_{Stills From ‘Tabby Daly’/ Photography – Colin Judge}

A short film by Conor Kilkelly & John Doherty

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Award-winning Irish short film Tabby Daly, co-directed by John Doherty and writer/director Conor Kilkelly will screen at the Fastnet Film Festival in Schull (May 20–24) following its win for Best Irish Short at the Spook Screen Film Festival 2025 in Cork. Set during the Great Hunger, the haunting historical drama marks a creative reunion between the two former school friends from Drogheda, who have come together to bring this stark and emotionally resonant story to the screen.

The film was featured in the Irish Independent, and has received strong critical praise, with UK Film Review noting that it is “anchored by a spellbinding central performance from Andrea Kelly.” Film Ireland similarly praised Kelly’s work, describing it as “a restrained and worthy performance.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – UK Film Review

Tabby Daly premiered at the Louth International Film Festival 2025 and has since screened at the Irish Film Berlin Festival (joint second place, Spice Bags Shorts), the Beijing Indie Short Film Festival, Imbolg: Women Who Terrify Film Festival, and the Underground Cinema January 2026 Showcase, where it remains in contention for awards this November.

Logline
During the Great Hunger in Ireland, Tabby Daly helps arrange passage for young men seeking escape from the horrors of the famine as they journey to America. Suspicion grows when one boy — who promised to write to his mother upon arrival — fails to send any word home.

The film stars award-winning actress Andrea Kelly, recognised for Scope (Best Performance, Bolton Film Festival 2018; Best Actress, Underground Cinema Awards 2018) and the IFTA and London Critics’ Circle-nominated film Terminal, and known to Irish television audiences for Pure Mule and The Clinic (RTÉ). Declan Curran plays Father Winters, the priest at the centre of the story. Curran previously wrote and starred in the award-winning comedy short Dear Imelda, currently streaming on Disney+. Supporting roles include singer Jess Smith, one half of the dark folk/blues duo Rufus Coates & Jess Smith, and writer Conor Kilkelly.

Cinematography is by David Christopher Lynch, whose film Solitary won Best Independent Irish Film at the Galway Film Fleadh 2025. Lynch was nominated for EnergaCAMERIMAGE Cinematographers’ Debuts (2025) and later received the Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award (2026).
Berlin based musician Kilkelly also composed the film’s original score, blending dark folk and experimental tones that heighten the film’s growing sense of dread. Set against one of Ireland’s most defining historical periods, Tabby Daly is a dark, atmospheric and unsettling story that continues to resonate with audiences at home and abroad.

For interviews, screening requests, or further information:
Conor Kilkelly. Email: conorkilkelly@gmail.com
John Doherty Email: greebeeproductions@gmail.com

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