Eileen Walsh Announced as New Festival Patron of the Kerry International Film Festival
September 3, 2025
The Kerry International Film Festival (KIFF) is delighted to announce the appointment of Eileen Walsh as its new Festival Patron. Eileen, who received the prestigious Maureen O’Hara Award at KIFF in 2023, is no stranger to the festival—and now she officially joins the KIFF family in a role that reflects her longstanding contribution to Irish film, television, and theatre.
With a career spanning over two decades, Eileen has become one of Ireland’s most respected and versatile performers. Her impressive body of work includes recent projects such as Small Town Big Story (Sky/Playground), Small Things Like These (Big Things Films/Lionsgate), Say Nothing (FX), and Ann (Hill Sixteen Features). She has also appeared in Modern Love (Amazon), Wolf (Wildcat), The South Westerlies (RTÉ), Made in Italy, Melrose, and Delicious (Sky Atlantic), not to mention her fan-favourite role in Catastrophe (Channel 4).
Eileen’s film credits read like a who’s who of Irish and international cinema—Rialto, Maze, The Children Act, Morning, How Was Your Day?, Gold, Snap, The Ballad of Kid Kanturk, Triage, The Magdalene Sisters, and The Van, to name but a few. Her performance in Eden earned her Best Actor at both the Tribeca Film Festival (2008) and the Irish Film & Television Awards (2009).
Theatre
Her stage career is equally distinguished, with memorable performances at The Abbey, The Gate, Druid Theatre Company, Royal Court Theatre, and National Theatre London. Highlights include The Second Woman, The Plough and the Stars, Medea, Portia Coughlan, The Playboy of the Western World, The Same (Irish Times Award nomination, 2018), and Terminus (Irish Times Best Actor award, 2008).
“KIFF is a festival of might, a powerhouse of passion run by people who love what they do and care about the industry. I’m absolutely thrilled to be involved with the festival and this wonderful family of creatives”
Eileen
As KIFF continues to grow as a platform for celebrating bold voices in film, Eileen’s appointment brings even more energy, heart, and creative vision to the festival’s future.
Welcome to the team, Eileen!
