RT and Screen Ireland have announced the eight Storyland projects which are in development (see below). Since its inception over a decade ago, Storyland has acted as a launch pad and support for Irish writing, directing, producing, and acting talent throughout Ireland to develop and further their careers. This is part of RT 's ongoing strategy to increase its development in drama output, by investing in the Irish creative industry and showcasing the best of Ireland by filming right across the country. This strategy also supports the employment of hundreds of people across the industry, in order to bring more Irish drama series to television, and importantly to RT Player where scripted series dominate viewing.
Of the eight dramas developed, three single dramas of 25 minutes duration will be commissioned for production and will be broadcast on RT 2 and RT Player. The three winning projects will be announced next week and will roll straight into production.
The eight stories tell of a young woman meeting the man of her dreams, a futuristic motel where people go to end their lives, a dying woman intent on marrying her son off, a young father with artistic aspirations, a woman struggling to make a decision on her pregnancy, neighbours thinking about embarking on an affair, a mother and son's tangled relationship and cocaine smugglers hoping to leave their pasts behind.
Following on from RT 's recent homegrown drama hits including Kin, Smother and The Dry, which all have local storytelling at their core, the chosen eight dramas in Storyland feature stories that will resonate with Irish audiences and give a platform to an impressive standard of diverse and exceptional talent.
David Crean, Acting Head of Drama RT , said: This announcement follows on from the success of last year's Storyland on RT 2 and RT Player where Mustard, Balor Hall and Every Five Miles had an enormous impact. The point and purpose of Storyland is to foster new talent both in front of and behind the camera and we're very excited help develop eight new dramas, with eight new teams. Three of these dramas will be on our screens in the Autumn and I can't wait to share them with Irish audiences.
Andrew Byrne, Head of Television at F s ireann/Screen Ireland, said: We are delighted to continue Screen Ireland's partnership with RT on Storyland and our congratulations to the eight finalists selected this year. Storyland is an incredible opportunity to showcase original and diverse new voices, and we're looking forward to working closely with the RT team on the next stages of development - right through to seeing the final three projects on our screens later this year.
Find out more about the eight selected projects in the Editor's Notes below.
STORYLAND 2023 FINALISTS
Falling for the Life of Alex Whelan (Pure Divilment Pictures)
Writer Nell Hensey
Producer Claire Mooney
A young Chinese Irish woman meets the man of her dreams at a foreign language film club. She discovers the next day through social media that he has died. Piecing together who he was through his online life, she begins to wonder what could have been.
The Quiet Ocean (Tile Media)
Writer Barry Smyth
Producer Fiona Kinsella
The Receptionist of a futuristic motel where people go to end their lives falls in love with a newly arrived guest.
Paddy (Cluster Fox Films)
Writer Thomas Connors
Producer Tiernan Williams
Mrs Connors is dying, but before she does, she will get her son Paddy hitched. It may take a village to raise a child, but it requires a halting site to get an idiot married.
Far (EZ Films)
Writer Shannon Welby
Producer David Power
A young woman back home in rural Ireland struggles to decide whether to keep her pregnancy, while uncovering her trusty brother's dark devotion to a far-right group.
The Cousin (MDV)
Writer Stevie Russell
Producer Michael Donnelly
A young father is accepted into a prestigious art college and must tell his cousin he is leaving a life of crime behind.
The Arrangements (Copper Alley Productions)
Writer Jack Hickey
Producer Lara Hickey
Neurotic Neighbours Ben and Maggie, disillusioned with their respective marriages, embark on a tentative affair only to discover their care-free spouses might have beaten them to the punch
Human Tupperware (Pale Rebel Productions)
Writer Joanna McClurg
Producer Tamryn Reinecke
Living together in rural Northern Ireland, a queer, socially anxious young man and his stubborn, disabled mother thirst for independence and purpose. Their tender but tangled relationship is increasingly corrupted by the technology they rely upon to escape limitations of their modest lives.
Wrapped ( (Pipedream Productions & Alfonso Films)
Writer Tracy Martin
Producer Claire McCabe
Two Irish women travel through airport security with thousands of euro worth of cocaine strapped to their bodies, hoping to leave their past behind.
More from RTE
12/12/2025
Uachtar n na h ireann, Catherine Connolly visited RT Raidi na Gaeltachta's...
12/12/2025
Ireland AM host Eric Roberts has been revealed as the sixth contestant taking to...
11/12/2025
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Irish golfing hero Shane Lowry...
11/12/2025
RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier ti...
11/12/2025
Sash is ready to samba as Fair City star Stephanie Kelly is revealed as the late...
10/12/2025
It's out of the frying pan and into the sequins for comedian and actor Micha...
10/12/2025
Born That Way airs Thursday 18 December on RT One and RT Player
Born That ...
09/12/2025
Current Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins has been revealed as the third contestant...
