Can You Turn Your Community Into TG4’s Next Top Irish Speaking Town?
April 12, 2011
TG4 and Adare Productions are producing a brand new series where non-Gaeltacht community’s can compete against each other for the opportunity to call themselves The G-Team winners 2011 and win a €40,000 Foras na Gaeilge prize to use in promoting their local area. This new and innovative programme will be sponsored by Foras Na Gaeilge.
‘The G-Team’ is a new 10 part series on TG4 that will feature non-Irish speaking communities from all over Ireland and challenge them to begin using their native tongue in their daily routines. Can your local butcher sell the Sunday roast in Irish? Can your local parents learn enough of the language to read their kids a bedtime story?
We are currently looking for Irish speaking Team Leaders in each region to put their town forward and spearhead their community’s effort as they work towards their very own G -Day (Gaeilge) Day.
G-Day is the day where the cameras will descend to watch the town in action as they hold a festival and use every effort throughout the day to use the Irish language. The team leaders will be across all aspects of their preparations leading up to and including their G-Day. The team leaders will also be responsible for encouraging their town to embrace the G-Team challenge and use Irish in their daily routine in the weeks leading up to their G-Day and beyond.
Are you a team leader? Do you live in a community that would benefit and embrace The G-Team challenge? Can you organise, focus and drive your local community to put their best foot forward and compete in a truly national competition? If so, we want to hear from you…
On the 11th of April 2011 the G-Team application form will go ‘live’ via the TG4 website. Starting on that day, for a 2-week period only, applications will be invited. We are looking for team leaders from any and all non-Gaeltacht towns from all across the country to apply.
Meet the ‘G-Team’ judges:
Lorcán Mac Gabhann
Lorcán has spent periods employed in the following Irish language organisations; Conradh na Gaeilge, Ógras, Bord na Gaeilge, Foras na Gaeilge agus since 2001 is employed sa CEO of Glór na Gael. He is a founding member of Gaelscoil Thaobh na Coille, Dublin 18, and is Chairperson since 1995. He was a member of the Board of Directors, and Treasurer, of Gaelscoileanna Teo from 2000 – 2004. He is a member of the Board of Directors, and Chairperson for 3 years, of the school patronage body, Foras Patrúnachta na Scoileanna lánGhaeilge since 1996.
Rossa Ó Snodaigh
Rossa, musician and Irish language activist, is a founding member of Irish language rock band “Kila”. He was also the driving force behind the setting up of a Gaelscoil in his local area, Cluainín Uí Ruairc/Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim. Rossa was instrumental in setting up the Speaker’s Square in Dublin’s Temple Bar area and each year organises the Irish language tent at Electric Picnic.
Mary Hanafin
Mary Hanafin is a former secondary school teacher of Irish and history. She was a TD for 14 years and over the course of her political life was Minister for Education and Science (2004–08), Minister for Social and Family Affairs (2008–10), Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport (2010–11) and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation (2011).
For further information, please contact:
Adare Productions on 01 2843877
