Limerick graduate turned film director speaks on recent production

LIMERICK is on the way to becoming Ireland’s film capital as another filming project has strong ties to the county.

Suspension, a cross-county production with crew and producers from both Limerick and Clare involved, was filmed last month in Scariff.

The production company Dolmen Films, founded in 2017 by Turlough Ó Cinnéide, led the three days of filming in the area. 

Turlough is an award-winning director, cinematographer, and composer with over 15 awards and 10 nominations. 

His work is internationally acclaimed and is currently in the festival circuit.

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A 1st-degree honors graduate of the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), he was also awarded the Puttnam Scholarship for directing in 2022. 

David Puttnam, a film producer and former member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, with his extensive involvement in a number of feature films, is a natural mentor of Turlough’s, as he describes him as “the last of a golden age of Hollywood producers”.

Turlough, with a hands-on approach and the help of his brother, built the set for the thriller production in Scariff, describing the process as “quite an adventure”.

He added, “We built the cable car set from scratch—my brother Cormac and I worked for two weeks to build the cable car and then hand-paint every bolt and rusted panel—because I wanted a world that felt real, tactile, and enclosed. This also helps the actors with immersion and I’m a big believer in doing as much in camera as possible.”

As well as having a host of Limerick and Clare natives involved in the production, the filming employed people from around the world, including CGI artists from Uganda, an editor from Italy, and after over 1,100 submissions from various agents, two very talented actors were flown in from the UK to star in the film, Kate Williams and James Arden.

An important aim of Dolmen Films is the involvement of locals in the film industry, as Turlough commented, “local crews are not getting the work. With this production we have food catering, accommodation, and more supplied by local businesses and people”.

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This filming project is the first of several future features planned, and only the beginning of Turlough’s hope to bring more filming opportunities to the west of Ireland, and to Limerick specifically, with Dolmen Films currently in development of its first feature film, Echoes of a Savage Land. The screenplay has been positively received by several A-list artists’ management, as well as a number of executive level producers and distributors.

Hoping to push the increase in local film productions, Turlough emphasised the potential Ireland has saying “there is lots of talent to offer in this country, and the growth of the industry won’t happen if we don’t push for it”. 

Turlough’s vision is to promote and facilitate independent feature productions in the Limerick and Clare area as well as in neighboring counties, and to make funding for independents more accessible. Along with a close friend in accounting, Turlough is building a proposal for a funding scheme which, if successful and accepted by the Government, will give greater access to seed funding for filmmakers at the beginning of their career.  

“One of the major issues people face when trying to get their first feature is getting the seed capital. Studios want you to have a letter of interest from a major actor, but actors won’t give this if you don’t have funding. To get funding from Screen Ireland for a feature over a certain budget, they require you to have a distribution deal; however, a distribution company will want you to be funded. So it’s a catch 22 for people. With this additional funding scheme that I’m proposing, this problem will be greatly reduced and will not only help people boost their career, but will bring more jobs and revenue into regional areas around Ireland”.

Turlough works closely with fellow Executive Producer and investor Bennett Goldberg Brown. Mr. Brown is also Co-Chairman and CEO of Artery Group, a U.S.-based firm with experience investing in, developing, and managing over $2 billion in real estate assets. Mr. Goldberg’s 36+ years of experience in high-level investment and development adds strategic depth to Dolmen’s creative mission.

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Their collaboration merges Turlough’s deep-rooted creative and cultural sensibility with Bennett’s financial acumen and international business perspective. Together, they aim to shape Dolmen into a boutique powerhouse that nurtures bold storytelling while ensuring commercial viability and long-term industry impact.

As Executive Producer of Dolmen Films, Bennett's role focuses on strategic growth, financing, international co-productions, and long-term partnerships. He also plays a pivotal role in identifying and mentoring emerging talent, and in positioning Dolmen as a bridge between Irish creatives and the broader European and global markets.

This particular production will run through the film festival circuit for around 4 to 5 months later this year, mainly within festivals taking place in Cork and Dublin. 

Turlough spoke about his approach to the short film, titled Suspension; “Suspension began with a simple image: two people suspended in the air, completely isolated from the world, with nowhere to go but inward. I was interested in the pressure cooker of that space. How fear transforms people. How memory distorts. And how trauma echoes through relationships in subtle, sometimes terrifying ways.

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“At its heart, Suspension is about what we carry with us—anger, guilt, love, regret—and how fragile our perception of reality becomes under stress. The question of “did it really happen?” is less important than what we believe did, and how that belief shapes our actions. That ambiguity fascinated me.”

Additionally, students from local universities have taken on roles in the production, offering a new perspective, giving young people experience in the field, and inspiring youth involvement in similar projects.

Turlough Ó Cinnéide displays his passion for the development of the film industry in Ireland, and has given numerous talks to students at the Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD) on his experience. 

On Suspension, 1st Assistant Director, Alan Wynn, was recruited from TUS Limerick. This “internship” opportunity initiative demonstrates Dolmen’s wider mission to open doors for young professionals and build a strong regional film workforce.