Mullingar has been chosen as the location for a major film and TV studio
A UK/Irish consortium has selected a 25-acre site in the Lough Sheever Corporate Park in Mullingar, Co Westmeath as the location to build an extensive film and television studio campus. It is understood that planning permission will be submitted shortly.
The proposal is being brought forward by a consortium led by sectoral experts who have worked at senior levels of the film industry over the last 30 years, formerly at Universal Pictures, Disney, and Troy Studios.
It is believed that the Lough Sheever site in Mullingar town was selected due to the impressive mix of accommodation, catering, and business services in the local area. It is also in close proximity to Dublin, which serves as a major international travel hub, with a wide array of direct flights to North America and mainland Europe.
The project has the potential to generate 300 construction jobs. Once completed, the studio could employ up to 350 film crew.
If planning permission is approved, phase one of the studio development is expected to be fully operational within 12 months.
The opportunity
The growing demand for new film and television content means that there is a global shortage of studio space. While Ireland has three relatively large studio facilities (Ardmore, Troy, and Ashford), demand for these studios is exceptionally high, with studio projects often selecting other international locations when the availability of these existing facilities has been limited.
Recent figures published by Screen Ireland (February 2022) reveal a record-breaking spend of €500 million in the Irish economy across film, television drama, documentary making, and animation in 2021. This represents a 40% increase on the previous record set in 2019.
The sector currently supports 12,000 jobs in Ireland, with significant additional expansion opportunities across all parts of the industry anticipated in the coming year.
The new studio would bring considerable benefits to the local Mullingar economy and help Ireland meet the demands of the biggest global productions.
Posted: 8 March 2022
(Press Release)