explores how Mincéirí (Irish Traveller) & Irish traditions, folklore, and herbalist knowledge can be preserved through film- whilst retaining the integrity of their original, oral form. By capturing these ‘conversations’ on film, we aim to create a living archive of folk knowledge that might otherwise be lost- while also making it accessible to new audiences. In a time of ongoing ecological and social upheaval, reconnecting to our land, our ancestral history & community is more important than ever. This bursary makes this work possible- giving us the resources to document and share these important traditions with a wider audience.” – Aoife, Oein and Cáit
Documentary Two/ Clár Faisnéise a Dó: ‘Getting Lost in the Garden’ by/ le Jamie Costello
‘Getting Lost in the Garden’ is a poetic documentary centered around the unexpected death of a family dog and the quiet unfulfilled void it leaves behind. Led by the personal recollections of a mother and father, the film sits in the liminal moments of passing.
Clár faisnéise fileata atá i ‘Getting Lost in the Garden’ dírithe ar mhadra teaglaigh ag fáil bháis gan choinne agus an folús ciúin gan chomhlíonadh a fhágann sé ina dhiaidh. Faoi stiúr ag cuimhní pearsanta máthair agus athair, suíonn an scannán sna hamanna tairseachúla den mbás.
The documentary begins with a single voice recounting, in heartbreaking detail, the story of the dog getting lost in his own garden before his passing. As the family struggles to accept the inevitable and move towards the final moments, the film uses heavy, unsettling experimental recreations to capture the atmosphere of the room in which the dog passed. Contemporary footage of liminal spaces capture the emptiness that remains after the dog’s death. Ultimately bringing the film to a close to evoke the raw emotion and honesty of death.
Tosaíonn an clár faisnéise le guth aonarach ag insint, le sonraí croíbhriste, an scéal den madra ag dul ar strae ina gháirdín féin roimh a bháis. Agus an clann ag streachailt le glacadh leis an rud atá dosheachanta agus bogadh i dtreo na nóiméid dheireanacha, baineann an scannán úsáid as athchruthaithe trialacha atá trom agus a chuireann as duit chun an atmaisféar sa seomra inar bhásaigh an madra a léiriú. Léiríonn píosaí scannánaíochta de spásanna tairseachúla an folús a fhanann tar éis bás an mhadra. Críochnaíonn an scannán le mothúcháin goilliúnacha agus ionracas an bháis.
JAMIE COSTELLO is an Irish filmmaker from Galway working primarily with documentary. His short film “The Time That Felt Like Your Parents Died” was awarded Best Student Short at Kerry Film Festival 2025, exploring parental loss through haunting abstract imagery and intimate personal vignettes. It was also nominated for “Best Documentary Short” at the RTS. His first short documentary Buzz, focused on local indie rock band Bees & Sawdust, was awarded the RTÉ Factual Award in 2023. Across his work, Jamie plays with the documentary form blending it with unconventional fiction-based worlds to create films that are captivating, immersive and honest.
Déantóir scannán isea JAMIE COSTELLO ón nGaillimh atá ag obair go príomhúil le cláracha faisnéise. Bronnadh gradam “Best Student Short” ar a ghearrscannán “The Time That Felt Like Your Parents Died” ag Féile Scannán Chiarraí 2025, scannán a bhreathnaigh ar thuismitheoirí a chailliúint tríd íomhánna uaibhreacha teibí agus fínéid phearsanta. Fuair sé ainmniúchán do “Best Documentary Short” ag an RTS. D’fhéach a chéad clár faisnéise gairid, “Buzz” ar ghrúpa rac indie áitiúil Bees & Sawdust agus bronnadh gradam an RTÉ Factual Award air i 2023. Ina chuid oibre, déanann Jamie rudaí difriúla le foirm an chlár faisnéise, á mheascadh le domhain neamhghnácha lonnaithe i bhficsean chun scannáin atá tarringteach, tumthach agus ionraic a chruthú.
“I am delighted to have received this bursary as it gives me purpose as a filmmaker and a sense of belonging. Even though this is only the beginning. The Ardán Short Documentary bursary marks my starting point as a professional director and feeds the motivation to push myself to reach the next step in my career.”- Jamie
The Ceantar Scannán Short Documentary Bursary and Mentorship Programme is part of the annual Galway City of Film programme for 2025 which is managed by Ardán on behalf of Galway City Council Arts Office, Galway County Council Arts Office, with support from Screen Ireland and the Department of Culture, Communications, and Sport.
Is mar thoradh ar thacaíocht ó Oifig Ealaíon Chomhairle Cathrach na Gaillimhe, ó Oifig Ealaíon Chomhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe, Fís Éireann agus ón Roinn Cultúir, Cumarsáide agus Spóirt gur féidir linn an sparánacht seo a chur ar fáil.
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