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SCHEDULE:
1:00pm – 2:00pm
Irish Language Screenwriting
Featuring: Siobhán Ní Ghadhra (Danú Media), Richie Conroy (Crá), Cóilín Ó Scolaí, Leah Egan and contributing moderator Bláthnaid Altaf.
2.15pm - 3.30pm
'From Pitch to Package: Today's Market'
Industry professionals discuss how projects move from pitch to production, examining market realities, packaging strategies and collaboration between writers, producers and sales agents. Organised by the Writers Lab UK and Ireland.
3.30pm – 4.45pm
Screenwriting Masterclass with Ailbhe Keogan in conversation with Danny Brocklehurst
4.45pm- 5.00 pm
Catalyst Short Screenplay Award 2026 Pitching Event
Finalists in the Catalyst Short Screenplay Award 2026 present live pitches of their projects, offering audiences an insight into the pitching process and the challenges of communicating story ideas effectively.
5.00pm
Informal networking reception bringing together writers, filmmakers and industry guests attending the Industry Day programme
Curated to highlight the pivotal role of screenwriting in diversifying the industry, locating new voices and promoting a range of on-screen representation, Shaping the Future in Screenwriting 2026 underscores the importance of supporting authentic stories. These narratives serve as the foundation for creating dynamic, diverse screenplays and compelling characters.
The Industry Day celebrating screenwriting will begin with two engaging panel discussions, diving into aspects of contemporary Irish screenwriting. This will be followed by a Screenwriting Masterclass, in the form of a conversation between BAFTA winner Danny Brocklehurst and IFTA winner Ailbhe Keogan.
Danny Brocklehurst is a leading UK screenwriter, a working-class writer who is outspoken about the lack of working-class characters and stories in the contemporary television landscape. His work includes Clocking Off (2000-2002), Shameless (2011-2021), Brassic (2019- 2025), and Adultery (2026). He also wrote the script for the film The Railway Children Return (2022). Danny is currently part of the creative team that is adapting Harlan Coban novels for the screen, including Fool Me Once for Netflix (2024).
Ailbhe Keogan has written for both film and television. Her first feature, Run and Jump, premiered at Tribeca in 2012. This was followed by IFTA-nominated Joyride (2022) and Sunlight (2023). Ailbhe is currently in pre-production with Mrs. Allen, a feature film about Myrtle Allen. On the small screen, Ailbhe was a writer on both seasons of the BAFTA-winning and EMMY-nominated Bad Sisters. More recently she adapted Louise
Kennedy's critically acclaimed debut novel Trespasses into a four-part-limited series for Channel 4 which won her an IFTA for Best TV Drama
Irish Language Screenwriting Panel
1:00pm – 2:00pm
Richie Conroy is an award-winning comedy and drama writer. Some of Richie’s credits include the feature film Fran the Man, the television drama Crá and the comedy drama Leonard and Hungry Paul. Richie is the author of novels, short stories and picturebooks and was the Writer-in-Residence in Dublin City University 2021. He lives in Kildare.
Siobhán Ní Ghadhra is a two-time Emmy Award–winning producer with extensive experience in animation and drama. She began her working life at Roger Corman’s film studios in Galway in 1998. She was subsequently appointed Head of Production with Telegael and later Chief Operations Officer, before leaving the company to found Danú Media in 2015.
She is currently Executive Producer on Ros na Rún, and recent credits include Fir Bolg for TG4, Saol Ella (2023), and Cine4 feature film Báite (2024).
Leah Egan is an award-winning actor-director, filmmaker and screenwriter from Athlone, Co. Westmeath. Outside of her screen work as an actor, she is a recurring junior director on TG4’s Ros na Rún & has worked extensively as a writer, director and producer across Ireland, the UK & Canada. Founder and Artistic Director of Spinster Production, Leah's films have screened across Ireland, the UK and the US. She is a keen linguist, a staunch proponent of the Irish language and works through Irish, English, French and Irish Sign Language.
Cóilín Ó Scolaí is an award-winning Irish television drama director from Conamara and is known for his performance-led approach to storytelling. He has directed across a range of leading series including Casualty, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Fair City and the Irish language series Ros na Rún. His work includes the BAFTA-winning Casualty episode Switzerland and is marked by a focus on character, emotional truth, and high-impact drama.
Bláthnaid Altaf (moderator) is a storyteller with 20 years experience as a writer and Script/Story Producer in continuing drama, with credits including Ros na Rún (TG4), Fair City (RTÉ) and Holby City (BBC). She has been the creative lead behind hundreds of hours of television in Irish and English. As a screenwriter, she was awarded Cine4 funding to develop an original Irish-language feature with Danú Media. Through her company Altaf Training, she designs and delivers practical, hands-on courses in story and scripting for TV, focusing on real-world skills and industry readiness.
