The Kerry International Film Festival has made a choice that feels both inevitable and inspired, selecting Fiona Shaw as the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Maureen O’Hara Award. In an era where recognition of women’s contributions to film and television has become increasingly vital, Shaw’s selection represents more than just another accolade – it’s a celebration of artistic fearlessness that spans decades and mediums.Shaw’s recent trajectory reads like a masterclass in career reinvention. While many actors of her generation might have settled into comfortable patterns, she has instead embraced increasingly complex and challenging roles that have redefined her public persona. Her electrifying performance as Carolyn Martens in KILLING EVE transformed her from a respected character actress into a household name, earning her a BAFTA and multiple Emmy nominations. The role showcased Shaw’s ability to embody calculated menace while maintaining an almost magnetic watchability – a performance that felt both shocking and inevitable from an actor of her caliber.
The momentum from KILLING EVE propelled Shaw into equally compelling territory. Her scene-stealing turn as the Hot Priest’s superior in FLEABAG demonstrated her gift for finding the human core within seemingly rigid characters, earning her another Emmy nomination and proving her comedic timing remains razor-sharp. More recently, her role in ANDOR brought her into the Star Wars universe, where she commanded the screen with the same intensity that has defined her career, garnering both BAFTA and Critics Choice Super Award nominations.This recent television success has coincided with an equally impressive film resurgence. Shaw’s performance in Kate Winslet’s AMMONITE in 2020 reminded audiences of her ability to convey complex emotional landscapes with minimal dialogue, while her upcoming roles in HOT MILK and PARK AVENUE suggest an artist still pushing boundaries well into her career.
These projects represent Shaw’s continued commitment to challenging material that refuses to pigeonhole her into any single category.What makes Shaw’s recent work particularly compelling is how it builds upon rather than abandons her theatrical foundation. The same fearless approach that earned her two Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Actress and a Tony nomination for MEDEA now informs her screen work with a depth that few actors can match. Her ability to transition seamlessly between the intimacy required for television and the bold strokes necessary for film speaks to an artist who has never stopped evolving.
Shaw’s own words about receiving the award reveal the thoughtfulness that has always characterized her approach to her craft. Her tribute to Maureen O’Hara – praising her defiance of studio limitations and one-dimensional roles – could easily serve as a description of Shaw’s own career philosophy. Like O’Hara, Shaw has consistently chosen complexity over comfort, challenge over convention.The timing of this recognition feels particularly significant. As the entertainment industry continues to grapple with questions of representation and opportunity, Shaw’s recent work serves as a powerful reminder that age and experience can be assets rather than limitations. Her performances in KILLING EVE and FLEABAG have introduced her to entirely new audiences while her continued film work demonstrates an artist still hungry for new challenges.
When the Kerry International Film Festival celebrates Shaw at its 26th edition this October, they will be honoring not just a distinguished career but an ongoing artistic journey that shows no signs of slowing down. In a landscape where many actors peak early and struggle to maintain relevance, Shaw has instead found her most compelling work in recent years, proving that true artistic commitment knows no expiration date.The Maureen O’Hara Award, established in 2008 as one of the earliest accolades dedicated specifically to women in film and television, has found its perfect 2025 recipient. Shaw joins a lineage of honorees that includes inaugural winner Brenda Fricker, but her selection feels particularly resonant given how her recent work has redefined what it means to be a woman of a certain age in contemporary entertainment.As Shaw noted in her acceptance, “Film needs women just as the world needs women – all kinds.” Her recent career serves as living proof of this philosophy, demonstrating that when given the opportunity, experienced female performers can deliver work that is both commercially successful and artistically uncompromising.
The Kerry International Film Festival’s choice to honor Shaw represents not just recognition of past achievements but celebration of an artist who continues to surprise, challenge, and inspire.
Netflix`s BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER has an amazing new trailer!
Colin Farrell plays an Irish fugitive hiding in Macau`s neon underworld as "Lord Doyle," gambling desperately to outrun his past.
The film opens in theaters Oct. 15 and starts streaming Oct. 29 on Netflix.
Watch now via link in bio.
Saoirse Ronan is heading back to the `60s! 🎸
The four-time Oscar nominee is reportedly set to play Linda McCartney in Sam Mendes` wildly ambitious THE BEATLES project—four separate films, each following a different Beatle.
