Living the Language The Irish language continues to be embedded as part of a guiding ethos for RTÉ's 25 services.
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Living the Language The Irish language continues to be embedded as part of a guiding ethos for RTÉ’s 25 services.
Operational The Irish Language and RTÉ
Review Irish is at the heart of RTÉ. When RTÉ launched its Meáin Ghaeilge
A Year in Review Action Plan 2015-2019 in September 2015, it was a significant
Irish Language moment for the language and for RTÉ. With almost 100 actions,
covering all areas of RTÉ, the initiative integrates the Irish language
into everything we do. It positions RTÉ as the home of innovation in
Irish-language media and creates a dynamic environment for Irish-
language content creation, making the best use of the talent, skills
and creativity of Irish-language capable staff.
66
RTÉ’s approach to Irish-language content RTÉ’s in-house Cláracha Gaeilge output continued
significantly shifted in 2017, with a focus on digital to attract strong audiences with long-running series
innovation and a considerable increase in the such as Scannal and Cloch Le Carn. The in-house
amount of online content. production team also produced An Teorainn and
Fab Vinny, a short strand looking at the physical
In 2017, Seachtain na Gaeilge output by RTÉ’s character of the border with Northern Ireland and
Cláracha Gaeilge department was marked by a a profile of the late RTÉ presenter Vincent Hanley,
digital-first approach. Audiences were brought on respectively.
a colourful whistle-stop tour of the Irish language
in the wild as part of Random Acts as Gaeilge. It In 2017, the GAA All-Ireland series saw the most
was shown online over two weeks in the form of mini- matches ever provided with dual-language
stories, before being brought together as one linear commentary – Irish and English-language
programme. commentary were available on matches from the
quarter-final stage onwards. There was also an
Supplementing this, well-known personalities at increase in the number of platforms on which the
home and abroad – such as Stephen Fry, Stephanie commentary option was available, with Saorview,
Preissner and Ronan O’Gara – shared their Sky, Eir and Virgin Media all providing the service
experiences of the Irish language through option.
recorded video messages that were shared daily
on RTÉ.ie and on social media. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta aired its first weekly
programme from Boston in the US. Anall as Meiriceá
RTÉ’s launch of a dedicated Irish-language website, provided a platform for the considerable number
rte.ie/gaeilge, was a significant digital development in of Irish speakers in the US. It also gave listeners in
the Irish-speaking community. The site gave a Ireland a unique insight into life on the other side of
platform to a host of new voices, with a mixture of the Atlantic.
entertainment, cultural and current affairs coverage.
Along with shining a light on some of the excellent Along with the first joint simultaneous broadcast
content on RTÉ services, such as RTÉ Raidió na with RTÉ lyric fm, RTÉ RnaG had another first – a
Gaeltachta and Nuacht RTÉ, the site’s Irish-language joint radio/television broadcast of religious services
content is interspersed throughout English-language in conjunction with RTÉ One.
content in relevant areas of RTÉ.ie and across social
media. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta maintained its key
regional focus, with live broadcasts and outreach at
RTÉ’s first dedicated Irish-language podcast events such as the Willie Clancy Summer School,
series was also born in 2017, with the three Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and the Oireachtas na
hosts garnering a strong following throughout the Gaeilge festival. It also focused on events in all
year. RTÉ’s Irish-language digital coordinator, Siún Gaeltacht regions, including the smaller Gaeltacht
Ní Dhuinn, with Áine Ní Bhreisleáin and Sinéad Ní regions in Meath, Cork and Waterford.
Uallacháin of RTÉ RnaG, presented Beo ar Éigean.
The three turned up at the Oireachtas na Gaeilge Nuacht RTÉ’s presence on the RTÉ News Now
festival in Killarney in November to promote the app and website attracted nearly four million
podcast and provide dedicated coverage of the page visits in 2017, with an increasing emphasis
festival on RTÉ.ie. Oireachtas na Gaeilge also saw on original regional, local and Gaeltacht stories.
