IN WAKE OF JOHN DOYLE

An excommunicated priest returns to his remote island community in a documentary, previously lost to time.

Excommunicated for miraculously rising from the grave, former priest John Doyle returns to the remote island community that was formerly his parish in a documentary, previously lost to the depths time.

Stepping through his old home, John retraces the events of a traumatic past as he is recorded by two documentarians. 

Title: In Wake of John Doyle
Genre: Experimental/Drama
Country: Ireland
Language: English
Duration: 14:57
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Frame Rate: 25fps
Shooting Format: Hi-8: Sony CCD-TR511E
Exhibition Format: 4K Digital
Sound: 5.1, Stereo

A man with a beard wearing a dark quilted jacket and a flat cap stands on a rocky beach, looking away from the camera. In the background, there is a castle-like building near the water under a cloudy sky.
A man and a woman standing outdoors near a stone wall with a coastal landscape, hills, and houses in the background. The man has dark hair and beard, wearing a cap and a dark jacket, and is looking downward. The woman has curly red hair, wearing a ch
A man with a beard and dark hair sits in a dimly lit cafe near a window, with coffee cups on the table in front of him.
Four men are having a conversation outdoors near a stone wall, with a person holding a camera and a person operating a boom microphone nearby.
An elderly man in a dark jacket and cap stands on a dock looking out at the water, with a lobster trap on the ground next to him.
A middle-aged man with grey hair and a beard sitting indoors near a window, looking thoughtfully outside.

Key cast/crew bios

  • A man with long hair, smiling, holding a vintage telephone receiver to his ear, and holding a film clapperboard.

    Thomas Bennett

    Co-Writer/Director/Producer.

    Thomas is a multi-award winning director who alongside Niall co-wrote, co-directed, co-produced and was Director of Photography for ‘In Wake of John Doyle’. Tom usually works across the props & art department in the NI Film & TV industry.

  • A black and white photo of a man with glasses and a beard, wearing a beanie and a jacket, smiling with a scarf around his neck, outdoors near rocky cliffs, with a woman in the background looking away.

    Niall McCloskey

    Co-Writer/Director/Producer.

    Niall is a multi-award winning producer who alongside Tom co-wrote, co-directed and co-produced ‘In Wake of John Doyle’. Niall usually works across the NI Film & TV industry in the assistant directing department, where he met lead Richard.

  • A black-and-white photo of a middle-aged man with a beard, looking pensively out a window.

    Richard Mcferran

    ‘John Doyle’

    Richard is an exeptionally talented Northern Irish film, TV and theatre actor; having worked on ‘Say Nothing’, ‘Hope Street’, ‘Bloodlands’ and more Richard has a large portfolio of reputable work. In this short he shows deep vulnerability as excommunicated priest, John Doyle.

  • A woman in a wide-brimmed hat, with long wavy hair, standing outdoors near a coastline, looking at the camera with a neutral expression, in black and white.

    Katie Ireland

    Costume Designer

    Katie is a multi-award winning freelance costume designer working in the NI Film and TV industry having designed for shorts but most notable as costume designer on OSCAR award winner, ‘An Irish Goodbye’.

Award badge from Dublin International Film Festival 2025, indicating official selection, with white laurel leaves on a black background.

Festivals and Awards

A black and white emblem for the Belfast Film Festival 2024, featuring a stylized owl with glasses surrounded by laurel branches and the text 'Belfast Film Festival 2024 Official Selection'.
Award emblem for the 2024 British Short Film Awards, with laurel branches on black background, featuring the text 'The British Short Film Awards 2024 Longlist'.
Laurels surrounding text indicating winner of the 2024 Film Devour Short Film Festival, audience choice
Black and white award badge for the Berlin Indie Film Festival 2025, with laurel leaves on either side.
Award emblem for the Big Fridge International Film Festival 2025, featuring a laurel wreath design with text recognizing a finalist.
Logo for the 2024 Louth International Film Festival featuring a lion at the top, surrounded by laurel branches, with event details in white text on a black background.
Black background with white laurel wreath and text that reads: 'Official Selection 16th Underground Cinema Film Awards Dublin 2025'.
Black background with white laurel wreath and text that reads "OFF SCREEN" in bold, distressed font and "Official selection 2025" below.
Black and white award badge with laurel wreaths and text indicating selection for Los Angeles Independent Film Awards in 2024.
Logo for the 2024 Astonishing Narratives Short Film Awards, featuring laurel wreaths surrounding the event name.
Black and white logo for Lift-Off Global Network Sessions 2024, featuring a laurel branch and a stylized skyscraper.

In Wake of John Doyle (2024)

Written, Directed, Produced and Edited by Niall McCloskey and Thomas Bennett.

Featuring
Richard Mcferran – John Doyle.
Paul Livingstone – Father Oisin Clarke.
Anna McAlorum - Claire Bailey.
Matthew Branagh – Mark Firth.

Director of Photography – Thomas Bennett

First Assistant Director – Eoin Donnelly
Script Supervisor – Katie Goody
Gaffer – Samuel Mair
Spark – C.J Snodden
Production Sound Mixer / Boom Operator - John Panayotou Standby Prop – Jenny Parkhill
Costume Designer - Katie Ireland
Unit Stills - Nathan Magee

Format - HI-8

A man standing by the water's edge in a harbor, looking down at a lobster trap on the dock.