The Light Within – An Irish Quaker Story

The film is a supernatural tale set in Rosenallis, Queen’s County, (Co. Laois, Ireland) in 1780 where Lydia, a teenager must defy her Quaker upbringing to save her ailing younger sister.

  • Denis McArdle
    Director
    Barry's Bespoke Bakery, The Silver Lining
  • Denis McArdle
    Writer
    Barry's Bespoke Bakery, The Silver Lining
  • David Butler
    Producer
    The Land WW1 drama
  • Finnuala Gillen
    Key Cast
    "Lydia"
  • Eliza Rae Butler
    Key Cast
    "Margret"
    Herstory
  • Steve Gunn
    Key Cast
    "Robert"
    Miss Scarlet & the Duke
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Supernatural
  • Runtime:
    22 minutes
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Ireland
  • Country of Filming:
    Ireland
  • Language:
    English, Irish
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Denis McArdle

Denis has over thirty years of experience in production, with a proven track record
writing and directing TV commercials, short films, and several documentaries for
agencies such as RTÉ, BBC NI, Screen Ireland, HSÉ, The Arts Council and Enterprise
Ireland. Television Commercials include Shell, Nestle, Beamish, Guinness, Cadbury, Denny,
Bank of Ireland.
My script for Barry’s Bespoke Bakery was awarded “Best Screenplay” by the Fastnet Film
Festival, 2013. I was also nominated for “Best Director” from Fastnet, 2013.
(www.barrysfilm.com)
I am a graduate of the National Film School, (IADT). I have an MA. degree in Directing for
Theatre, UCD. I am a keen cyclist with an interest in folklore. In 2016, I was awarded the
Máire MacNeill Scholarship in Irish Folklore from UCD, and my thesis dissertation was
published in a book of scholarship on the provenance of Irish Charms.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

“The film is set in 1780, and is a family drama with tension between two cultures; namely, the Quaker ethos of religious simplicity versus pre-Christian superstitions that still pervaded Ireland in the 18th century.

“This is the first Irish film to depict ‘Quakers ‘on screen and the portrayal is authentic, set in Laois which historically held a strong Quaker presence.”