Irish Equity and UK Equity commit to working for harmonisation of artists’ contracts 

Irish Equity and UK Equity have committed to working together for the harmonisation of contracts in the TV and Film industries across the UK and Ireland, following UK Equity’s Conference in Derry at the weekend. 

SIPTU Divisional Organiser, Adrian Kane, said: “Equity UK and Irish Equity have enjoyed a long history of collaboration and solidarity. Like the UK, the Irish Republic has seen a growth in its Film, TV and Streaming industry, and the two unions have been working closely to ensure that both sets of members are contracted under union collective agreements when working in the Republic.

“Unfortunately, we have seen UK producers, broadcasters and streamers avail themselves of the 481-tax relief scheme in the Republic, set up Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) or Direct Activity Companies (DAC) as the contracting entity, and engaging Irish local talent either on buy-out contracts or so called ‘equivalent’ contracts to the UK Agreements.”

He added: “All too often, an inequitable position then arises with Irish talent being engaged on such contracts and UK talent being engaged under an Equity UK collective agreement. Not only is this grossly unfair to Irish talent, it is an abuse by productions who are in receipt of both Irish and UK taxpayers’ money.”

UK Equity Deputy General Secretary, Louise McMullan, said: “A danger for Producers offering buy-out contracts is that the producer may be in breach of EU/Irish legislation, and they could open themselves up to a challenge from the Irish Government and/or the EU as the contracts are not compliant with the law.

“More importantly, for producers and inward investors into the Republic of Ireland, all contracts and assignment of rights must comply with the EU directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market which requires that performers receive proportionate remuneration for the  use  of their work. Failure to provide adequately for this provision could see producers in breach of both EU and Irish domestic legislation.”

She added: “Solidarity between Irish and UK Equity is stronger than ever, and we commit to ourselves to tackling this situation together as sister Unions and members of the Federation of International Artists.”

Irish Equity President, Gerry O’Brien, said: “Together we will strive towards a harmonisation of the agreements across the island of Ireland, and we call upon the producing community both in the UK and the Republic to right this longstanding inequity. Both Equity UK and Irish Equity remain steadfast in the defence and support of our membership and commit ourselves to make positive changes to our members’ lives and the industry in which they have chosen their careers.

“Both unions and Federation of International Artists have been fully supportive of the recent stakeholder talks. We hope that resulting negotiations will lead to agreements that will ensure that all performers working across the Island of Ireland enjoy the right to share equally in the economic success generated by their excellence.”

Irish Equity concerned by Government response to Arts Council mismanagement of IT transformation project

Irish Equity has expressed concerns with the language used by Government Ministers in relation to revelations concerning the Arts Council’s failure to implement an IT transformation project and warned against this case of mismanagement being used to undermine planned funding for the arts sector. 

Irish Equity President, Gerry O’Brien, said: “While the inability of middle management in the Arts Council to successfully deliver on an Information Technology project, as well as the failure of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to properly oversee it, does need robust investigation, it must not be used as an excuse for the Government to freeze Arts Council funding at its current level.

“The Government parties during the General Election campaign made commitments to increase funding to the arts sector overall and this must not be delayed while we await the publication of a report into issues in the Arts Council. The previous Government significantly increased Arts Council funding. However, its target of doubling funding to the arts sector was not achieved. Irish State investment in the arts continues to be among the lowest in Europe.

“It is important to remind the Government at this time that the majority of Irish artists earn well below the median income, deliver their work in a highly precarious career structure and are increasingly priced out of the housing market. The whole sector is seeing a flight of talent – not because of arts council ineptitude but because of continued under-investment and piecemeal policy by the government.

“The ineptitude that would seem to have been displayed by those directly responsible at the Arts Council for implementing this IT project and those tasked at Departmental level to have oversight of it, would indicate that there are compelling arguments for the reform of Arts Council structures.”

He added: “However, this must not be used by the Government as an excuse to freeze or reduce funding to the arts sector or to appoint ‘efficiency’ experts with no knowledge or understanding of the creative economy. It is the responsibility of the Government to ensure stability of vision and purpose at the highest level. It must assure artists and the wider arts sector that there will be no interruption to the level and flow of investment or in the necessary increase in overall funding levels.”

Business, Technology, Internet and network concept. Automation Software Technology Process System.

Gerry O’Brien – President

Gerry O’Brien’s career now spans 5 decades having made his professional debut at the Gate theatre in 1970. He has worked on most of the stages in Ireland over the years appearing in productions of Shakespeare, Moliere, Yeats, O’Casey as well as Hugh Leonard, Neil Simon and Tom Murphy.

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Jessica Freed – Vice President

Jessica is an actor and writer. She trained at the Gaiety School of Acting, following two years with the National Youth Theatre. From there, she got her first professional job in Borstal Boy at the Gaiety Theatre. Since then, Jessica has worked on a number of productions across stage and television. She has recorded several audio-books and works extensively on medical role play.

