Adrian McCarthy has been directing and producing documentaries for over twenty years. He is the owner of Curious Dog Films which was established in late 2019 and was previously the co-owner of Wildfire Films. Raised in West Cork and living in Dublin, Adrian has made over fifty hours of docs across a broad range of subjects including the arts, sport, politics, music, comedy, true-crime, social issues and mental health.

Some of his work includes: the IFTA winning ‘Rough Rider’ film, on controversial journalist and former pro cyclist, Paul Kimmage. It was described as “Remarkable. A superb film, a sad story of unrequited love” by The Sunday Independent and “Excellently paced, well crafted and beautifully filmed” by the Irish Times. The IFTA nominated, ‘Portrait of a Gallery’ was filmed over three years inside the walls of National Gallery of Ireland. The Irish Times described it as “A brilliant pieces of art criticism. In this documentary, the National Gallery gets a depiction worthy of its renovation”.

His IFTA winning ‘Hidden Impact—Rugby and Concussion’ was described as ‘an excellent documentary making for deeply unsettling yet essential viewing‘ by The Irish Times. After his documentary ‘Graham Linehan—Funny Business’, Shane Hegarty in The Irish Times said ‘A cracking profile. It was as assured an hour of television as you’re likely to see all year. Although it’s no surprise given it was the work of Adrian McCarthy. If you want an observational documentary maker, he’s about as good as they come’. And he directed ‘Small Far Away—The World of Father Ted‘ for Channel Four, which was nominated for an IFTA, given five stars and described as ‘Lovely Stuff’ by Time Out, London.

In 2021, he was Series director on the 3 x 1 hour Series ‘Our Town‘ following the lives of young people in the seaside town of Bray, Co. Wicklow. Described as ‘A beautiful portrait of young people in all their strength, vulnerability and wisdom. A compelling portrait of a town and community‘ by Patrick Freyne in The Irish Times. In 2021, Adrian directed ’The Killing of Father Niall Molloy’, 2 x 1 hour documentary produced by Sharon Lawless and Flawless Films.