Maggie Breathnach is an IFTA and RTS award-winning Director with over two decades industry experience. Her award-winning productions and nominations include “Voices of Ireland” for Sky Arts, and “Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin: Between Worlds” for RTÉ. Her recent directing and producing credits include “Imelda May: Amhráin na nGael” – a six-part series where Imelda challenges her relationship with the Irish language through sean-nós singing, for RTÉ, and “Tarrac na Farraige” – a four-part series about the fishing industry in Ireland, also for RTÉ; “Lily & Lolly: The Forgotten Yeats Sisters” for Sky Arts; “House of Art” for Oireachtas TV; and “Imeall” for TG4.

Primarily embedded in the arts, Maggie has also gone on to direct and produce a number of highly successful music programmes including “Gradam Ceoil” for TG4 – the traditional Irish music equivalent of the Grammys – which she transformed from a pre-recorded awards show to a 2-hour live extravaganza of Irish singing, music and dance, whilst also generating partnerships with various organisations in Belfast and establishing a solid programme of fringe events as well as the live broadcast of the main show. She also produces and directs “Fleadh Cheoil” for RTÉ, showcasing the best of Irish traditional music from the annual Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.

A fluent Irish speaker, Maggie relocated her company Red Shoe Productions from Dublin to the An Rinn Gaeltacht, to contribute to the cultural landscape in the regions and to create employment. She is a strong and passionate advocate for women in the arts, and on a production celebrating the work and lives of Susan and Elizabeth Yeats, she mirrored their work ethic, employing women as the core team behind the camera, as well as on screen. In 2016 Maggie was elected to the Board of Screen Producers Ireland (SPI), where she was an active member and sat on both the Committee for Irish Language Programming “An Coiste Gaeilge” and the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Committee.

Maggie’s passion lies in culture and the arts. As a long-time advocate for the artistic community, her vision and ambition is to push the boundaries of the reach of arts programming. As well as promoting the use of the Irish language in the sector, Maggie is keen to contribute to the preservation and archive of the Irish arts. Red Shoe Productions is a small female-owned and operated company with big ambitions for partnerships and co-productions in the future, championing and promoting Irish arts worldwide.