In short
- The catalogue has one agency in Kildare: Ipanema Agency, founded by the casting director Fernanda Duffy.
- It represents models, actors, real families and couples and has women's, men's and kids boards.
- The country's largest market is nearby Dublin, with 12 catalogue agencies.
Ipanema Agency
Kildare is a town in the county of the same name, south-west of Dublin. Of the 19 Irish agencies in our catalogue, one is here. Ireland has neither a licence written for model agencies nor an association of them, so the catalogue lists every business that represents models. We do not vouch for them, and each profile shows what we found, good and bad: fees charged to applicants, courses, the company's status in the register and press reports.
Ipanema Agency calls itself a diversity-focused casting and modelling agency based in Ireland. It was founded during the COVID period by the casting director Fernanda Duffy. The agency represents models and actors as well as real families and couples, and its social media account says it casts people from babies to adults. On its website it says it works with retailers, photographers and production companies in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The application page mentions no fee for applicants: it asks for an online form with three photos. We found no street address on the website and did not find the agency in the company register data, so before you sign, ask who the contract is with. If you are applying for a child, remember that a child under 16 needs a licence for advertising work, which the employer requests. In the catalogue the agency is listed on the pages women, men and kids.
Other markets
- Dublin has 12 of the 19 catalogue agencies and hosts part of Ireland Fashion Week.
- Bettystown has Promo Models, an event staffing agency with a board of commercial models.
How to get started
- Take simple digitals in daylight and write down accurate measurements.
- Check on the agency's profile what we found about it, and if you are applying for a child, ask who will apply for the licence.
- Before you sign, ask for the contract in writing and look in it for the commission, the length of the exclusivity and the payment term. No law or association sets the commission in Ireland.
- Be wary of people who write in an agency's name from personal accounts and of pressure to pay at once: these are signs of a modeling scam.
- The licence, commission, tax, the PPS number and the rules for minors are covered in the guide Modeling agencies in Ireland.