Tag Archives: TG4

‘Mná na bPíob’

The Irish female pipers wiped from history.

Until now.

Linda Ni Ghriofa writes:

A trawl through the annals of Irish traditional music will quickly demonstrate that the Uilleann Pipes, one of our two national instruments, was almost completely dominated by players of the male sex throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

In this feature-length documentary film, we will follow renowned musician Louise Mulcahy (at top playing pipes owned by uilleann virtuoso Liam Óg O’Flynn) on an exciting journey to uncover the neglected stories of a group of incredible female pipers that were airbrushed out of our cultural history.

This vibrant and entertaining documentary is decorated with some incredible musical performances from Louise, Michelle and Mick Mulcahy, Máire Ní Ghráda, Molly Ní Ghrada, Mary Mitchell-Ingoldsby, Rosaleen O’Leary, Heather Clarke, Marion McCarthy, Síle Friel, Jane Walls, The Rowsome family, Paddy Moloney and many more.

Mná na bPíob on Sunday, December 19 at 9.30pm on TG4.

Pic: Victor Tzelepis

Staying in Wednesday?

Episode two of An Cuan – looking at a year in the life of Dublin Bay.

Linda Ní Ghríofa writes:

This  focuses on Dublin Bay in the Summer. Dublin Bay blossoms in the summer and its many inhabitants make the most of the good weather. While spring brought new life to the bay, summer now brings longer and warmer days to thousands of busy animals, nursing and protecting their very vulnerable young.

Nestled amongst the cranes and berths of Dublin Port, ecologists check on the special pontoons built for the local tern population. On Bull Island, the rare and beautiful Bee Orchid comes into bloom. On Bloomsday, Joyceans celebrate the special connection between Ulysses and Dublin Bay. Whilst, under the water, local divers explore the sub-aqua world of Dublin Bay.

An Cuan on Wednesday at 9.30pm on TG4.

‘An Cuan’

A four-part series on TG4 taking a year-long look at Dublin Bay.

Linda Ni Ghriofa writes:

Teeming with life, both wild and human, the bay faces many challenges both natural and manmade. ‘An Cuan’ will explore this unique urban area where nature and humanity at times live in harmony and at others battle to co-exist. This series will take our audience on a journey through this beloved part of Ireland’s coastline and show it in a way rarely seen before. Each episode will follow the life of Dublin Bay across a season, starting with Spring…

On TG4 from Wednesday, November 10 at 9.30pm

Pics: TG4

Save Poolbeg

Louise Bayliss

Staying In Wednesday?

‘Misneach Lousie Bayliss’ on TG4 from Midas Productions.

While whistleblowers are protected by the 2014 Protected Disclosures Act, what about those who spoke out before any protection existed?

Linda ni Ghriofa writes:

In December 2011, Louise Bayliss, a single mother of two from Dublin, was working as an advocate for patients at various psychiatric hospitals around Dublin. For Louise this position with Irish Advocacy Network was a career she had dreamed of, having just completed a Masters in Equality Studies in UCD.

Just before Christmas, Louise visited St Brendan’s Hospital, Grangegorman. The visit was uplifting, the patients, whom she described as being like a family, were excited and preparing for Christmas.

Louise was then informed by the staff that the female patients in open Ward 3B, many of whom had minor mental health issues, would be moved to the ‘locked unit’ for the Christmas period due to staffing issues.

Louise then visited the locked unit, Unit O, to see how the moved patients would be accommodated. She was appalled by the conditions. The plan was to add beds where there was insufficient space, and remove the existing patients personal lockers, their only personal space, to make room for more patients over the Christmas period.

After doing all she could within her position to change this decision, she understood that nothing would be done in time to prevent the move. She was a single parent and couldn’t afford to lose her job and her income. Yet she saw no other option than to blow the whistle.

The following day after attending a protest outside the Dáil against damaging cuts to Lone Parents Allowance outlined in the 2012 Budget, Louise appeared on Joe Duffy’s Liveline radio show and spoke about what she had learned the day before about the treatment of the vulnerable female patients in St. Brendan’s.

In doing so her life changed forever as she risked her career and her and her family’s financial security.

In the weeks that followed Louise’s story made headlines. The female patients were moved and she was dismissed, reinstated on a training contract, and never again set foot in a psychiatric hospital.

Misneach – Louise Bayliss on Wednesday at 9.30pm on TG4.

Deirdre Ní Choistín writes:

A new series coming to TG4’s youth online platforms BLOC, from this Thursday shows how small changes can revolutionise our lives and help the planet.

