Maggie Breathnach
Director

Maggie Breathnach is an IFTA award-winning Director/Producer with over two decades industry experience. During that time, she has created content for broadcasters, both nationally and internationally including RTÉ, Sky Arts, TG4, BBC ALBA, and Oireachtas TV.
Having started her career with Forefront Productions, Maggie went on to co-found Red Shoe Productions in 2007, now based in the Gaeltacht in An Rinn, Waterford. At Red Shoe, Maggie worked with Ireland's national Irish/Gaelic language broadcaster, TG4 to create their flagship arts show “Imeall”, showcasing over 100 artists in short films. This further cemented her reputation nationally as a renowned Producer/Director within the arts.
Following the success of “Imeall”, Maggie has gone on to direct and produce a number of highly successful programmes including “Gradam Ceoil” - 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 has also produced and directed “Fleadh Cheoil” for RTÉ; “Between Worlds” - a feature documentary on the composer Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin for RTÉ; and most recently “Voices of Ireland” for Sky Arts which won the Best Specialist Factual award at the RTS Ireland Awards 2022.
In 2016 Maggie was elected to the Board of Screen Producers Ireland (SPI). Maggie is an active member of the board and she sits on both the Committee for Irish Language Programming, An Coiste Gaeilge and the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Committee.
Maggie’s passion lies within 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.