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta invest in new camera Nuacht’s stories, produced in conjunction with RTÉ
technology as the service continued to develop its Raidió na Gaeltachta, have seen a strong growth in
video streaming of live shows. the popularity of Nuacht content on social media
platforms. Nuacht continued to provide the daily
RTÉ’s increased focus on digital Irish-language service to RTÉ One, RTÉ News Now and TG4,
content continued through its social media offering national and international content along with
platforms, with posts as Gaeilge interwoven through a unique perspective on Gaeltacht, Irish-language
RTÉ’s main social accounts, including a series of and rural affairs, as well as contributing to the RnaG
Operation Transformation videos in Irish. bulletins on RTÉ Radio 1, 2fm and lyric fm.
On RTÉ One, GAA Nua was produced in the RTÉ 2fm continued its strategy of integrating Irish
Connemara Gaeltacht by Meangadh Fíbín and into a schedule aimed at a receptive youth audience.
presented by Dara Ó Cinnéide. This four-part, The station piloted a unique bilingual news bulletin
BAI-supported series looked at the increased use from 7am to 1pm during Seachtain na Gaeilge,
of science and technology within Gaelic Games. while Eoghan McDermott was joined by actor Clíona
Debuting in summer, it increased both the slot and Ní Chiosáin for a daily, bilingual blas to his drivetime
share average. U2 Agus An Arc, aired to coincide show.
with U2’s return to Croke Park, garnered huge
reaction and attention.
67Operational Breakfast Republic hosted its own Irish music
festival on a bus called Coach Eile, while the
On St. Patrick’s Day, the RTÉ National Symphony
Orchestra played the music of Irish composers Bill
Review band Seo Linn launched their new album and
single on RTÉ 2fm with a live music session. RTÉ 2fm
Whelan and Shaun Davey, with the performance
presented in Irish, live on RTÉ lyric fm, by Doireann
A Year in Review also backed an Irish-language fun book based Ní Bhriain. Also in 2017, Seán Ó Riada’s iconic Mise
on Seo Linn’s album, which was produced and Éire score was performed by the RTÉ Concert
Irish Language distributed to primary schools all over Ireland. Orchestra, with the accompanying film screened
(continued) RTÉ 2fm also continued with The Chart Show,
presented in Irish and English by Bláthnaid Treacy.
simultaneously and narrated by RTÉ RnaG’s Sinéad
Ní Uallacháin.
RTÉ continued its innovative outreach media From Cork, RTÉ Radio 1 piloted a new bilingual
education programme, with a week-long training show, Maura agus Dáithí um Nollaig, presented
course taking place in An Cheathrú Rua in the by Maura Derrane and Dáithí Ó Sé. Among other
Galway Gaeltacht. A total of 20 transition- Irish-language content on RTÉ Radio 1, Drama on
year students from Gaeltacht schools and One broadcast the plays Líon mo Bhearna and
Gaelscoileanna around the country attended NUI An Duairceán, along with the weekly An Scoth on
Galway’s Acadamh centre. They participated in Saturday nights. The increased standing of Nuacht
a series of workshops given by award-winning RTÉ bulletins, now promoted to on-the-hour slots on
producers of radio, television and online content, RTÉ Radio 1, continued.
which gave them special insights as they learnt how
to create their own media stories. The students
also received an invaluable insight into how the
media works on a day-to-day basis, with onsite
visits to RTÉ RnaG, RTÉ Nuacht and TG4, along with
independent media companies in the area.
The National Concert Hall witnessed a truly
historical moment when the first Irish-language
opera was brought back to life after a 100-
year absence. Robert O’Dwyer’s Eithne was
performed by the RTÉ National Symphony
Orchestra and the Opera Theatre Company, and
was broadcast live on both RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltacht
and RTÉ lyric fm.
68You can also read
