This year’s festival, themed “Community + Connection,” explores the invisible threads that bind Ireland to the Bay Area and beyond through shared histories of struggle, resilience, and triumph.
3pm, Saturday, March 7
Éire agus Na Chéad Naisiúin
Directed by Ronan McCloskey (80mins)
TICKETS
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IRISH AMERICAN CROSSROADS FESTIVAL 2026
Filmed as a road journey across the United States, the film traces connections ranging from trade and alliance to conflict and displacement. It draws on contributions from Irish historians and Indigenous voices and was produced by Ronin Films with support from the Irish Language Broadcast Fund and Coimisiún na Meáin.
Among the figures explored is Sir William Johnson, an 18th-century Irish trader and landowner in New York who developed close ties with the Mohawk Nation. Mohawk elders Kay Olan and Tom Porter reflect on his influence and its legacy. The documentary also examines the role of Irish Americans in the displacement of Indigenous communities. Stories include the Baker Massacre, and the actions of generals such as Philip Sheridan and Thomas Francis Meagher.
4.30pm, Saturday, March 7
Dipsea Generations|
Directed by Paddy O’Leary (30mins)
TICKETS
This film follows five young runners from across the Bay Area as they take on the oldest, and perhaps the most unique, trail race in the US, the iconic Dipsea race. Its unique handicap start makes it ripe for improving access to the sport.
The documentary celebrates the rich history of this iconic race while using it as a platform to reimagine who belongs in trail running and mountain sports. In the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most affluent regions in the country, trail running has often mirrored broader disparities in access to outdoor spaces. This film seeks to challenge that legacy by highlighting community leaders, programs, and families working to expand access for youth of all backgrounds. Through their stories, we explore how running can be a vehicle for confidence, self-worth, and a deeper relationship to nature, especially for kids from historically marginalized communities.
5.15pm, Saturday, March 7
A Quiet Love
Directed by Garry Keane (95 mins)
Three Deaf couples reveal their powerful love stories in this intimate, award-winning film about resilience, connection and enduring love. Three remarkable love stories. From a decades-long forbidden romance to an LGBTQ+ couple navigating parenthood with Deaf and hearing children, and a Deaf boxer and his hearing partner facing a life-altering choice, ‘A Quiet Love’ is a cinematic celebration of resilience and enduring love. Produced by a Deaf and hearing team and directed by Garry Keane (‘In the Shadow of Beirut,’ ‘Gaza’).
7pm, Saturday, March 7
Stolen Lives
Directed by Mark McLoughlin (105 mins)
Followed by a conversation with Director, Mark McLoughlin
The incredible story of Sunny Jacobs (USA) and Peter Pringle (Ireland), the only cop killer accused, death sentenced, exonerated, and married couple in the world. Sunny spent 17 years on death row in the USA and Peter was the last man sentenced to death in Ireland in 1980 and served 15 years in prison. Both were exonerated. They were both accused of murdering two policemen in separate incidences – Sunny on a highway in Florida during a routine search and Peter at a bank robbery in the West of Ireland. They met when sunny was speaking against the death penalty at an event in Galway as part of an Irish tour and they were inseparable from that day on. They set up two Sunny Healing Centres in Ireland and the USA and have gone on to dedicate their lives to helping other exonerees on their release from prison.