Ireland

Production in Ireland is off to a bustling start in 2026. International projects to shoot in the first quarter include series three of Netflix’s Wednesday, Edward Berger’s The Riders starring Brad Pitt and produced out of Germany by Nine Hours and the US by Scott Free and Plan B, and John Crowley’s Walk The Blue Fields for Netflix starring Andrew Scott and Emily Blunt.

National agency Screen Ireland’s funding from the government increased by $2.3m (€2m) in 2026 to $50.3m (€43m) — up 5.1% on 2025 — off the back of a record year for Ireland’s production sector in 2025, with film and TV production spend rising 26% year-on-year to $636.5m (€544m), propelled by inward spend.

Ireland’s Section 481 tax credit remains a draw for international productions, with a tax break of up to 32% on qualifying Irish film and TV productions, and 90% early payment. International productions with an Irish producer can also apply for the Fiction: Creative Co-­Production Fund, which gives a maximum of $409,500 (€350,000) for features originated outside of Ireland.

In October 2025, the Irish government introduced a competitive 8% uplift in VFX tax relief, now at a rate of 40%. In May, it was followed by the 8% Scéal Uplift to the Section 481 film tax incentive for films with a maximum qualifying expenditure of $23.4m (€20m). Qualifying films must have a key creative role filled by a national of (or resident in) Ireland or the European Economic Area.

Stephen Burke’s Ireland-Australia co-production Chasing Millions was one of the first projects to make use of the uplift. It shot in Dundalk, County Louth and Dublin in June 2025, and is produced by Jane Doolan for Ireland’s Mammoth Films, with Australia’s Michael Wrenn of Invisible Republic as co-producer. Wrenn noted the Irish and Australian tax credits worked “very well” together. “We had delayed the shoot by six months to take advantage of this increased Irish tax benefit,” he adds. “Technically, now the two incentives return the same 40% incentive.”

Lens Media’s Dublin Fields studios is in the works after being granted planning permission for a 56-acre site in December 2024. Construction on Greystones Media Campus in County Wicklow, which aimed to be the largest studio complex in Ireland, has stalled and is reportedly being scaled back. 

Ireland is a member of the European Union but opted out of the Schengen Agreement. Its currency is the euro.

Dublin airport connects to more than 20 US cities and is about a 45-minute drive from Ardmore Studios in Bray, County Wicklow. It is an hour to Ashford Studios, also in Wicklow, and two-and-a-half hours to Troy Studios in Limerick.

Contact

Steven Davenport, head of inward production, Screen Ireland
inwardproduction@ screenireland.ie