Bí an Réabhlóid features madcap and energetic 22-year old Dubliner Barra Ó hÉ (top), who might well be the next Hector.

Barra will over a series of 6 x five-minute online programmes cover topics ranging from food, stress, consumerism and fashion to the body and prejudice. The series will be available to view on BLOC’s Youtube and IGTV accounts.

Yesterday: Eire Nua, Raho Rahu

From top: Hector with…’Black Paddy’ (from Nigeria to Kildare); Ziggy & Iveta Kislina and their children (from Latvia to Mullingar); Victor Bayda (from Russia to Kerry) and Yemi & Deji Adenuga (from Nigeria to Navan)

Staying In Thursday?

Via TG4:

Hector is taking us on a whirlwind tour of Ireland meeting all the great people from overseas who now call Ireland their home. From Brazil to the Congo, Canada to Ghana, Russia to Syria, he’s in search of answers of who they are, why they came, how they settled in and how Ireland is treating them. These people are the changing face of Ireland – This is Hector’s ‘Éire Nua’.

Hector – Éire Nua: Thursdays from September 30 on TG4 at 9.30pm.

Pics: Andrew Downes

This morning.

Foscad.

It could win an Oscadr

Deirdre Ní Choistín writes:

TG4 is delighted to announce that The Irish Film & Television Academy has selected an Irish-Language Feature Foscadh (Shelter) as Ireland’s entry for the Oscars®’ Best International Feature Film category (formerly Best Foreign Language category) at the upcoming 94th annual Academy Awards. This is the second year in a row that an Irish Language film has been selected, Arracht was last year’s selection.

Foscadh is part of the Cine 4 scheme, which is supported by Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, and TG4, an initiative set up in 2017 to develop original feature films in the Irish language.

In fairness.

TG4

‘Áille ar Airgead’ on TG4.

A documentary following the lives of two women; one born in Ireland, who became the face of America’s ten-dollar gold coin and the other, born in the USA, graced the first banknote of a newly independent Ireland.

Deirdre Ní Choistín writes:

Lady Lavery (top) was born in Chicago of wealthy Irish parentage. Her maiden name was Hazel Martin. She was chosen by her husband, Irish artist John Lavery, to be the face of ‘Caitlín Ní Uallacháin’ representing Ireland when he was commissioned to design the new punt banknotes for the Irish Free State.

Mary Cunningham was Irish, she had emigrated to America from An Charraig in the Donegal Gaeltacht. She was selected by the famous sculptor Augustus Saint Gaudens to become the face of ‘Liberty’ dressed in Native American headgear on the most controversial gold coin ever minted in America. Augustus Saint Gaudens was also Irish, he was born in Dublin in 1848, the son of a French shoemaker, Bernard Paul Ernest Saint-Gaudens, and Mary McGuinness, from Co. Longford. They emigrated to America when he was six months old.

Áille ar Airgead on TG4 on Wednesday, September 29 at 9.30pm.

Staying in September 22?

Violet Gibson – An tÉireannach Mná a Lámhach Mussolini (The Irish Woman who Shot Mussolini) gets its inaugural TV screening on TG4.

Featuring Olwen Fouéré as Violet.

Barrie Dowdall Producer said

“After the radio documentary The Irish Woman Who Shot Mussolini (2014) produced by my wife Siobhán Lynam, won a Gold Award at the New York Festivals World’s Best Radio Programmes, I decided to adapt the story as a Documentary Feature Film for theatrical release

“I was fascinated with Violet’s story from the very beginning. I wondered how might this distinguished woman have altered the course of world history if her pistol hadn’t jammed. I thought if she was a man she would be celebrated as a heroic visionary with a statue erected in her honour.”

Violet Gibson – An tÉireannach Mná a Lámhach Mussolini on Wednesday, September 22 at 9:30pm on TG4.

Free next Wednesday?

‘Go mBeirimid Beo’ (That we may live to see) presented by Oisín Mistéil (top).

Are you ready for the end?

Deirdre Ni Chostain writes:

Can we really prepare for an apocalypse? Or are we better off dead?

On a national journey that will bring him from a disused nuclear bunker in Galway to the only Survivalist store in the country in County Cork, Oisín Mistéil is determined to ask the awkward questions about how prepared we are for Armageddon.

Oisín will meet with preppers and nuclear physicists, with environmentalists and monastic historians. His aim? To discover how previous generations dealt with these existential threats and to ask how prepared we are for those of the future.

Troid!

Go mBeirimid Beo on Wednesday, September 8 at 9:30pm.