In celebration of the 21st anniversary of the iconic Mean Girls film, an Irish parody short has been released as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge, the largest annual celebration of Ireland’s native language and culture.

Produced by Mumbro Top, Cailíní Gránna—which means ‘Mean Girls’ in Irish—is an adaptation of Tina Fey’s comedy of the same name, originally inspired by Rosalind Wiseman’s book Queen Bees and Wannabes. 

In this new version, Irish characters—some of them queer—take the spotlight, both paying tribute to the original and advocating for the language. The project brings together a wide and diverse cast from across Ireland, representing Sligo, Wexford, Galway, Laois, Cork, Dublin, Tipperary, Clare, Kilkenny, Mayo, Donegal, and Kerry. Some of the well-known members of the cast include Megan O’Malley, Rebecca Fisher, Eilís Carey, Conrad Jones-Brangan and Caitríona Ní Dhomhnaill.

Hilary Bowen-Walsh has served as writer, director, producer, and designer of the film, alongside Mumbro Top as producer, Jacek Snochowski as cinematographer, and Rosie O’Shea as editor. 

This version of Mean Girls offers a fresh touch to the original by revindicating the Irish language and including queer representation. It comes as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge’s increasingly inclusive programme, allowing everyone to enjoy Irish, whether you are a fluent speaker or a learner. The festival’s calendar of entertaining events is sure to have something to suit every type of interest and age group.

The new short film Cailíní Gránna is available to watch for free and in full below!

If the film sparks your interest in practicing Irish, you can also check out An Foclóir Aiteach, the first English-Irish queer dictionary. Originally published in 2018, an updated second edition was launched in 2022 by the Union of Students in Ireland, Belong To, Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) and téarma.ie, and can be found online for free here.