Limerick screen companies call for regional film and TV incentive in Budget

FILM and TV firms and representatives across Limerick are calling on Government to introduce an incentive to support their industry.

They’ve warned the Irish film sector cannot reach its full economic potential unless productions can compete on an equal footing across the cuntry.

Troy Studios in Plassey is a production hub, which has played host to a number of huge TV and films.

The industry figures are calling for a regional tax incentive for film and television to be extended nationwide.

In that number are Elaine Geraghty, the managing director of Troy Studios, Paul C. Ryan, regional film manager of Film in Limerick and Stephen Hall, producer at Limerick-based Dark Day pictures.

The regional uplift attached to the tax incentive was introduced in 2019 to encourage production outside Dublin and Wicklow.

The group has said it generated an average annual economic impact of 1,141 full-time equivalent jobs and €55.1 million in Gross Value Added, which is the value of what is produced, plus the cost of the goods and services used to produce it

It was phased down and ended in 2024.

A new production infrastructure and capacity analysis commissioned from international screen-sector consultancy Olsberg SPI by Innovate Limerick/Film in Limerick, warns that the loss of the uplift has slowed screen production momentum in regional hubs, including the Mid-West, and recommends a dedicated replacement incentive alongside a well-structured regional production fund.

Ms Geraghty said: “Troy Studios has demonstrated the potential for Limerick and the Mid-West to play a significant role in Ireland's film and television industry. A renewed regional incentive would help build on that progress and support greater production activity across the country. Ireland has the locations, talent and infrastructure to support film and tv production in every region and the opportunity now is to put the right framework in place to realise that potential”

Mr Hall said: “We have seen first-hand what is possible when an international production comes to Limerick. But one successful production is not enough to build a sustainable industry. Crews need continuity of employment; companies need a pipeline of work and studios need productions coming through their doors year after year. The regional uplift is not about giving the regions an advantage over Dublin. It is about removing a structural disadvantage. A level playing field would allow Limerick and other regions to compete for the same productions and develop the capacity to grow.’

Mr Ryan added: “The Mid-West has worked to build the infrastructure, develop the crew base, support new production companies and demonstrate that major international productions can be delivered here. What we need now is the policy framework to allow that investment to reach its full potential and become sustainable.Without a functioning and long-term regional uplift, the regions cannot compete on a level playing field with Dublin and Wicklow. Ireland now has an opportunity to move from having a successful Dublin/Wicklow-centered screen industry to having a genuinely nationwide one. Budget 2027 is the moment to make that happen.The question now is whether Ireland wants to grow its screen industry incrementally around an existing centre, or whether it wants to build a genuinely national one. Limerick and the Mid-West have the studio, the locations, the talent and an increasingly experienced crew base, and other regions have their own capabilities. With the right policy support, Ireland could have a network of production hubs that collectively doubles the economic value of the sector over time. The opportunity is there. Budget 2027 should be the point at which Government backs that ambition.”

Budget date is next Tuesday, October 6.