RTÉ Celebrates Seachtain na Gaeilge le Energia 2022
RTÉ is delighted to work once more with Conradh na Gaeilge as Media Partner and Sponsor for Seachtain na Gaeilge 2022. Running from Tuesday 1st March to Thursday 17th March, Seachtain na Gaeilge is one of the biggest international celebrations of our language and culture – and RTÉ will be supporting #SnaG2022 with dedicated Irish-language campaigns on tv, radio, online and social, as well as offering an enhanced slate of Irish-language content across television, radio and online, to encourage people in Ireland and across the globe to celebrate all things Irish and use their cúpla focal.
ON TELEVISION
RTÉ continues to grow its range of bilingual programmes and programmes in Irish, with an enriched range of lifestyle, cultural, entertainment and factual series broadcast in peak-time slots throughout 2022. Among them:
Faoi Bhláth, a new 13-part series celebrating Ireland’s rich biodiversity, burst onto our screens in February, and continues on RTÉ One at the new time of 8pm from Monday 7th of March and throughout Seachtain na Gaeilge. Viewers are loving Presenter Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh’s travels through the parks, lakes, bogs and mountains of Ireland as she learns about our native wildflowers, the folklore associated with them and their uses in cookery, medicine and craft.
A new season of the ever-popular Cloch le Carn begins on Tuesday 8th of March at 7pm on RTÉ One. In this series, we celebrate the lives of four prominent public figures who have passed away in the last year: musician and Chieftain, Paddy Moloney; Pat Hume, quiet political heroine and wife of the late, great John Hume; RTÉ broadcaster and national treasure Donncha Ó Dúlaing, and founder and former leader of the Progressive Democrats, politician Des O’Malley.
Every afternoon on RTÉ One throughout Seachtain na Gaeilge, The Today Show will see presenters Maura, Sinéad and Dáithí encouraging viewers to expand their cúpla focal, with Focal an Lae features on the show and special Focal an Lae video shorts on the programme’s social media across the three weeks.
And there’s plenty of children’s Gaeilge content on RTÉjr, and the RTÉjr You Tube channel and the kids’ section on RTÉ Player too, including Peppa Pig/Peppa Muc as Gaeilge, sing-along series Bigí ag Ceol, bestie beasties Bóín agus Beach and Mya Go. And check out the as Gaeilge section on RTÉ Player for content for big people too!
Later on this Spring, a new six-part series tells the stories of some of the growing number of people who have decided to forsake city life for a quieter life in rural Ireland. In Bog Amach, presenter Tessa Fleming helps 6 couples with a wide range of budgets and needs in their search for the perfect rural home.
East Belfast is not the first place anyone would expect to find a GAA club – but it has happened, and RTÉ has partnered with BBCNI to document its first year. A brand-new 2-part series, Le Chéile, follows the fortunes of its newest members; from a former British Army medic with beautiful Irish to Boston-born “Mamaí Kim”, this landmark series celebrates a unique cultural experiment in the heart of loyalist Belfast.
ON RADIO
Expect to hear more than a cúpla focal across RTÉ’s radio services throughout Seachtain na Gaeilge:
As one of this year’s Seachtain na Gaeilge Ambassadors, presenter Cormac Ó hEadhra will be busy encouraging all of his colleagues to ‘dein iarracht agus labhair cúpla focal’ across the three weeks.
Tune in for plenty of fun and banter with Siún, Sinéad and Áine on RTÉ Radio 1’s popular weekly show and podcast Beo ar Éigean. As International Women’s Day approaches on March 8, Siún, Sinéad and Áine will be discussing #breakthebias, this year’s theme. On March 12, the ladies will discuss whether being a Gaeilgeoir gives you more freedom, or does it instead hold you back?
Sunday Miscellany will mark Seachtain na Gaeilge with themed contributions, including Wild Words from Corca Dhuibhne by Manchán Magan, poetry in Irish from Catherine Foley and an essay from Art Ó Súilleabháin on teaching Irish in the US.
On The Rolling Wave, Aoife Nic Cormaic will talk to Deirdre Ní Chonghaile about her new book, Collecting Music on the Aran Islands; and on Sunday the 13 March, a special programme celebrates one of Ireland’s best-loved musicians, former member of Planxty and renowned soloist Liam O’Flynn on the eve of the 4th anniversary of his death.
Throughout the festival, Céilí House will be bilingual, with a very special edition of the show on Saturday 12th March, featuring the very best performances as Gaeilge from the Céilí House archive.
During Seachtain na Gaeilge, RTÉ lyric fm’s presenters will bring you daily nuggets of old-school wisdom with Seanfhocail. Is deacair ceann críonna a chur ar cholainn óg ach beidh saíocht le cloisteáil ar lyric fm i rith Seachtain na Gaeilge agus muid ag diriú ar an seanfhocal. It’s hard to put a wise head on young shoulders, but we hope listeners will be inspired by the traditional Irish words of wisdom on lyric fm throughout Seachtain na Gaeilge.
“Seo scéal, inste le ceol, mar gheall ar bhuachaill óg agus mac tíre…” On Sunday 13 March, The Sunday Matinee with Aedín Gormley will feature a very special Seachtain na Gaeilge recording of the beloved children’s classic Peter and The Wolf / Peadar agus an Mac Tíre as Gaeilge. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, under conductor Gavin Maloney, performs Prokofiev’s ‘symphonic fairy tale for children’ while narrator Aedín Gormley brings the story to vivid life in a brand-new Irish translation. Introducing an t-éan, an lacha, an cat, an seanáthair agus an mac tíre – all with their identifying orchestral instruments – this promises to be a delightful fresh take on a timeless tale.
