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Glamour rather than ghetto for Gaeilge at Awards
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<span class="">Friday 13 May 2016</span>
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<img src="http://img.rasset.ie/000c3a4b-630.jpg" alt="Glamour as gaeilge. The Irish language media awards take place tonight">
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<span>Glamour as gaeilge. The Irish language media awards take place tonight</span>
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<p><strong>The Oireachtas na Gaeilge Media Awards are taking place in
Galway tonight - think of them as the 'Irish language IFTAS'. Host
Aengus Mac Grianna says that apart from the glamour and gúnas, working
as gaeilge is no longer considered a 'ghetto'.</strong></p>
<p>I’ve been presenting the Oireachtas na Gaeilge Media Awards for the
past few years, and it really is a night I look forward to. It started
off small, but has grown dramatically over the past few years, and is
now a truly glamorous and stylish event to match any awards night I’ve
attended.</p>
<p>I’m really excited that President Higgins will be joining us on the
night, as he was central to the setting up of TG4 twenty years ago as
Minister for Arts. The station is being awarded the Lifetime Achievement
Award, which is truly deserved for so many reasons.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="" src="https://img.rasset.ie/000c3a54-572.jpg" title=""></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><em><strong>The uber-cool teen drama, EIPIC, was made for TG4</strong></em></p>
<p>When TG4 was being set up, many feared it would lead to the
'ghetto-isation' of Irish. But that hasn’t happened. In fact many of its
viewers include people who are not fluent and are therefore exposed to
Irish on a regular basis.</p>
<p>Not only that, but TG4 has given quite a few presenters the platform
to develop their skills and move to English language programmes as well.
These include people like Gráinne and Síle Seoige, Daithí Ó Sé, Maura
Derrane, and Hector.</p>
<p>In the Newsroom, former TG4 Nuacht employees include our Legal
Affairs Correspondent, Orla O’Donnell, Joe Mag Raollaigh and Máire
Treasa Ní Cheallaigh. So rather than ghetto-ising the Irish Language,
TG4 has contributed to a greater movement of Irish speakers within the
media industry.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="" src="https://img.rasset.ie/00095c4a-572.jpg" title=""></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><em><strong>Fluent in Irish, English and afternoon chat</strong></em></p>
<p>When I began broadcasting many moons ago it was much more difficult
to move from Irish language broadcasting to English. That has changed
dramatically in RTÉ over the years. Again there are several presenters,
including myself, who switch easily from Irish to English.</p>
<p>They include, Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, Sharon Ní Bheoláin, Fiachna Ó
Braonáin from the Hothouse Flowers, 2FM's Eoghan McDermott and Blathnaid
Treacy and many more. There's also a new Irish language policy in place
in RTÉ to provide content as gaeilge on all platforms of the station,
which should help de-stigmatise Irish for many and give it more than
just a token gesture across our schedule. </p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="" src="https://img.rasset.ie/000b0d18-572.jpg" title=""></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><em><strong>More of the RTÉ Gaelige babes, Blathnaids & Eoghan</strong></em></p>
<p>Oireachtas na Gaeilge Media Awards ceremony itself is such good
craic, starting with plenty of red carpet glamour, a drinks reception,
and then the awards themselves. This year Páidí Ó Lionáird, Róisín
O’Hara, Tristan Rosenstock will be battling it out with others for TV
Presenter of the Year, while the break-out TV hit, <em>EIPIC</em>, and Seo Linn's Stiofán Ó Fearail are also up for awards.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="" src="https://img.rasset.ie/000c3a52-572.jpg" title=""></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><em><strong>Stiofaín Ó Fearail from Seo Linn</strong></em></p>
<p>In addition to the Rising Star of the Year Award, there's also the
hotly-contested Best Online award. To me, the award demonstrates how the
Irish language has moved with the times and has embraced new
technology. Online content in Irish has enabled people, especially young
people, not only to get their information in Irish, but has also
enabled them to respond publicly to it with a greater sense of
connectivity between Irish speakers.</p>
<p>This bodes well for the future of the language methinks. Anyway, must dash! Galway here I come!</p><p><br></p><p><a href="http://www.rte.ie/ten/news/2016/0513/788167-gunas-glamour-and-gaeilge-for-the-irish-language-iftas/">http://www.rte.ie/ten/news/2016/0513/788167-gunas-glamour-and-gaeilge-for-the-irish-language-iftas/</a><br></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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