This thesis is concerned with the exploration of narrative strategies in contemporary Irish film between 1993 and 2003. Central to the methodology is the relationship between theory and practice, executed through an approach which combines the theory of narratological studies with a practical approach to craft analysis and screenwriting, contributing to the growing debate around praxis by academics and trainers in film schools throughout Europe and North America. This study examines the role of Bord Scannan na hEireann during its first ten years after it was re-activated in 1993, examining shifting policy as it relates to scriptwriting in particular. My interest lies with how writers and directors construct story-worlds to express in the filmic medium. Hence I am less concerned with issues national but rather how Irish films explore aspects of the human condition that can resonate beyond limited national boundaries. I examine how films can act as educators of the emotions and how narratives can explore different levels of the human experience through internal and external characterisation. I am also interest in how this contemporary era relates to its predecessor and how filmmakers have made the transition from the 1st wave to the 2nd wave. Keen to situate storytelling and its expression within a global, international and historic setting, I analyse how ancient forms, such as tragedy, can be appropriated for modem stories. While most critics view this period (1993-2003) negatively compared to what is considered its more radical predecessor, this study concludes that these films emerge from a different context and reflect a film culture that is rooted to an international framework. The tensions and fissures within contemporary Irish film result from an era of filmmaking that is developmental, evolutionary and teleological.