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It's been an incredible weekend for Camlough filmmaker Ruairi Cahill whose Funk Soul Media production, 'Spiorad Ceilteach' won the Best Gaelic Film/ TV category at the 2025 West Lothian Film Festival. A bilingual production translated as Celtic Spirit, Spiorad Ceilteach was recorded by Funk Soul Media in 2023 thanks to funding from the Ultach Trust.
Funk Soul Media CIC is a social enterprise that has a clear social purpose to empower hundreds of young people each year to express themselves through fun and accessible creative media experiences. It also aims to showcase our local talent and area to the world.
Speaking about how he got in to filmmaking Cahill, 33, said "I've loved filmmaking since I was 17, going around Newry, making videos for my St Colman's College Moving Image Arts course in the tunnels in Newry, with a VHC camera. I loved what it gave to me, the creativity, the freedom and the escapism as well growing up in Newry. Here I am 17 years later and it's only the start!"
The St Colman's creative course helped shape his life "I didn't know who I wanted to be, I was very disruptive, very like the class clown and violent. I didn't know why I was like this, I couldn't behave. It was because I was a creative and my energy wasn't being channelled into creativity."
The short film was entered in six festivals but the new and upcoming West Lothian Film festival was a perfect fit, with its emphasis on promoting the Gallic and Gaelic cultures.
Over 40 people from Louth Down and South Armagh participated in making the film, to interact and engage with not just the gaelic heritage, but Craobh Rua, Cú Chulainn and the ancient celtic mythology of the area. Cahill believes it demonstrates how South Armagh is oozing with this beautiful culture that has to be discovered.
"This film is the new face of South Armagh. South Armagh is still rising from the shadows of the troubles, and the shadow of Paul Quinn's murder. This shows the real new wave of positivity and creativity coming from South Armagh. It wasn't just a film made by me, the whole community made it, the Traditional Arts Partnership of Mullaghbane, Fergal O'Brien, Niamh Noade. These are people in the community that I got to connect and engage with through this film." said Cahill.
Doiminic Ó Brolcháin provided the voice-over narration for the film, providing endless translations in a standard of Irish that could stand up with the best at TG4 or similar.
Cahill is very clear of where he and his company's future lies "The future for our social enterprise and the gaelic language is going to be reawakening the tales of Cú Chulainn in an internationally high level of professional film making."
Spiorad Ceilteach is going to be released to the public for free in three weeks time on YouTube
