Animation Ireland Meitheal takes place in Galway on Friday May 22 for its 2026 edition. The flagship one-day annual industry conference, which is supported by industry partner Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland, gathers the Irish animation professional community alongside leading international figures, while also welcoming crossover professionals from across Games, VFX, live action, creative media and emerging talent from around the country.
This year’s programme will focus on expanding global opportunities, exploring alternative strategies for building IP, and the growing relationship between technology and storytelling. Through a series of panel discussions and conversations, speakers will share insights on developing international partnerships, building audiences, and navigating an industry in rapid transformation.
The event will be hosted by Animation Ireland CEO Ronan McCabe and Chair Moe Honan, with a strong line-up of confirmed speakers including Elizabeth Waybright Taylor (Vice President of Development, Disney ); Francesco Siddi (CEO, Blender ); Tamsin Lyons (Ink and Light ); Jonathan Mortimer (AnimSign ); Ben Klimmek (Saurus ); Coral Vázquez Zepeda (PROEXCA ); Dustin Ferrer and Becky Friedman (Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who! ); John Kelly (Director ) of the Oscar-nominated short Retirement Plan; and Sherry Gunther Shugerman (Co CEO Heeboo ), alongside a range of additional Irish and international contributors.
“The spirit of Meitheal has never been as important to us in the industry as it is now. To come together, to share knowledge and insights, to collaborate and to work together with our professional community in Ireland, alongside our international partners, as we consolidate, and collegiately build upon the incredible successes our Irish animation industry has achieved ” Moe Honan - Chair of Animation Ireland
Employing more than 2,500 highly skilled professionals across the island of Ireland, from Dublin to Galway and Derry to Cork, animation is a core creative industry, worth tens of millions to the Irish economy.
Animation continues to play a key role in bringing Ireland’s creative identity to a global audience, reflecting a strong tradition of storytelling and artistic craft. Irish animated content now reaches viewers in over 180 countries, with studios across the island of Ireland recognised internationally for their creativity, technical expertise and consistently high production standards.
Recent Irish made film and TV productions, many of which are distributed globally, include, Maddie + Triggs (Turnip and Duck ), Doodle Girl (Studio Meala & ALT Animation ), Puffin Rock and the New Friends (Cartoon Saloon ), The Magic Reindeer (Moetion Films ), Holt (Igloo Animations ), ODO (Sixteen South ), Eva the Owlet (Brown Bag Films ). Through the Section 481 Tax Credit, Ireland has been home to numerous international studio productions for the likes of Disney, Netflix and Apple, such as Transformers, The Cuphead Show, Fairly Odd Parents, My Little Pony, Grimsburg, Rick and Morty, and many more.
Registration for Animation Ireland’s Meitheal 2026 is now open at Eventbrite.ie Attendance is free of charge and includes refreshments. The conference takes place on Friday May 22nd, at The Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill, Galway and runs from 9.30am to 5.00pm, followed by a networking event in the evening. See https://www. animationirel andmeitheal.ie/ for the full programme of events.
Animation Ireland Meitheal 2026 is made possible with the support of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland as industry partner and the support of RTÉjr. With thanks to its other sponsors: Coimisiún na Meán, Enterprise Ireland, Corpay, BCP, Brophy Gillespie, Clancy Tax, Creative Europe Desk Ireland, Creative Ireland and Galway City Council, Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet, Gorilla Post Production, National Talent Academy Animation, TG4.
