Nora Ni Fhlatharta is an Irish screenwriter based in Galway, Ireland. Her work intricately weaves themes of folklore, identity, and the complexities of human experience. Growing up as the youngest of ten on a small rocky farm in the west of Ireland, she was deeply influenced by local legends of Púcaí and the Sídhe roaming the hills. Her teenage years spent at the Galway City Library ignited a lifelong passion for storytelling and magic realism.
Nora holds undergraduate degrees in Arts, majoring in English and History from the University of Galway, and in Fine Arts, majoring in Sculpture and Installation from the Technical University of the Atlantic, Galway. Immersed in storytelling and fine art, she honed her craft through theatre production with Galway Youth Theatre and ultimately found her tribe in the community of Film. Nora furthered her education with a Master’s in Digital Media from the Huston School of Film at the University of Galway in 2007.
Her career began with writing, producing, and editing the BAI and TG4 special Ar Thoir ar Granuaile (In Search of Granuaile) in 2008, along with creating a series of community-focused short films with the Galway Film Centre (Now Ardan). Since 2009, Nora has lectured in Film at the Technical University of the Shannon, Limerick, sharing her expertise with aspiring filmmakers and screenwriters.
Currently, Nora is developing her feature screenplay The Disruptor, inspired by her experiences as a teenage mother hidden away in a mother & baby home at 18. Set in post 80s Ireland, 16yr old Deirdre, alone in a Cork mother & baby home, faces forced adoption amid the fallout from Sinead O'Connor’s denunciation of clerical abuse. Clutching her mixtapes, she is collected by Lona(37) nun and former punk frontwoman haunted by her own past. Their routine drive becomes an emotional journey through the oppressive Irish landscape, turning the car into a confessional space. As Deirdre reveals her fierce maternal instincts, she challenges societal norms and embraces her identity. With support from Marlene, a compassionate former nun and midwife, the women forge a powerful bond, culminating in a courageous stand for motherhood and personal freedom. Selected for the Stowe Facing in Facing Out Development Program, Galway Film Fleadh in 2025. It has received the Law Firm of Stacey A. Davis & Stowe Story Labs Fellowship Honourable Mention 2026 and a Screen Ireland Bursary to present The Disruptor at Stowe Narrative Labs in Stowe, Vermont, June 2026.
Nora is also developing her television series Selkies, conceived in the Winter of 2025/2026 as part of the Writers Room programme with Stowe Writers Labs. The series follows Amira, a sixteen-year-old Sudanese refugee with a saltwater soul, asking: Who belongs to which land, and what must we prove? Selkies examines belonging both personally and politically, exploring how communities decide to shelter the vulnerable. Set against the backdrop of Connemara realism, it juxtaposes quiet domestic truths with underlying menace, centring on pivotal relationships, including a fisherman who reads the sea better than people, a trauma-informed doctor grappling with the supernatural, and a group of teenagers facing moral growth.
The tension between personal care and institutional violence propels the drama, challenging viewers to consider whom they will protect and what compromises they will accept. Amira's quest for identity refracts our understanding of belonging and survival in a divided world. Selkies aims to tell an intimate yet epic story of a community forced to choose courage over fear, as flawed teenagers evolve into reluctant protectors while confronting corporate powers that weaponize ecological outrage.
Nora's latest short screenplay, Optimum, delves into the psychological complexities of motherhood and societal pressures. The narrative follows a character navigating overwhelming expectations while striving to maintain her identity amid the responsibilities of motherhood. Through this story, Nora highlights the struggle to balance nurturing roles with darker aspects of life, reflecting the untold narratives of many women today.
Additionally, Nora's screenplay The Bride Andromeda has received recognition as a nominee for Best Plot in a Short Script at the Horror Hound Film Festival in Cincinnati in March 2026, and it has been selected for the Catalyst International Film Festival Screenwriting Lab in April 2026 in Limerick, Ireland.
Overall, Nora Ni Fhlatharta's diverse projects reflect her commitment to exploring identity, resilience, and societal pressures. As she continues her journey as a writer, she embraces storytelling that captures both personal and universal themes, seeking to resonate with audiences and illuminate hidden stories within us all. Nora dreams to write and writes to dream, crafting tales that inspire and challenge perceptions.