Mary Brophy is a documentary filmmaker and broadcaster who makes artful documentaries defined by characterful storytelling. Over the past two decades she has produced and directed numerous short documentaries and series for television (Caomhnóirí na Talún/Custodians of the Land TG4, Son of Kerry, Son of Sam, TG4 Stradbally Hall Days RTÉ). Mary’s recent art documentary Magic on a Winter’s Night RTÉ Lyric, which captured the sounds, rehearsals and performances of the 71st Wexford Festivals Opera, was an official selection at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

In 2004, her debut documentary was the biography of political activist and public servant Todd Andrews as part of the ‘Nationbuilders’ series for RTÉ. Her 2009 short film Tarrraingt Tarracóirí, described by The Irish Times as ‘wistfully beguiling’ and ‘a joyful voyage’, screened at the Chicago Irish Film Festival. In 2018 Mary produced the true-crime drama documentary ‘Son of Kerry, Son of Sam’ for TG4/IWR Media which told how in 1977, a Kerry NYPD detective led the manhunt to capture the Son of Sam serial killer. This was nominated for Celtic Media Festival Torc Award in 2019. More recently Mary produced Neal Boyle’s feature documentary film ‘Rún the Boinne/Secret of the Boyne’ (2022) which revealed evidence of a second chamber at Newgrange and in 2023, Mary was Series Director on the documentary series Caomhnóirí na Talún/Custodians of the Land broadcast on TG4.

Mary is co-founder and Director of IWR Media. As well as documentary film, she has won numerous awards for her broadcasting and creative audio including a New York Festivals Silver Award for her series ‘Politics, Pleasure and Empire’ and a PPI Award for Cot Fisher Kings. In 2026, Mary is currently Director and writer on a second season of the documentary series Caomhnóirí na Talún/Custodians of the Land.