St. Patrick’s Day
On St. Patrick’s Day, Clare man Marty Morrisey and Kerry woman Sinéad Ní Uallacháin will join at 9am for a bilingual show to kick off the celebrations. On St. Patrick’s Day at 2pm The RTÉ Concert Orchestra Presents: New Irish Recordings, presented by Fiachna Ó Braonáin, it will showcase both new writing and new orchestral arrangements from three artists – The Lost Brothers’, Karan Casey and traditional pieces by musician and composer Saileog Ní Cheannabháin, with Ailbhe Nic Dhonncha and Padraic Keane.
Also on RTÉ Radio 1 on St. Patrick’s Day, Mise Freshin’ will see Múinteoir Ray Cuddihy take over from Ray D’Arcy as he explores the timeless and enduring themes of Irish folk and traditional music and its evolution through contemporary HipHop and beyond.
On St. Patrick’s Day on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta Séamus Ó Scanláin will present a programme about the history and folklore surrounding our patron saint at 9.15 am, and at 11 am we’ll hear a dramatic interpretation of the short story Lá Fhéile Pádraig by Seaosamh Mac Grianna by the Aisteoirí Ghaoth Dobhair drama group. After midday, An Saol ó Dheas will be broadcasting live from the parade in Béal Átha an Ghaorthaidh in the Cork Gaeltacht. The area is well-known for its great community spirit and its St Patrick’s Day celebrations always reflect that enthusiasm. They’re back now after two years and excitement levels will be high! That evening, Liam Ó Maonlaí will be joined in studio by Rónán Ó Snodaigh and Myles O’Reilly for some not quite traditional music, and some interesting conversations about the power of music, in the Cuan an Cheoil series.
On St. Patrick’s Day on Lyric FM, The Full Score with Liz Nolan will broadcast a programme of Irish-language songs performed by Gavan Ring and Fiachra Garvey from the Wigmore Hall in London. The programme includes songs by Ann Cleare, Raymond Deane and John Kinsella in a special St. Patrick’s Day concert, which will also be streamed live on RTÉ.ie/culture.
RTÉ 2FM will bring daily news bulletins and weekly bilingual chart show with Bláthnaid Tracey.
On RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, it’s Seachtain na Gaeilge every week, and the station will continue to bring you the very best of music, chat, discussion and up to the minute, national, international and local news daily throughout the month too. But perhaps the biggest event in its calendar this year is its 50th birthday on the 2nd of April.
To celebrate 50 years of broadcasting, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta will bring audiences across Ireland and the world a truly unique concert, live from Connemara/ Conamara, celebrating the culture and music from all of our Gaeltacht regions. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, conducted by David Brophy, will travel west to Baile na hAbhann to share a stage with some of Ireland’s most acclaimed musicians and performers and tell the story of an enduring and precious broadcasting phenomenon and its unique relationship with its listeners. The concert will be broadcast live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and streamed on rte.ie/gaeilge, with a special television highlights programme later in the month on RTÉ One TV.
ONLINE / AR LÍNE
RTÉ is expanding online services as Gaeilge with a growing range of Irish-language content available on demand on the as Gaeilge section of the RTÉ Player.
Over the three weeks of Seachtain na Gaeilge, RTÉ Player will curate the very best of Irish-language content for all ages on its home page, allowing viewers to delve and discover RTÉ’s wide slate of Cláracha Gaeilge.
Meanwhile rte.ie’s online Irish language portal, www.rte.ie/gaeilge, will continue to gather together and showcase the very best of RTÉ’s Irish-language content from RTÉ Radio, News and Television, to offer ideas and support for anyone hoping to expand their cúpla focail and highlight the best of what Seachtain na Gaeilge has on offer throughout March.
For schools, teachers, parents and students, there are hundreds of great Home School Hub activity sheets as Gaeilge at www.rte.ie/learn, plus a huge array of curriculum-led Irish-language content for Junior and Senior Cycle students on the site.
And RTÉ is launching a new STEAM initiative for post-primary Gaelscoil pupils on March 1st also. Dream Space TV as Gaeilge will take daltaí bunscoileanna lán-Ghaeilge agus Gaeltachta agus daltaí iar-bhunscoileanna lán-Ghaeilge agus Gaeltachta ar thuras foghlama STEAM, ar scoil nó sa bhaile, atá dírithe ar ríomh-smaoineamh, cruthaíocht agus fadhbréiteach.
Iriseoirí an Lae Amárach: from the 1st to 3rd March, and for the second year running, RTÉ, NUIG, TG4, COGG and the Department of Education have partnered to offer transition year students in Irish-medium schools a unique insight to journalism in an online course with some of Ireland’s finest television, radio and digital journalists and broadcasters.
Over 400 students registered for the inaugural course in 2021. This year Orla O’Donnell, RTÉ legal Affairs Correspondent and presenter of TG4’s Finné, RTÉ Radio One Drivetime presenter and Seachtain na Gaeilge Ambassador, Cormac Ó hEadhra and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta’s Áine Ní Bhreisleáin and Póilín Nic Géidigh are among the broadcasters and journalists who will give masterclasses to students.
FURTHER INFORMATION / TUILLEADH EOLAIS
For all the latest on Seachtain na Gaeilge on RTÉ, check out rte.ie/gaeilge and rte.ie/culture, as well as RTÉ’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts using #snag.
For more on Seachtain na Gaeilge, visit www.snag.ie.