About us
Feenish is an award winning production company, established in 2001 with the mission of contributing to society and to the development of community in Ireland, which we do through our work in film, media and the arts.
Team
The work we have produced over the years is the result of a great many collaborations with a wide range of wonderful people.
However at the core of most of what Feenish does are brothers James & Michael Kelly. Their collaborations in Feenish build on their earlier collaborations, which mostly involved lego, toy cars and building dens.
The photo to the left is of Michael and James working on ‘Mini City’ one of the first Feenish projects, in the early 2000s.
James
James directs most of Feenish’s work. His approach to film is greatly influenced by his work in the arts, with which he maintains a professional engagement, complementing his Feenish work. James has worked in management & leadership roles in Project Arts Centre, the Irish Film Institute, St. Patrick’s Festival, the Ireland Canada University Foundation and as an Advisor to the Arts Council.
He worked as producer with award winning theatre & dance companies, and has taught in UCD (Arts Management), the National Film School (IADT) and Griffith College Dublin.
He mostly produces and directs Feenish projects, but also enjoys shooting and editing (and playing the piano, and rowing on the Liffey). James is chair of Pan Pan Theatre Company, and is on the board of Fumbally Exchange. A graduate of UCD, KU Leuven (Belgium) and the Irish Management Institute (MBS), James brings together creative artistic vision with a wealth of experience and a understanding of business.
Tá gaeilge reasúta maith ag James, ach tá níos mó cleachtadh a dheanamh aige!
Michael
Primarily a DP, Michael has worked across Ireland and internationally, shooting everything from feature documentary to art films to children’s television.
A man of many talents, he also edits, and works as a shooter/director when the project requires it.
In his spare time, he practices Tae Kwondo and spends time in nature. Michael lives in Kerry with his family, a dog and a cat and a few thousand bees.
Feenish is a beautiful island off the coast of Connemara. Once well populated, the last islander moved to the nearby mainland in the 1980s, and the island is now home to an abundance of wildlife.
Renowned in its day for its music and craic, now tumble down houses hint at past lives lived, stories untold. And yet the people of Feenish thrive on, through their descendants who live nearby in Connemara, as well as across Ireland and the world. Feenish is a place of beauty, mystery, sadness and transformation.
For us, it is a place of inspiration – a microcosm of Irish life, a reminder of the transience and beauty of life on this island of Ireland, and hope for the future.