She`ll star opposite Paul Mescal (her FOE co-star) as Paul McCartney, with Barry Keoghan as Ringo, Joseph Quinn as George, and Harris Dickinson as John.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Cillian Murphy just confirmed THE IMMORTAL MAN drops in 2026 and Tommy Shelby is coming back with a vengeance. 🔥
Fresh off STEVE hitting Netflix, Murphy spilled the tea on The Graham Norton Show that the Peaky Blinders film has wrapped.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
Graham Norton isn`t going anywhere!
The BBC has locked in three more series of THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW - with 2.9 million viewers tuning in and clips going viral weekly, Norton continues to prove why he`s the gold standard for celebrity interviews.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Cillian Murphy isn`t chasing blockbusters—he`s back in the classroom.
The Irish actor`s latest role in Netflix`s STEVE sees him playing a struggling teacher at a last-chance reform school, proving once again that he`s more interested in transformation than validation.
Watch Cillian`s TODAY interview via link in bio.
🖤⚡️ JESSIE BUCKLEY IS COMING BACK TO LIFE! ⚡️🖤
Ireland`s Irish powerhouse transforms into a Gaga-esque flapper brought back to life as the companion of Christian Bale`s creature in Maggie Gyllenhaal`s electrifying new take on THE BRIDE!
New trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
🌟 From THE WITCHER to DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS to EVERYTHING NOW.
Dublin`s @niamhhmccormack_ has been quietly building one of the most impressive portfolios in Irish acting.
Don`t miss her in HOUSE OF GUINNESS, now streaming on @netflix.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🌊 When Oscar-nominated Stephen Rea (THE CRYING GAME, MICHAEL COLLINS, V FOR VENDETTA) lends his legendary voice to a haunting tale of shipwreck and survival, you know something magical is about to happen.
📍 @irishculturalcentre, Hammersmith
🗓️ November 8-9 ONLY
🎭 Don`t miss this exclusive London run!
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🎬 Cillian Murphy is absolutely unstoppable right now!
Three incredible performances in a row: Oscar winner OPPENHEIMER ✨ SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE 💫 and now STEVE - a powerhouse drama about a school headteacher fighting his own demons while saving troubled kids.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
THE WEIR is haunting London`s Harold Pinter Theatre until 6 Dec, and it`s pure magic. Brendan Gleeson makes his West End debut alongside an incredible cast in Conor McPherson`s modern masterpiece - with the playwright himself directing for the first time!
"It`s already a classic in the canon of world theatre," says Seán McGinley, and honestly? We believe him. Sometimes the most powerful stories happen over a pint, in the space between words, where kindness becomes community.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🏆 IRISH TALENT TAKES TORONTO!
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal just won BIG at TIFF with HAMNET - snagging the People`s Choice Award that`s basically an Oscar crystal ball ✨
More at irishfilmtv.com.
From strolling London`s Highbury Fields to stepping into Paul McCartney`s shoes 🎸✨
Paul Mescal is living proof that staying grounded while reaching for the stars isn`t just possible—it`s the secret sauce. Fresh off HAMNET and deep in rehearsals for Sam Mendes` Beatles biopics, this Irish charmer is redefining what it means to be a modern movie star.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🔥 When Margot Robbie had a "suspicion" her chemistry with Colin Farrell would work in A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY... she was absolutely right! ✨
These two icons dive into Kogonada`s A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY where strangers Sarah and David rent mysterious cars that transport them through doorways to their childhood memories. Talk about a wild ride! 🚗💫
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Paul Mescal and Josh O`Connor playing LIE vs LIE is the chaotic energy we didn`t know we needed 😂
These THE HISTORY OF SOUND co-stars swap outrageous stories, questionable audition tales, and awkward fan encounters—and honestly, we can`t tell what`s real anymore 🤷♀️
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
Netflix has assembled a powerhouse Irish cast for their upcoming adaptation of Marian Keyes` bestselling novel GROWN UPS.
Sarah Greene (BAD SISTERS) leads alongside Barry Ward, Aisling Bea (THIS WAY UP), Robert Sheehan (UMBRELLA ACADEMY), Adrian Dunbar (LINE OF DUTY) and more incredible talent ✨
This 8-part series follows the chaotic Casey family as they navigate grief, love, and the messy reality of being "grown up".
More at irishfilmtv.com.