Jessica is a long-standing member of Irish Equity, she has been involved in many campaigns and served on the Irish Equity Executive during the 1990s. 

Jessica is a long-standing member of Equity. She has been involved in many campaigns and served on the Equity Executive during the 1990s. Alongside supporting performers’ rights, she continues to advocate for a widening of the Basic Income for Artists and a more sustainable model of living for freelance artists. Jessica has been involved in housing activism for many years and is currently working with the Raise the Roof coalition – campaigning to address the country’s housing crisis. Limited access to affordable housing and healthcare are just two of the areas which affect many members acutely.


Jessica is very glad to be back on the Irish Equity Executive and to help advance the work of the Union. Now, more than ever, she believes we need to fight for the rights of our members and the dignity of our profession.

Ann Russell (Trustee)

Ann Russell has worked in the industry for over 30 years as an actor, director and facilitator. She trained with the late Deirdre O’Connell at the Focus Stanislavski Studio and at the Lee Strasberg Institute in NYC. She has an MA in Modern Drama from UCD and a Licentiate Diploma from London College. 

Ann began her career at Focus Theatre in the 1990s and has performed on stages throughout Ireland and the UK.  Most recently she performed in The Tide by Tara Maria Lovett and Risk Everything by George F Walker. In 2025 she will perform in Michael Hartnett’s latest play Martyrs to Memory.

Ann has also performed on screen in both TV and film, notably in Roddy Doyle’s Family and Fair City and more recently in Harry Wild. She is a member of ReActorsCo-operative Agency: https://reactors.ie/actors/ann-russell/

Ann believes passionately in the value of the arts in society and that access to the arts is a human right, a quality-of-life issue for every citizen and deserves proper funding. The shortage of affordable venues and the cuts that have resulted in the closure of many theatre companies throughout Ireland, causing the reduction in opportunities for members of our community, are of particular concern. She is also a member of the Performing Arts Forum.

Owen Roe (Trustee)

A native of Dublin, Owen has worked as a professional actor for over forty years and has performed in numerous stage and screen productions both in Ireland and internationally. He is the recipient of four Irish Times Theatre Awards, including a Special Tribute Award in 2019 for his contribution to Irish Theatre

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Shane Griffin – Youth Member

Shane joined Irish Equity in 2023 having completed his training at the Drama (Performance) degree programme at TU Dublin. He has always had an awareness of the importance of organised labour and this inspired him join the Union. Since joining, he has come to see membership as a basic part of any performer’s career as “The Union values of solidarity and collective action allow our voices to be heard in our industry”.

As a member of the Executive, Shane’s role is to reach out to his contemporaries and to coordinate visits to all drama and film schools by the Executive. 

Read the Irish Equity Pre-Budget 2025 Submission

Irish Equity Pre-Budget 2025 Submission Download

Actors to submit petition at Dáil tomorrow calling for an end to film industry exploitation

A petition calling for the recommendations of an Oireachtas report on the operation of the Section 481 tax credit for film makers will be handed to the Government at Leinster House tomorrow.

Irish Equity president, Gerry O’Brien, will submit the petition signed by 3,700 actors in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the US, including a number of Oscar nominees and other award winners at 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday, 3rd October.

The recommendations of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight ‘Report on Section 481 – Film Tax Credit’, were published in May 2023. They propose that Irish performers will not be subject to lesser terms and conditions regarding their intellectual property rights than international performers in similar roles when employed on the same project receiving Section 481 funding. 

The Committee recommended that compliance with the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, as well as the EU Copyright Directive should be a specified requirement in order to avail of the Section 481 credit. 

The Committee committed to writing to the EU commission requesting an examination of the use of ‘buy-out’ contracts in the Irish film production sector as a standard practice as it represents a breach of the rights of performers and artists under the EU copyright directive.

The petition, which is supported by British Equity, the International Federation of Actors (FIA) and US trade union SAG/AFRA, has been signed by actors, Cillian Murphy, Ruth Negga, Colin Farrell, Siobhán McSweeney, David Morrissey, Jonathan Frakes, Jeri Ryan and Adrian Dunbar, among many more.

Gerry O’Brien said: “For decades, Irish actors living in Ireland have been offered contracts by Irish production companies with lesser terms and conditions than those offered to their international colleagues working on the same productions. These contracts have ignored the protections offered to Irish actors by national and international copyright law, denying them access to potential future earnings. 

“These practices are unacceptable, particularly when these productions are financed by the public through Screen Ireland, the Section 481 tax credit, the licence fee and more. This petition and its signatories are evidence that this is more than a domestic issue. The eyes of the international audio-visual sector are on Ireland. Irish actors are part of an international community that has no desire to see their hard won rights undermined by these kinds of practices.”

Irish Equity solidarity rally

Irish Equity members held a solidarity rally on Saturday 19th August in support of the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strike, it took place at the Wolfe Tone monument on St. Stephen’s Green.

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