Now you’re speaking our language!
Bealtaine 20, 2013
Deirdre Reynolds meets TG4’S stars ahead of tonight’s Irish language media awards
Move over, Dáithí — meet the new buachaillí on the block. Maura Derrane, Gráinne Seoige and Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile are just some of the gorgeous Gaeilgeoirí to emerge from TG4 in recent years. But following in the footsteps of former weather man Dáithí Ó Sé and Hector Ó hEochagáin, there’s no shortage of male talent at the Irish-language channel either.
Celebrating the best of the Irish language media, the Oireachtas Media Awards 2013 takes place at Galway Bay Hotel tonight. Here, we meet some of the nominees helping to make our native tongue hot.
Éamonn and Seán Ó Cualáin
Feature Programme of the Year nominees
Galway brothers Éamonn and Seán Ó Cualáin, who run Sónta Films, have already scooped an IFTA for their TG4funded documentary Lón sa Spéir, which tells the story of iconic 1932 New York photo ‘Lunch atop a Skyscraper’.
A gong for ‘Feature Programme of the Year’ would be the icing on the cake, says dad-of-three Éamonn (32): “When I was in college, I had a poster of ‘Lunch atop a Skyscraper’ on my wall. It’s just this feelgood image. Then a few years ago, my brother Seán and I were in a pub in Shanaglish and noticed the photo hanging on the wall.
“Beside it there was a note by a Boston man called Pat Glynn, explaining that one of the men in the photo was his father and another was his uncle-in-law, who had left Galway to find work in the States. The pub owner Michael Whelan gave us Pat’s contact and we headed to the States to chase up this incredible story.
“When you’re film-making I don’t think language holds you back. If it’s good enough, people will watch it and enjoy it. Lón sa Spéir showed alongside films like Argo at the Toronto International Film Festival last year.
“Although some of the interviews are in English, people were reading subtitles and it didn’t bother them. We had four sold-out screenings and got standing ovations. “Meanwhile, we’ve just signed a US distribution agreement and it’s also been selected for the Shanghai International Film Festival next month, so that’s pretty cool. “There are no big cheques, but hopefully the recognition will help us make more Irish-language films.”
Tristan Rosenstock
Television Broadcaster of the Year nominee
Dubliner Tristan Rosenstock (32), who’s up for Television Broadcaster of the Year for arts show Imeall, reveals how he once managed to get P Diddy to try the ‘cúpla focail’.
“When I was six, I went to Lapland with Fortycoats to meet Santa. My television debut aired on Christmas Day in 10 European countries! “During my first year in college, where I studied early and modern Irish, I got a call out of the blue asking me if I would go to Vogue Fashion Week in New York for TG4 programme Rí Rá. “With just three days’ notice, there was no time to get nervous. I got to interview Sandra Bullock, and was standing just a couple of feet away from Jennifer Lopez, Madonna and Julia Roberts.
“Sometimes, it’s good to get thrown in the deep end — you either sink or swim. When I arrived for my first day on Imeall, I figured I was going to be a researcher. Two hours later, I was on the way to Belfast to interview an Oscar-winning cinematographer. “My dad [Gabriel Rosenstock] is an Irish language writer and poet, so I was brought up speaking Irish and didn’t learn English until I went to school. “Growing up in Glenageary, I suppose that would have been kind of odd. To me, everyone spoke Irish. TV is very competitive, but the language has definitely helped me get work. There are loads of opportunities, especially in the media. The attitude [towards Irish] has changed a lot.
“There doesn’t seem to be the same hostility towards the language that might have existed when I was growing up, [being] a little bit embarrassed to speak it on the bus on the way home. At least half the content of Imeall is in Irish, usually more.
“If I’m interviewing a Hollywood star, for instance, I’ll do it in English, but introduce the item and thank them in Irish. A lot of them have never heard the language before and love it. Some, like P Diddy, even have a go at it!”
Dara Ó Cinnéide
Television Broadcaster of the Year nominee
Former Kerry football captain Dara Ó Cinnéide (38) is in the running for Television Broadcaster of the Year for weekly sports show Seó Spóirt, and these days, says he’s perfectly happy to watch from the sidelines.
“Growing up, I used to always watch Michael Lyster on The Sunday Game Live, and was lucky enough to get to work with him on the show years later. “Most presenters go from Irish to English, but I actually went the opposite direction leaving RTÉ for TG4 three years ago. “Obviously, I’m very passionate about the Irish language. But I don’t see myself as an Irish language activist either.
“It’s my first language and it’s my kids’ first language. For me, it’s just a means of communicating. It’s just a way of saying: ‘Pass the salt, please’. “Lots of my mates up the country used to say to me, ‘ Seó Spóirt looks great, but we don’t have a clue what you’re saying!’ “So about two years ago, TG4 made the decision to subtitle the show, which has drawn in a whole different audience.
“Football analysis is full of English-language clichés. But I try to avoid having an English language imprint on the show. “If you go back far enough into our language, we have our own way of saying things that doesn’t necessarily translate that well into English. “When you think of ‘sexy’ languages, Italian springs to mind. But I’ve never really felt the need to make Irish cool or sexy.
“And I have no ambitions to compete with Dáithí Ó Sé, who’s a former classmate of mine. Dáithí has real star quality — I just chair debates! “Nobody wants to be listening to an ex-Kerry player harping on about the glory days. I’ve had my fun with the game on the field; the fun now is to be had talking about it.“I love the game, and whatever language that’s communicated in doesn’t make any
www.independent.ie
