Nothing conveys the magic of cinema like animation, and the genre plays a huge part in First Cut! Youth Film Festival each year. Through an engaging, accessible, and fun programme of workshops, screenings, and discussion, our Animation programme impacts young people across Youghal and Midleton, Co. Cork, all over Ireland. 

First Cut’s Animation programme is kindly supported by Youghal Credit Union.

Schools Workshop Screening

In 2025 First Cut Youth Film Festival provided animation workshops to over 500 young people in twenty schools in and around Youghal and Midleton: Cloyne National School, South Abbey National School, St. Mary’s National School Grange, Kinsalebeg National School, Scoil Realt na Mara Ballycotton, Bunscoil Mhuire, Kilcredan National School, Shanagarry National School, Gaelscoil Choráin, Inch National School, Kyle National School, Pobalscoil na Trionóide, Clonpriest National School, CBS Midleton, St. John The Baptist National School, Midleton College, St. Colmans Community College and Midleton Educate Together National School, plus Greywood Arts Youth Club.

In Youghal, working with Matchbox Mountain tutors Pádraig Fagan, Aoife Rhatigan and Aidan O’Sullivan, the workshops covered all the basic principles of hand drawn and stop motion animation.

In Midleton, Flip Fest with animator Belinda Walsh enabled participants to create their own hand drawn flip books and optical toys.

The resulting short animations got their first screening at the 2025 festival!

First Cut would like to thank all participating schools for their support of these workshops. First Cut’s Animation programme is generously supported by sponsorship from Youghal Credit Union and is funded by Creative Communities, Cork County Council, and through the East Cork Municipal District Amenity Grant.