Galway teenager plots his first feature film
The bogs around Moycullen convinced Oranmore filmmaker Harry McGrady he’d found the setting for his crime thriller; now the 18-year-old is seeking local backing to turn his award-winning short into his first feature.
Moycullen is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever filmed. The bogs go on forever and it really feels like the whole place is part of the story,” he told the Connacht Tribune.
“I knew this story had to be set here since we first scouted locations and I’m proud to show Moycullen on screen.”
From home-grown productions to historical epics, the Moycullen area has long attracted filmmakers, with the 1969 film Alfred the Great partly shot around Ross Lake and locals appearing as extras.
Set in rural Ireland in the 1990s, Fieldwork follows two detectives investigating a boy’s death in a village where everyone knows everyone. There are no mobile phones, and neither detective can drive. It was filmed over three days around Moycullen with more than 25 cast and crew. It won the 15/18 category at Tipperary Film Festival.
Harry, who studies film at Galway Community College, is now developing an 80-minute feature. “This is my first feature, so it means everything to me, and the short showed me the story works,” he said.
He plans to film in October 2027 and hopes to premiere at Galway Film Fleadh in 2028.
His earlier short comedy After the Party was selected for the Busan International Kids and Youth Film Festival in South Korea. His GoFundMe appeal has a €4,000 target towards a total budget of roughly €18,000. He is also seeking a producer and additional funding.
“If I can raise more, it lets me refine the vision even further and give the cast and crew what they deserve. Any support makes a real difference.”
You can sponsor their GoFundMe here.