Local director's short film receives major honour at Cannes Lions Awards

By Rebekah O'Reilly

A short film directed by Ballinasloe native and former Athlone Community College student Gearóid (Gar) O'Rourke has been awarded the Grand Prix in the Creative Strategy category at the 2026 Cannes Lions

'The Pub That Refused To Die', a short film Gar worked on with Heineken. Publicis Dublin, Antidote Films and the Le Pub network, also received Bronze Lions in the PR, Direct, BtoB and Entertainment categories.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France, from Monday, June 22 to Friday, June 26.

The Cannes Lions Awards are the world’s most prestigious advertising and creative marketing honors. Winning a "Lion" is widely regarded as a career-defining achievement in the global communications industry.

'The Pub That Refused To Die' is centred on the Limerick pub The Street Bar and the local community of Kilteely. And tells the remarkable true story of 26 locals who banded together to save their local pub.

Speaking about the win, Gar said: “My congratulations to everyone who was part of this, the talented creatives and dedicated teams of Le Pub, and Publicis Dublin, Antidote Films, our amazing production team including Andrew Freedman, Steve Battle and Joey Knoxy, and especially the community of Kilteely and The Street Bar.

“Also, enormous congrats to Le Pub for winning worldwide Agency Of The Year at Cannes Lions too. Looking forward to a pint from Eileen when I’m back in Kilteely next.”