March is Irish Heritage Month in Canada. As 1 of 4.6 million Canadians who claim Irish ancestry and someone who used to live in Ireland, I’ve always got my eyes and ears out for Irish events in Ontario, Canada.
While researching how to spend March this year, I came across the Toronto Irish Film Festival (TIRFF). I quickly reached out to co-founder, John Galway, to inquire about work or volunteer opportunities. I was late to the game, however he was generous with his time, sharing the festival’s origin story, and invited me to attend. Of course, I gladly accepted!
Read on to learn about how the festival came to be, what types of films are shown at TIRFF, and 5 fantastic reasons why you’ll also want to attend.
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What is the Toronto Irish Film Festival?
The Toronto Irish Film Festival (TIRFF) is a celebration of Irish culture and cinema.
The Toronto Irish Film Festival showcases a wide range of Irish films: shorts, full-length features, dramas, comedies, documentaries, and more. Truly an inclusive event, TIRFF embraces and supports the creativity of emerging and established directors and filmmakers from Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the Irish diaspora. It celebrates work from Irish female directors, producers, and writers and the Irish (Gaelic) language is well-represented. Not only is it a platform for Irish filmmakers to share their work with Canadian audiences, TIRFF also commissions projects from the Toronto Irish community.
How Did the Toronto Irish Film Festival Begin?
The Toronto Irish Film Festival was created by John Galway and Michael Barry in 2010 with the goal to connect Irish filmmakers’ stories and the large Irish diaspora in Toronto and the GTA, as well as the greater cinephile community.
John is Irish-Canadian. His father was from Belfast, his mother from Dublin, and he was born in Toronto where his parents met. He worked in film, tv, and event production at organizations such as Telefilm Canada, Ontario Creates, and the Canadian Television Fund. For 16 years he was the president of The Harold Greenberg Fund, which supported emerging Canadian filmmakers until its closure in 2021. That same year, he launched Corrib Entertainment to develop and produce fiction and non-fiction films and to consult on other projects. An industry veteran, John also worked at the Whistler Film Festival and Content Summit and volunteered as a board member of the Caribbean Tales Film Festival and the Canadian Film Festival.
At some point, the important question was asked: Why isn’t there an Irish film festival?
As the thinking goes, if you don’t see something you want in the world, that’s your cue to take the reins and make it a reality. John combined his knowledge of the industry, his connections in Toronto and abroad, and his Irish-Canadian upbringing to bring this passion project to life. Together with his co-founder, Belfast-born Michael Barry (Toronto Film School), they brought Irish cinema to the Canadian stage.
At the time of writing, I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting or speaking with Michael to hear his story, outside of the research I’ve conducted online. In 2020, Michael moved on to other ventures.
The first year of the Toronto Irish Film Festival, a single documentary about the life of Irish folk singer Liam Clancy (The Clancy Brothers), The Yellow Bittern, was shown at Innis Town Hall at the University of Toronto. Sixteen years later in 2026, the festival showcased 7 full-length films and 2 short film segments at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The goal of connecting Ireland and Canada through film continues to be achieved with great success.
5 Reasons to Attend the Toronto Irish Film Festival
Here are a few, of many, reasons to attend the Toronto Irish Film Festival.
1: Immerse Yourself in the Best of Irish Cinema
The Irish are known for their masterful storytelling. Need I say more?
2: Learn about Irish History, Language, and Culture
Through film, audiences have the opportunity not only to be entertained, but to learn more about the world. It’s a peek behind the curtain into other cultures – their living rooms, their traditions, their conversations and so on. Whether fiction or documentary, we build understanding of other people when they tell their own story.
3: Travel Abroad, At Home
Not that it needs to be said, but life seems more expensive than ever right now. There’s a cost of living crisis thanks to crippling inflation costs, job loss, and unstable working conditions that’s been building for years and doesn’t seem to be providing relief any time soon. I mention this because travel is often an expensive endeavour (though points and miles can save you a ton on flights and hotels!).
That being said, as we all learned in 2020, there are a multitude of ways to experience the world in your own backyard. Seeing a film, attending a festival or cultural event, reading a book, or trying different cuisines are all ways to travel the world at home. Both books and films provide a glimpse into other places and cultures that are different than our own – all while sitting in a comfy chair!
