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Sixteen Nominations for TG4 Programmes in the Celtic Media Festival Torc Awards of Excellence 2026

11.03.26

 
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TG4 has received sixteen nominations for the 2026 Celtic Media Festival Torc Awards for Excellence announced today.

This year’s festival will be the 47th Celtic Media Festival will take place from the 2nd to the 4th of June 2026 in the MAC, Belfast.
 

“We are incredibly proud that TG4 programmes have received sixteen nominations at the 2026 Celtic Media Festival Torc Awards for Excellence. This is a significant recognition of the creativity, ambition and quality that define TG4’s output and the work of the independent production companies we are privileged to work with across the country. The range of nominations across so many genres highlights the strength, diversity and vitality of Irish-language storytelling today. I would like to warmly congratulate and thank all of those involved in these outstanding productions.” – Deirdre Ní Choistín, Director General, TG4.
 

TG4 received nominations across multiple genres. These include:

SPIRIT OF THE FESTIVAL

Na Lumière Gaelacha – Cormorant Films – TG4

Let us take 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.

Watch: https://nasc.tg4.tv/Na_Lumière_Gaelacha

SINGLE DRAMA (over 30 min)

Aontas – Púca Pictures – TG4

Three unlikely thieves, led by a woman on the verge of a breakdown, rob a rural Irish credit union. Opening in the tragic aftermath of the heist-gone-wrong, the story uses reverse chronology to unravel the events that led to this point. What starts as a poorly executed robbery becomes a portrait of a willful woman trapped in her own past. Aontas is about the choices that change our path, the moments we get trapped in, and how we’re prisoners of our memories.

Báite – Danú Media Teo – TG4

Báite is a mystery: a story submerged with secrets. September 1975. It’s a normal day as Peggy Casey prepares for a big weekend of fishing. Her pub will be full to the door and she desperately needs the business. Then a body is found in the receding waters of a lake that neighbours this small Irish town. Detective Sergeant Frank Ryan is sent from Dublin, and what he discovers sheds a disturbing light onto the history of the valley.

Fréamhacha (Fréwaka)- DoubleBand Films & Wildcard – TG4

Fréamhacha revolves around care worker Shoo (Monnelly), who is sent to a remote Irish-speaking village to care for an agoraphobic woman (Ní Neachtain), who fears both the neighbours and the Na Sídhe – sinister folkloric entities she believes abducted her decades before.
As the pair develop a deep connection, Shoo becomes consumed by the old woman’s paranoia, rituals, and superstitions, eventually confronting the horrors from her own past.

ARTS

David Keenan – Focla ar Chanbhás – Tua Films – TG4

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.

SINGLE DOCUMENTARY (up to 60 mins)

Beo Faoin bhFód – Black Lobster Productions – TG4

In 1968, Mick Meaney was buried six foot under the London soil in a simple wooden coffin. Hundreds came to see his burial, and toast Mick on his way. The thing was, Mick was not dead. He was competing in the world record competition for ‘Longest Time Spent Buried Alive’. Incredibly, Mick was not the first. Our story begins in 1920s California and ends with a Dutch nun buried under a fairground in Skegness. This story is brought to life through the eyes of Mick’s loving daughter, who grapples with her father’s bizarre legacy.

Watch: https://nasc.tg4.tv/Beo_Faoin_bhFód

CURRENT AFFAIRS

Iniúchadh TG4 – Bricí Lochtacha, Pobail Bhriste – Clean Slate Television – TG4

Kevin Magee examines the defective block scandal and the government’s response. He asks if the government’s new multi-billion-euro compensation scheme is working in the best interests of those whose lives have been turned upside down.

Watch: https://nasc.tg4.tv/IniúchadhTG4-BricíLochtacha_PobailBhriste

FACTUAL SERIES

Néara-Éagsúlacht: Dearcadh Difriúil – Tyrone Productions – TG4

A new two-part series exploring neurodivergence in Ireland. This powerful and emotional series offers an honest, human insight into a wide range of stories rarely heard.

Watch: https://nasc.tg4.tv/Néara-Éagsúlacht

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY (61 mins or more)

An Grá Ciúin – Curious North Productions – TG4

In this intimate feature documentary, 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.

HISTORY

Éire agus na Chéad Náisiúin – Ronin Films – TG4

The incredible and untold story of how Irish people interacted with the First Nations of North America with contributions from some of Ireland’s leading historians along with a new wave of First Nations academics and commentators. Our attitude to the First Nations reflected a deep division within our own psyche. We were both friends and foes, who having lost our land settled in theirs. This is a highly contemporary film showing our journey into America not just from our perspective, but through the eyes of the people we displaced.

Watch: https://nasc.tg4.tv/Éire_agus_Na_Chéad_Náisiúin

Na Lumière Gaelacha – Cormorant Films – TG4

Let us take 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.

Watch: https://nasc.tg4.tv/Na_Lumière_Gaelacha

LIVE EVENT

Fleadh25 BEO – Power Pictures Ltd – TG4

Live from Wexford Town for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2025, the world’s largest festival of Irish music, song and dance. From well-known names to newly crowned All-Ireland champions, audiences will be treated to four consecutive nights of entertainment coming live from the Sunny Southeast. Featuring the cream of talent from home and abroad. Presented by Aoife Ní Thuairisg, Doireann Ní Ghlacáin and Peadar Ó Goill.

Watch: https://nasc.tg4.tv/Fleadh25

SPORTS DOCUMENTARY

LGFA@50 – Nemeton TV – TG4

In this special documentary, we honour 50 years of Ladies Gaelic Football. It will take viewers on a journey to the heart of the sport, from the local pitch all the way to Croke Park. We will travel across the country meeting today’s players, leaders and fans – those who are and have been instrumental in the success of Ladies Gaelic Football. We will also hear from the pioneers, the players and the former players who put their heart and soul into the sport.

Watch: https://nasc.tg4.tv/LGFA-50

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME

Mamó & Mise – Desmond Bros Media Limited – TG4

10-year-old Fionn skips school to spend one last day with his grandmother, on an adventure in the Irish countryside. A heartwarming family film exploring life and grief.

SHORT DRAMA (up to 30 min)

Babaí Brain – Fíbín Media – TG4

Sarah’s quest for motherhood becomes an obsession after a failed IVF treatment. Struggling with isolation and perfectionism, she makes increasingly desperate choices that blur the lines between aspiration and delusion.

SHORT FORM (up to 20 mins)

An Poitín – Gwyn Productions – YouTube / BLOC TG4

In this mockumentary series, we are introduced to Braon Poitín. A curious but talented man, struggling to make his own way in the world he decides to bring his poitín business to the international market – whichever way he can. Braon believes he will be able to save the world with this miracle liquid and pushes the patience of his family and community as he embarks on his questionable business through dubious marketing ideas.

Watch: https://nasc.tg4.tv/An-Poitín