RTÉ Wins | ‘Ireland’s Wild Islands’ Best Series at the 2025 International Wildlife Film Festival

RTÉ’s Ireland’s Wild Islands wins Best Series at the 2025 International Wildlife Film Festival in the USA, one of the world’s top awards in natural history filmmaking

Previous winner at the Royal Television Awards, Ireland’s Wild Islands beat huge international competition to claim this coveted prize

The jury said –

“This series transported us to windswept and wild islands, where ancient monasteries cling to cliffs and wild seas harbour secrets both mythical and ecological. What stood out to us the most was the enchanting blend of history, folklore, and rare wildlife behaviour – a hallmark of the genre, but here delivered with an especially distinctive voice.”

Ireland’s Wild Islands has already garnered international recognition at three of the world’s leading wildlife film festivals – Wildscreen in the UK, Jackson Wild in the US and Green Screen in Germany and in Ireland where it won Best Specialist Factual Series at the 2024 RTS Ireland Awards.

Director John Murray said: “We’re so honoured to win this award up against the very best wildlife films from around the world and it’s especially gratifying with such a personal Irish project. Our islands are very special places and vital sanctuaries for some of our most precious and wonderful wildlife”.

The International Wildlife Film Festival is held annually in Montana, USA and is one of the world’s’ largest and most prestigious festivals for wildlife filmmakers celebrating excellence in natural history storytelling. ‘Ireland’s Wild Islands’ won for Best Series.

The RTÉ version was hosted by presenter and naturalist Eoin Warner and follows him on an extraordinary voyage of discovery in a Galway Hooker through Ireland’s western isles. Aired over three parts on RTÉ One, for Eoin it was a deeply personal journey undertaken in memory of his late father, who first introduced him to the wonders of the sea before he died in the Whiddy Island tragedy.

Produced by Crossing the Line Productions, the series was commissioned by RTÉ’s Head of Specialist Factual Content, Colm O’Callaghan.

The series was produced in partnership with Blue Ant Media, ARTE, Love Nature, WRAP Fund, Tourism Ireland and was made with the support of incentives for filmmaking provided by the Government of Ireland

Ireland’s Wild Islands is available to watch on RTÉ Player.

Photography: George Karbus, Madeleine Weber, Nick Massett