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Catalyst Short Screenplay Award 2026 Pitching Event
4.45pm- 5.00 pm
Roisin Mulligan is an emerging screenwriter whose work has been recognised across multiple international competitions and festivals. Her feature film horror concept Skinny Dip was one of the selected projects of BMAN's Entertainment Incubator in 2025. Roisin was selected to take part in BBC Voices 2026, Stowe StoryLabs TV Writers Room 2026, and her short film scripts have reached the quarter-finals of Stowe StoryLabs Production Grant, semi-finals of the Roscommon International Film Festival, and have been longlisted for the Breakthrough Film Fund. Her short film The Blow-In, funded by Creative Heartlands, will be shown at local and international festivals in 2026.
Ayla Amano is a screenwriter and director of Japanese-British heritage. Her short film 4x4 premiered at Cork International Film Festival, where it received a Special Mention for Best Direction, before winning Best Cork Short at the Fastnet Film Festival and earning a Writer's Guild of Ireland Zebby Award nomination.
She has since been selected for the inaugural Element Pictures Storyhouse Screenwriting Lab, a shadow directing placement with Element Pictures, and two rounds of the Screen Ireland X-Pollinator Scheme to develop her debut feature.
Vincent Gallagher is an IFTA award winning filmmaker, whose short films have played festivals such as TIFF and Tribeca, and have won over 50 awards internationally, including 2 films that were long listed for the Academy Awards. Vincent is currently writing his first feature film, Sheela, supported by the Screen Ireland Perspectives scheme. In 2025 Vincent received RTÉ Storyland funding to develop the Irish language horror film Raidhse with writer Peter Dunne. Vincent is currently in post production with the thriller An Mháthair for TG4, written by Sean Keeley and produced by Keeper Pictures. Vincent has built a career in behind-the-scenes storytelling through his company, Vanguard Pictures.
Siobhán Donnellan is a writer and actor. Her plays include For the Birds (Cherry Lane Theatre, NY), Chasing Butterflies, (Shortlisted CAT Award), In the Garden (GTF), The Mire (Birr Arts Theatre), Made to Measure (Winner of Scripts) and Going Spare (Theatre Upstairs, funded by the Arts Council). She has adapted and produced several of her plays for radio as well as two 3-part radio documentary series with funding from the BAI/CnaMean. Her short film scripts have been nominated for RTE/GFC Short Film Commission, Catalyst Festival, The Big Apple Fest, Indie Shorts, Lam UK Film Festival and BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Siobhán is also a storywriter with RTE’s, Fair City.
Shane Tighe is a writer from Limerick City. He graduated from University College Dublin in 2023 with a First Class Honours in Writing for Stage & Screen. The following year, his half-hour comedy pilot script Return To Saturn placed in the Top 15 out of almost 3000 scripts for Thousand Films’ Pilot Script Scheme. In 2025, he took part in the NTA’s Greenlight Screenwriting Lab where he wrote an original hour-long drama pilot titled Pariah. Shane prioritises queer protagonists and social commentary in his scripts, fusing wryly comedic dialogue with dramatic, emotional beats to create a voice and vision that is distinctly his.
SCREENPLAY AWARD PRIZES:
Winner
- Cash Prize of €1,500
- Membership of Writers Guild of Ireland (WGI) for one year
- Book Voucher – Value €150 (Kindly sponsored by WGI)
- Catalyst Trophy
Runner Up
- Cash Prize of €500
- Membership of Writers Guild of Ireland (WGI) for one year
- Catalyst Trophy
Special Mention (If decided by Jury)
- Membership of Writers Guild of Ireland (WGI) for one year
- Catalyst Trophy
Catalyst 2023 Screenplay Award Runner Up Méabh De Brún
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Supports for Screenwriters
Every year Catalyst strives to be instrumental in helping diverse writers break into the industry and thrive as storytellers.
By offering networking opportunities (in a non-competitive relaxed atmosphere), professional one to one support, panel discussions, workshops and masterclasses.
Learning from seasoned professionals can help them develop their screenwriting skills and better navigate the industry and this is of critical importance to Catalyst's remit as a film festival addressing under-representation.
"I am thrilled beyond measure that my script 'Perspective' won the Best Short Screenplay Award for the 2023 Catalyst International Film Festival in association with the Writer’s Guild of Ireland. It’s a huge honour and means so much to me, as ultimately the goal is to take this story from the page to the screen, and I feel confident this award will help me do that. "
- Catalyst 2023 Screenplay Award Winner Amy Joyce-Hastings