WATCH | A taste of 'Brown Bread', the new short film by Longford's Shaunagh Connaire

Brown Bread, a new Irish short film written and directed by Longford's Shaunagh Connaire will have its World Premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh on Wednesday, July 9.

A double Emmy-nominated documentarian, this marks Shaunagh's first foray into narrative drama, turning her storytelling lens toward emigration and family tension in modern Ireland.

Known for her journalistic work with the BBC, Channel 4, PBS Frontline, and The Financial Times, Shaunagh, who was the first woman to be accorded the Freedom of County Longford in 2021, brings a deeply personal and emotional perspective to the story.

The inspiration for 'Brown Bread' came from Shaunagh's own experience of being unable to return to Ireland from the U.S. for her godmother’s funeral.

She explained, “Brown Bread is a modern twist on the Irish emigration story."

She added, "I was very lucky to have spent the last three years working with George and Amal Clooney as Director of Communications at their foundation. I think being in their presence and learning a little bit about the world of Hollywood, gave me the confidence to enter this world.”

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Shaunagh's move from hard-hitting documentaries to fiction has been a new and rewarding challenge.

“Brown Bread was my first time stepping onto a drama set. For the past decade I’ve documented  the opioid epidemic in the US, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the migrant crisis in the Middle East — environments where the stakes were very real. This film was a different kind of intensity, but just as meaningful in its own way.”

The Story of 'Brown Bread'

At the centre of the story is Áine (played by Katie McGrath - Merlin, Supergirl), a woman returning to Ireland from New York to attend her godmother’s memorial mass, which stirs up old tensions, grief, and unspoken affection in her rural family home.

“We’re so used to the idea of people having to leave Ireland and never coming back,” said Katie. “This is a story about being successful and coming home. Nowadays we don’t go away and stay away. There’s always been that emotional connection to home for Irish people.”

Emmy Award-winning actress Fionnula Flanagan (Lost, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) stars as Betty, a proud but emotionally restrained mother struggling with her daughter’s return.

“So long as you have mothers and daughters, it will be relevant,” Fionnula said of the film. “Working with the director, Shaunagh Connaire who is also the writer, was wonderful. It was really wonderful. And it's marvellous to be with and in the company of a director who knows what she wants and how to get it.”

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Veteran actor Dermot Crowley (Luther: The Fallen Sun, The Death of Stalin), who plays Áine’s father Seamus, praised the script’s emotional subtlety.

“It’s about allowing your child to be an adult and letting go, and still loving. All in a short film. It’s very beautiful, Seamus is very much a feminist in his own quiet way, struggling to keep his place in the family dynamic.”

Producer Julie Ryan (MK1 Studios, The Young Offenders) came aboard after reading the script.

“Shaunagh and I have known each other since college, so this felt like a natural fit. I was immediately struck by the script. It was sharp, funny, and full of emotional truth. She’s a hugely talented writer and director with a strong sense of tone and storytelling.”

Julie added, “With the market shifting, short film is a valuable space to develop voice and vision. It gives new filmmakers the freedom to take creative risks and tell distinctive stories on their own terms.”

Brown Bread delivers a quiet, deeply felt reflection on family ties and the silent weight of unspoken emotions, especially between mothers and daughters. 

As Shaunagh puts it, “what’s not said is important… that feels very Irish.”

'Brown Bread' was filmed entirely in Longford, with support from Creative Ireland Longford, and the local community. 

With a tapestry of personal experience, a distinguished cast, and sensitive storytelling, Brown Bread establishes Shaunagh Connaire as a filmmaker to watch.

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