4: Catch a Film at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
The TIFF Bell Lightbox is the home venue of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), in the middle of Toronto’s Entertainment District. The staff are lovely and the theatres cozy. Head to Varda, the stunning cafe upstairs, after the show for a tea or cocktail and post-film chat.
5: Make New Connections & Build Community
Movie theatres are magical third spaces. They attract a variety of people with a similar interest and offer a space for serendipitous crossings of paths. If people meet the space where it welcomes them, wonderful new connections can occur. While I was attended TIRFF with work in mind, I am happy to share I made one such chance connection which I’ll share more about below.
Despite the disappointing choice large movie theatres are making to replace entry-level jobs with robots and screens, you can always interact with your fellow movie goers. A simple hello, a comment about the movie, or a compliment go a long way to open the door to an enjoyable conversation. Like planes, you never know who the fantastic human sitting beside you is until you say hi!
Where and When is the Film Festival?
The Toronto Irish Film Festival takes place at the end of March. It’s the perfect way to round out Irish Heritage Month in a city where nearly 10% of the population has Irish ancestry. Films are screened at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto.
Irish Films to Watch: A Short List
Perhaps you love film, perhaps you’re a Hibernophile, perhaps you’re nostalgic for the sights and sounds of home. Whatever the reason, I’ve compiled a small list of Irish films, both shown at the Toronto Irish Film Festival and elsewhere, to add to your own “watch list”. Enjoy!
- The Young Offenders
- Parked
- Báite (Irish language)
- Dreaming The Quiet Man (documentary)
- Diaspora (documentary)
- Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (animated)
- Give Up Yer Aul Sins (animated)
- The Guard
- Pilgrim Hill
- Metal Heart
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- My Life for Ireland
- Rúbaí
- Blue Rinse (documentary)
- The Wind that Shakes the Barley
- Late Afternoon (animated)
- Home (documentary)
- The Camino Voyage (documentary)
- Jimmy’s Hall
Plus, here’s The Irish Times 50 Best Irish Films (as of 2020).
Where to Stay in Toronto
There are plenty of places to stay in Toronto, from free Trusted Housesitters options, to unique AirBnbs, to fancy hotels.
For a budget option, consider staying at the Chestnut Residence at the University of Toronto. If you’re looking to stay right downtown near the TIFF Bell Lightbox, consider staying at the affordable and central Clarence Park (hostel), the stunning and zen 1 Hotel, the very chic Revery Hotel (Hilton Curio Collection), or the ultra fancy Nobu Hotel.
When I attended TIRFF it also happened to be the Blue Jays Home Opener weekend. If you’re a big baseball or Jays fan, you might consider booking a super unique accommodation experience at the Toronto Marriott City Centre. What’s so special about this place? It’s located in Rogers Stadium and some of the rooms’ windows look out onto the field!
TIRFF: My Experience
What an absolute treat it was to attend the Toronto Irish Film Festival! I love being back in the buzz of the city, meeting new people, and being swept up in the beauty and raw grit of Irish storytelling. What started as a work weekend quickly transformed into several beautiful synchronicities.
After riding the GO Train from Kitchener to Toronto, another 45 minutes on the TTC to drop my bags and say hello to family, and another 45 minutes back downtown to the theatre, I made it to the opening film, Báite, with a cool 5 minutes to spare. The Irish language film was a beautiful story of family, death, and a small town mystery with a twist. The student and puzzler in me couldn’t resist the added bonus of decoding Irish and finding patterns in the language. Sitting beside me at that same film, I met a friendly older woman named Anne. We quickly learned that we were both of Dublin’s north side and had lots to chat about, from art to language to the cities we’ve both called home. At the film’s end, we agreed we’d see each other later that weekend.
I nearly danced to the subway, floating on the city’s energy. Stopped at an intersection, I was surprised to see a giant poster of haenyeo, the free diving women of Jeju (where I once lived). I took a picture with my iPhone and the man next to me chuckled, remarking on the meta nature of me taking a photo of an iPhone ad with an iPhone. (To add to the meta-ness of the situation, what he didn’t know was that this once devout Blackberry owner has an iPhone because of my job in Korea.) A brief friendly exchange ensued and I was surprised to find out he knew of the haenyeo. We said goodnight and I continued on to the subway.