08/12/2025
Over 1.7 million people watched across the weekend
Another record-breaking year...
08/12/2025
Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh is the first celebrity to be revealed for the s...
08/12/2025
Changing children's lives for good: A staggering 4.6 million raised in the 2025 appeal
The people of Ireland and people all over the world have once again...
08/12/2025
It's murder on the dancefloor as The Traitors Ireland legend Paudie Moloney ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
Following today's EBU Winter General Assembly in Geneva at which Israel's participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest was confirmed, RT 's pos...
04/12/2025
The ninth series of Dancing with the Stars returns to screens in early
2026 and will be proudly sponsored by Hyundai
Filling our Sunday evenings with glitz an...
03/12/2025
S an Nollaig
Celebrate 2025's top Irish sporting stars with RT Sport Awards live from RT Studios on RT One and RT Player
RT pays tribute to Ror...
02/12/2025
S an Nollaig
Hollywood blockbusters The Banshees of Inisherin, Barbie and Oppenheimer make their Irish TV debut
Tune into the classics such as Love Actual...
02/12/2025
Showcasing fresh Irish storytelling and emerging talent Storyland 2025 signals a fantastic time for Irish drama
RT and F s ireann/Screen Ireland are proud to...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
24/11/2025
Ahead of the new ninth series of Dancing with the Stars, kicking off in January 2026, RT and Shinawil have announced the arrival of three new faces to the hit ...
20/11/2025
It's the Late Late Toy Show BIG BIG Ticket Giveaway day!
It's the Late ...
20/11/2025
The How To Gael pocast gals, comedian Chris Kent and quizzer Darragh Ennis drop by for the fifth episode of The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In
In the penultimat...
20/11/2025
Tonight on RT Prime Time, Marie Crowe on how a Reading School changed her son&#...
19/11/2025
Michael D. Higgins: Ireland's Ninth President features RT Archives footage and interviews across seven decades
Watch Wednesday 19 November at 9:35pm on RT...
18/11/2025
DJ Carey: The Dodger starts Monday 24th November at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Pl...
14/11/2025
The Late Late Toy Show blasts off!
RT launches The Late Late Toy Show's of...
13/11/2025
Legendary actor and proud Irishman Gabriel Byrne will be in studio this week to ...
13/11/2025
Tonight's crucial Republic of Ireland World Cup qualifier v Portugal at the ...
13/11/2025
In the fourth episode of The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In the lads are joined b...
12/11/2025
RT Choice Music Prize
In association with IMRO and IRMA
2 0 2 6 K E Y D A T E S
Irish Album of the Year 2025 Shortlist 19th January
Irish Song of the ...
12/11/2025
Parents jailed for over two years after bringing their daughter to hospital for ...
11/11/2025
After international award wins, the much-loved children's series returns with 13 brand new episodes with some very special children and guests including Ros...
10/11/2025
76 animals. Six locations. Two Irish stars. One Pet Mobile.
From surfing dogs t...
07/11/2025
SLEIGH BELLS RING ARE YOU WINNING?
THE LATE LATE TOY SHOW BIG BIG TICKET GIVEAWAY EXCLUSIVE ACROSS RT CHANNELS
On Friday 21 November, listeners across all R...
06/11/2025
RT Announces Alex Walden as General Manager of the
RTE Concert Orchestra
Alex Walden, renowned orchestra manager, most recently for the BBC Concert Orche...
06/11/2025
Actors Steve Coogan and anna Hardwicke will be on the Late Late Show this week ...
06/11/2025
In the third episode of The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In actor Danny O'Carr...
05/11/2025
New schedule will be live on-air Monday 10 November
Brand-new Today with David McCullagh from 9am
Oliver Callan in all-new extended show from 11am to 1pm
Kie...
05/11/2025
Explore the future with Science Week on RT
Dive into a week of innovative, themed programming and content across RT television, radio and online
Includes a ...
05/11/2025
Get ready for six weeks of United FC, a brand-new, feel-good teen docuseries kic...
04/11/2025
Begins Thursday November 6 on RT One and RT Player at 10:15pm
Camogie: Inside...
03/11/2025
They've made that decision and ruined an awful lot of people's lives.
...
31/10/2025
The RT Raidi na Gaeltachta Award 2025 will be presented to journalist P il n N Chiar in at the Oireachtas na Samhna in Belfast tomorrow, Saturday 1 November,...
RT and Screen Ireland have announced the eight Storyland projects which are in development (see below). Since its inception over a decade ago, Storyland has acted as a launch pad and support for Irish writing, directing, producing, and acting talent throughout Ireland to develop and further their careers. This is part of RT 's ongoing strategy to increase its development in drama output, by investing in the Irish creative industry and showcasing the best of Ireland by filming right across the country. This strategy also supports the employment of hundreds of people across the industry, in order to bring more Irish drama series to television, and importantly to RT Player where scripted series dominate viewing.
