Screen Skills Ireland, the skills development unit within Screen Ireland, is delighted to announce the 25 screen professionals selected to be mentees in the first iteration of the Screen Mentoring scheme. The selected mentees have been matched with a highly experienced industry mentor from our panel, with ‘Normal People’ director Lenny Abrahamson and producer Ed Guiney; ‘Years and Years’ director Lisa Mulcahy; and Blinder Films Managing Director Katie Holly among those who will mentor upcoming talent as part of the scheme.

The mentors will offer their mentees practical, tailored advice and guidance based on their professional experience, on a one to one basis. The mentoring will take place remotely online due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19.

Due to a high volume of strong applications, the selection process was very competitive. The mentees and mentors are:

• Claire Byrne (director) – Paddy Breathnach (director, Viva, Rosie, I Went Down)
• Katie McNeice (writer/director/producer) – Ruth Treacy (director/producer, Stitches, The Lodgers)
• Cara Holmes (editor/director) – Emer Reynolds (editor/director, The Farthest, Here Was Cuba, Shameless)
• Ray Sullivan (writer/director) – Brendan Muldowney (writer/director, Pilgrimage, Love Eternal, Savage)
• Paul O’Flanagan (senior TV director) – Ronan McCabe (CEO of Animation Ireland/Producer, Zig and Zag, Podge and Rodge)
• Edwina Casey (director) – Lisa Mulcahy (director, Years and Years, Blood, Red Rock)
• Mia Mullarkey (director) – Lenny Abrahamson (director, Normal People, Room, Frank)
• Brian Deane (writer/director/producer) – Morgan Bushe (producer/director/writer, Jihad Jane, The Belly of the Whale, The Other Side of Sleep)
• Mark Noonan (writer/director) – Peter McKenna (writer/producer, Red Rock, EastEnders, The Clinic)
• Matthew Roche (screenwriter) – Malcolm Campbell (writer/executive producer, Herself, What Richard Did, Ackley Bridge)
• Charleigh Bailey (actor/writer) – Eilish Kent (producer/development executive, Under The Clock, Stella Days, Love is the Drug)
• Sean Smith (writer) – Paul Walker (writer/producer, Fair City, Stardust)
• Denise Deegan (screenwriter) – Lauren MacKenzie (writer, Red Rock, The Clinic, The Daisy Chain)
• Niamh O’Connor (writer) – Rachel O’Flanagan (script editor/development executive, Papi Chulo, Viva, Handsome Devil)
• Cian McGarrigle (writer) – Lena Byrne (script producer/story consultant/script editor, Becca’s Bunch, Roy)
• Alec Moore (editor) – Colin Campbell (editor, Hole in the Ground, Michael Inside, The Young Offenders)
• Emma Owen (producer/managing director) – Carey Fitzgerald (Managing Director of Silver Mountain Productions)
• Kathy Raftery (producer/director/lighting operator) – Alan Maher(producer/executive producer, Rialto, Grace Jones: Blood Light and Bami, Song of Granite)
• Gareth Lyons (company director) – Stephen Fagan (Managing Director of Studio Meala)
• Ciara Hyland (documentary producer/director) – Rachel Lysaght (producer, One Million Dubliners, Traders, Patrick’s Day)
• Claire McCabe (producer/production executive) – Katie Holly (producer/executive producer Extra Ordinary, Vita and Virginia, Love and Friendship)
• Collie McCarthy (producer) – Dominic Wright (producer, Never Grow Old, Wisting, She’s Missing)
• Vanessa Robinson (creative producer) – Gerard O’Rourke (producer, Nelly & Nora, Punky)
• Roisin Geraghty (producer) – Ed Guiney (producer/co-founder of Element Pictures, Normal People, The Favourite, The Lobster)
• Rob Davis (producer) – Rory Gilmartin (producer, Herself, Calm With Horses, Rosie)

Speaking about the first cohort of mentees and mentors, Gareth Lee, Screen Skills Ireland Manager, said, “We are pleased to offer 25 screen professionals the opportunity to be supported by a mentor to learn and grow professionally. Identifying and nurturing upcoming talent is integral to the work of Screen Skills Ireland and we look forward to seeing what the mentees achieve under the guidance of their mentors over the course of the next 12 months.”

A further call for mentees to apply for mentoring support will be announced in the autumn, with details shared via the Screen Skills Ireland and Screen Mentoring websites. For more information about Screen Mentoring, please visit the website.