Bridge G team down to final three

LAST Sunday, Sixmilebridge advanced to the final three of An G Team, a nationwide competition run by TG4 and Adare Productions, after being chosen ahead of Cong in Mayo to qualify.

The aim of the competition is to improve and increase the use of Irish in non-Gaeltacht communities by inviting people to speak the cúpla focal in their daily routine and the winners will receive a €40,000 prize fund from Foras na Gaeilge to promote their locality.
Anne Marie Holland, spokesperson for Sixmilebridge Aran G Team, said, “It’s marvellous to be involved in this competition. The help given to us by the people of Sixmilebridge has been great. They want to speak Irish and they are comfortable talking in Irish.”
Sixmilebridge was one of 12 teams shortlisted for the TV series in March and Adare Productions have travelled to each of the competing villages for filming.
In July, Sixmilebridge staged a largely successful G Day, a festival where locals were encouraged to use whatever Irish they could speak while going about their daily business, all in front of the TG4 cameras.
Having qualified ahead of Loughlinbridge of Carlow earlier this month, the Clare village went one better last weekend when it was announced that they are among the final three teams left in the competition.
Ciaran Gallagher of Adare Productions is the producer and director of An G Team and he had high praise for the work put in by those in Sixmilebridge.
“The progress made by Sixmilebridge has been huge and the G Day was fantastic. We wanted to encourage people to use whatever Irish they had and to have a bit of craic with it,” he said.
Last weekend, Sixmilebridge Aran G Team set up a community website in Irish, which can be viewed at http://droichead.yolasite.com.