Three Galway-based production companies, Éiru Films, Black Gate Productions and Fíbín Media, have joined Ardán and Screen Producers Ireland to call for a permanent 8% Regional Section 481 Uplift ahead of Budget 2027.
The group is meeting local TDs and councillors in Galway today, 25 September, to make the case for the uplift, an additional tax incentive for productions that film outside the Dublin Metropolitan Area and the Ashford corridor. The campaign is also backed by Animation Ireland and Film in Limerick.
The argument centres on capacity that is already in place. The three companies have built award-winning slates and international partnerships while remaining based in Galway, and the campaigners say the missing piece is policy support, without which that capacity cannot translate into consistent jobs and investment. Screen Producers Ireland and the Western AV Forum (WAVF), which is chaired by Ardán, have long championed the campaign from a regional development perspective.
Ivan McMahon, Producer and Co-Founder of Éiru Films, pointed to the region’s talent and locations.
“Galway has extraordinary talent, incredible locations, and some of the most spectacular landscapes in the country, making it a natural home for film and television production. A permanent 8% Regional Section 481 Uplift would give producers the confidence to build ambitious projects here, creating more opportunities for local crews and talent and keeping production rooted in Galway.”
Susan Kirby, CEO of Screen Producers Ireland, framed the uplift as a route to sustainable growth for the independent sector as a whole.
“The independent production sector in Ireland is a significant, high-performing indigenous industry, but the opportunity to grow the sector and ensure it is resilient is through sustainable growth in the regions. Galway is a model for what can be achieved in the regions in Ireland, it’s a hub of Irish language film and television, a home for creatives, inspiring regional stories, and a landscape that’s the envy of productions worldwide. Our producers love working where they live, and the growth of the sector in the regions, underpinned by a regional uplift of Section 481, is an opportunity to ensure we tell local stories, create a reliable pipeline of jobs and local investment, ultimately underwriting a key Irish indigenous industry into the future.”
Alan Duggan, CEO of Ardán and Chair of the Western AV Forum, said the Galway sector is ready for its next stage of growth.
“Galway’s screen sector is an established industry, built by ambitious production companies that have created award-winning work, developed international partnerships and remained rooted in the region. The opportunity now is to build on that success and unlock the next stage of growth for Galway, the West, and Ireland as a whole.
“A permanent 8% Regional Section 481 Uplift would help convert proven regional capability into sustained production activity, creating more opportunities for local crews, suppliers and businesses while strengthening Ireland’s overall production capacity. It would give producers greater certainty to plan ahead, invest in development, retain talent and build long-term sustainable companies.
“The real win is not simply more productions in the regions. It is a stronger national screen sector, with greater capacity, greater resilience and a broader range of Irish stories reaching audiences around the world. Galway has already demonstrated what is possible. With the right policy support, it can play an even bigger role in Ireland’s screen success story.”
The campaigners say a permanent 8% Regional Section 481 Uplift in Budget 2027 could establish Galway as a sustainable production hub, creating more opportunities for local talent, strengthening the regional economy and bringing stories from Galway to audiences at home and abroad.