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Na Lumière Gaelacha Awarded Spirit of the Festival at the Celtic Media Awards 2026

05.06.26

At this year’s Celtic Media Festival which was held in Belfast from 2nd to 4th of June, TG4’s documentary Na Lumière Gaelacha took the top prize of ‘Spirit of the Festival’.
This documentary takes you into the world of the beginning of cinema in Ireland. A time when three brothers, shoemakers in a small town in East Cork, saw a chink of light sparking in Europe, and followed that light, creating cinematic and animation history in Ireland. This is the story of the Horgan Brothers of Youghal, photographic, cinematic and animation pioneers at the time of the Lumière brothers in France. It could be said that they made Youghal the home of Irish cinema. Produced by Cormorant Films.
Watch: https://nasc.tg4.tv/Na_Lumière_Gaelacha
 
The station also received 3 other awards, including Feature Documentary for An Grá Ciúin. David Keenan- Focla ar Chanbhais took the Torc for Best Arts Documentary while Mamó agus Mise was awarded the top prize in the children’s category.
 
David Keenan- Focla ar Chanbhais. Four years after the successful launch of his debut album Beginner’s Guide to Bravery, David Keenan returns to the studio to record new music. We follow David’s creative process over the course of 500 days. This is a portrait of the artist as a young man. Produced by Tua Films.
Watch: https://nasc.tg4.tv/David_Keenan-Focla_ar_Chanbhás
 
Mamó agus Mise sees 10-year-old Fionn skip school to spend one last day with his grandmother, on an adventure in the Irish countryside. A heartwarming family film exploring life and grief. Produced by Desmond Bros Media Limited.
 
An Grá Ciúin is an intimate feature documentary where three Deaf couples share their extraordinary love stories through sign language: a 50-year forbidden romance that crossed a religious divide, an LGBT couple navigating the challenges of parenting Deaf and hearing daughters, and a Deaf boxer and his hearing partner facing an impossible decision. This collection of cinematic love letters offers a beautiful insight into the world of Deaf people and the power of enduring love. Produced by Curious North Productions.
 
The Celtic Media Festival (CMF) is one of the most prestigious and long-established in these islands and is held each year, rotating between venues in the various Celtic nations and regions. It combines a three-day media conference that attracts broadcasters, producers, media and students with a competition across the full range of Film, TV, Radio and new media content genres. CMF awards are highly coveted. This year’s Festival is taking place in Belfast. More information available here Belfast 2026
 
Deirdre Ní Choistín, Director General of TG4, congratulated the winning entry, saying; “For TG4 to win a top award at the Celtic Media Festival despite the most challenging international competition is a testimony to the quality and creativity of the independent producers who are our partners. Comhghairdeas to all the winners.”