Minutes later, on the nearly empty TTC, a man carrying a Paris Baguette cafe bag sat beside me. I couldn’t help but gape at him. Across the road from the school I worked and lived at on the isolated corner of Jeju were a bank, a convenience store, and eventually a cafe called Paris Baguette. Having stumbled across a Paris Baguette in the GTA a few years ago, I already knew a few were in Canada. But what were the chances of this timing? I asked him if it was the Korean cafe, to which he responded that it was French and he got it up on Bloor. Not convinced, I quickly Googled and matched the logo on his bag to the chain that once loosely met my chocolate addiction overseas. Wild.
On Saturday I reunited with the childhood friend I’d lived in Dublin with for the Short Film Program. Standouts included the tender Tíolacadh (Devine Gift), the documentary Art of the Language, and the comedic Trasna na Líne (Across the Line). Afterwards, we hopped over to a newly opened pub for a pint and hours of gabbing and catching up. I’m so grateful for that time and love that it was an Irish event in Toronto that gave us the opportunity to reconnect.
Saturday evening I met another friend with connections to Ireland who drove in from Guelph to catch the film Christy. It turned out he’d met the supporting actor years ago while living in Europe! I absolutely loved this film. It was well-paced, beautifully written, and the story goes right for your heart.
On Sunday I returned for the 2nd Shorts Program. I really enjoyed the humourous Heartsick, the heavy-hearted The Other Mother, and the dark comedy Three Keenings. Another film that caught my eye was the documentary called The Liberties of Paddy and Bang Bang. My friend Kevin runs fantastic Dublin walking food and drinks tours. Having worked at Guinness, he talks about the Liberties on his tours and I’m curious to know his familiarity with Bang Bang.
Between films I got a bit of work done on my laptop, chatted with John, and met a man named Ross Whitaker, a director and producer with 2 films in the festival and a former employee of the same company I worked at in Dublin. Another small world moment!
Surprisingly, one more synchronous connection to Jeju was made when Anne and I met up. While telling me about her book club and the books she’d never have thought to pick up if not for it, she mentioned her favourite one thus far was The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See about Jeju’s haenyeo… which happens to be one of my 5 favourite books of all time! After that 3rd island connection I was certain the universe was sending me some sort of nudge. (For the record, I didn’t buy plane tickets but I contemplated the idea!) We headed upstairs to Varda to share more of our life stories and observations of the films over hot drinks. Then we returned downstairs to watch Éire agus na Chéad Náisiúin (Ireland and the First Nations). An important film, it took a more frank look at the sometimes frictious relationship between Irish settlers and First Nations people in what’s now the USA. Unfortunately I missed the last film of the day, needing to hop on the (3-hour rerouted) GO Transit home.
In addition to an excellent film schedule, I loved the friendly community atmosphere at the Toronto Irish Film Festival. The audience leans toward about 1/3 Irish-born, 1/3 with Irish ancestry, and 1/3 with an interest in film or travel. On opening night, I couldn’t help but smile noticing the variety of Irish accents that peppered the audience. Instead of the usual pre-movie hush, the air was sprinkled with “hiyas” and “howreyas” and “sorry sorry sorrys” as people greeted one another, waved to familiar folks around the room, and scooted across to their seats. There were several groups of friends, families, and representatives from organizations such as the Rose of Tralee.
Whatever your background, nationality, or interests, the Toronto Irish Film Festival is a welcoming and inclusive event that aims to connect people across cultures. If you are visiting Toronto for the first time, feel free to reach out via Instagram or email. I’m more than happy to share food, neighbourhood, or travel suggestions.
Thank you to TIRFF founder, John Galway, for his long-standing commitment to Irish cinema and culture and for the invitation to attend the festival in 2026. Thank you to Michael Barton, Cailean Kinsella, and the rest of the team at Invest Northern Ireland for hosting the closing cocktail hour. And thank you to all of the sponsors like Tourism Ireland, Culture Ireland, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Embassy of Ireland, Ottawa, Northern Irish Connections, The Ireland Funds Canada, Trinity Real Estate Team, and the Irish Cultural Society of Toronto for supporting important cultural festivals in our communities.
