THE LOST CHILDREN OF TUAM, one of the most anticipated Irish films of the year, is set to make its World Premiere at the 2026 Galway Film Fleadh on Saturday 11th July, with key cast and creatives expected to attend. The film marks a powerful convergence of remarkable talent both in front of and behind the camera, brought together to tell one of the most haunting and consequential stories in recent Irish history.
Directed by Frank Berry, whose previous work includes AISHA and MICHAEL INSIDE, and written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the acclaimed screenwriter behind THE SALT PATH and SHE SAID, the film draws its source material from a landmark piece of journalism — Dan Barry’s 2017 New York Times article of the same name. It is a story rooted in truth, in grief, and in the quiet, determined courage of one woman who refused to let the past remain buried.
At the heart of the film is Monica Dolan, the award-winning actress known for SHERWOOD and MR BATES VS THE POST OFFICE, who takes on the role of Catherine Corless — the local history enthusiast whose painstaking research into the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway, led to one of the most devastating discoveries in Irish social history. While compiling records for a local historical society, Corless uncovered evidence suggesting that as many as 796 children may have been buried in unmarked graves on the property. What followed was a campaign for justice — for the victims, for the survivors, and for a truth that Ireland could no longer avoid. Joining Dolan on screen are Andrew Bennett, whose credits include GOD’S CREATURES and THE QUIET GIRL, and Ian McElhinney, familiar to audiences from GAME OF THRONES and DERRY GIRLS.
The production brings together an exceptional team of producers, with Liam Neeson, who optioned the rights to the original New York Times article, producing for El Paso Films alongside Jules Daly for Big Red Films, Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe for Oscar-winning Element Pictures, and Martina Niland for Port Pictures. It is a project clearly assembled with both ambition and care, and its Galway premiere feels entirely fitting — a film about Ireland, premiering in Ireland, with the story of Tuam finally receiving the full and unflinching attention it deserves.