An Taibhse

An Taibhse
Directed byJohn Farrelly
Written byJohn Farrelly
Produced byJim Sheridan
StarringTom Kerrisk, Livvy Hill
CinematographyRoss Power
Production
company
Jackpot Films
Distributed byRaven Banner; Firebook Entertainment
Release dates
  • July 2024 (2024-07) (Galway Film Fleadh)
  • March 2025 (2025-03) (Ireland)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryIreland
LanguageIrish

An Taibhse (English: The Ghost) is an Irish language horror feature film.[1][2][note 1] Written and directed by John Farrelly, it is set in Ireland in the years after the Great Famine and follows a father and daughter who become winter caretakers at a remote Georgian mansion where a malevolent presence begins to torment them.

Plot

In 1852, Éamon and his teenage daughter Máire accept work as caretakers at a decaying country house for the winter months. As isolation takes hold, strange phenomena escalate. Whispered voices and a lurking entity fixate on Máire, while Éamon begins to unravel under the weight of guilt and desperation.

Cast

Production

Jim Sheridan was reported as an executive producer, while Raven Banner and Firebook Entertainment handled worldwide sales.[3][4] The film, which was filmed under pandemic restrictions,[5][6] was entirely self-funded.[5]

Release

The world premiere took place at the Galway Film Fleadh in July 2024.[1] The 92-minute film then had its international premiere at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest in London on 23 August 2024,[7][8] tickets for which sold out.[9] It later screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival in October 2024,[10] and in 2025 was programmed by the Vancouver International Film Festival Centre for its Samhain series.[11][12]

Reception

An Taibhse (The Ghost) received some strong reviews from Irish and international critics for its atmosphere, direction, and performances.[1][2][13][note 1] Other reviews questioned the verbal delivery, of Ulster Irish, by actors who were not native speakers of the dialect.[14]

Donald Clarke of The Irish Times praised the film as "taut" and noted that, at "a busy 92 minutes", it "works itself into a symphony of niggling submelodies", highlighting its sense of pace and atmosphere.[15]

Kat Hughes of The Hollywood News described it as "a brilliant debut ... filled with well executed frights that are terrifying enough to haunt your dreams", commending John Farrelly's direction and the film's atmosphere.[16]

A reviewer for Tuairisc.ie likened it to The Shining, adding that some of the shots were a great achievement on a small budget, concluding however that poor delivery of the Ulster Irish dialogue, or possibly the dialogue-writing, seriously detracted from the film.[14]

Aoife Fealy of Film Ireland described it as "a tense and creepy tale", writing that "Farrelly has crafted a strong film that explores personal trauma and the origin of fear ... with successful suspense, creepy tension, and effective jump scares."[17]

Kim Newman called the film "striking" and praised its "excellent, nuanced lead performances" in his FrightFest review, noting how it "blends psychological horror with an evocative sense of place".[18]

Starburst described the film as "a particularly harrowing take on the haunted house story" that is "gorgeously shot and tightly performed", calling it one of the standout discoveries of FrightFest 2024.[19]

Film In Dublin commended its "feverish fearlessness" and described it as "an impressively unsettling piece of work, made with complete creative conviction".[20]

Irish Film Critic called it "a genuinely atmospheric and frightening Irish tale", praising its "ominous tone and unsettling imagery".[21][note 1]

At the 2024 Pigeon International Film Festival in Iceland, the film received a special honorary award for language preservation.[22]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Multiple sources described An Taibhse as the first ever Irish language horror feature film. See however the feature-length release of Na Cloigne (2010).

References

  1. 1 2 3 O'Shea, Kerry (1 July 2024). "Irish language horror film "An Taibhse" premieres". IrishCentral. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 Scott, Ryan (22 July 2024). "AN TAIBHSE Is The First Fully Irish Language Horror Film Playing FrightFest". Fangoria. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  3. ↑ "Irish Language Folk Horror AN TAIBHSE Gets A Ghostly First Trailer". Fangoria. 5 March 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  4. ↑ "AN TAIBHSE is the FIRST Irish Language Horror Film Ever" (PDF). Firebook Entertainment (Press release). November 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  5. 1 2 Caollaí, Éanna Ó. "An Taibhse: scannán uafáis Gaeilge a shíolraigh as tionscadal ollscoile". The Irish Times. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  6. ↑ Mullally, Una (22 April 2025). "Uafás an Ghorta Mhóir". Scéal (in Irish). p. 12.
  7. ↑ "Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024 lineup unveiled". Love Horror. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  8. ↑ "AN TAIBHSE First Horror Film Entirely in the Irish Language Screens at FrightFest". The Scariest Things. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  9. ↑ "An t-iar-mhainicín ceolmhar atá le feiceáil sa gcéad fhadscannán uafáis i nGaeilge". Tuairisc.ie (in Irish). 27 August 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  10. ↑ O'Shea, Kerry (3 October 2024). "An Taibhse to premiere in the US at Newport Film Festival". IrishCentral. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  11. ↑ "An Taibhse The Ghost". Vancouver International Film Festival. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  12. ↑ "Samhain Roots of Halloween". Vancouver International Film Festival. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  13. ↑ "Irish horror speaks: An Taibhse premieres in Belgium". RTÉ Culture. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  14. 1 2 "Scannán uafáis millte ag Gaeilge lofa dhothuigthe". Tuairisc.ie (in Irish). 3 April 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  15. ↑ Clarke, Donald (27 March 2025). "An Taibhse review: Queasy atmosphere and good performances drive this taut Irish-language horror". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  16. ↑ Hughes, Kat (23 August 2024). "'An Taibhse' review: Dir. John Farrelly [FrightFest 2024]". The Hollywood News. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  17. ↑ Fealy, Aoife (2 April 2025). "Review: An Taibhse". Film Ireland. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  18. ↑ Newman, Kim (23 August 2024). "FrightFest review – An Taibhse (The Ghost)". Kim Newman. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  19. ↑ Harley, Joel (24 August 2024). "AN TAIBHSE (THE GHOST) [FrightFest 2024]". Starburst Magazine. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  20. ↑ Dunne, Luke (31 October 2024). "The feverish fearlessness of An Taibhse". Film In Dublin. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  21. ↑ McDonald, James (8 August 2024). "Movie Review: "An Taibhse" (The Ghost) Is The First Irish Language Horror Film, A Chilling Folk Horror With Ominous Atmosphere And Unsettling Imagery". Irish Film Critic. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  22. ↑ "2024 award winners". Pigeon International Film Festival. 13 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
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