Tag Archives: RTE

Star architect Bannon’s new TV series showcases, impressive and lovingly restored Kilrush project this Sunday HOLIDAY accommodation with a difference in West Clare will feature in a new television series with Dermot Bannon this weekend. On Sunday at 9.30pm Dermot Bannon’s Super Small Spaces on RTÉ One will showcase The Merchant’s House and Store overlooking the Market Square in Kilrush. The property provides two unique heritage holiday homes in the heart of Kilrush having been lovingly restored to preserve their heritage, while also offering 21st century comforts. Paul Gleeson of The Merchant’s House and Store told The Champion that the well-known architect isn’t the only famous face to have stepped inside the historic building. In 1963 The Dubliners performed in the back bar when the building was in the hands of the McDermott family. “Taking part in the show was a good experience and everyone was excited to meet him. “When Dermot came here he said it was like he …

CLARE was showcased to the nation on Wednesday when RTÉ’s popular daytime Today show broadcast live from Ennis with host Dáithí Ó Sé. The production team based themselves in the Old Ground Hotel during filming, travelling to the four corners to highlight the best of the Banner. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Dáithí revealed that he has a soft spot for the county. “We come to Clare a lot, last Sunday we took a spin back to Spanish Point, it’s beautiful back there. Rita’s parents both come from there so we are very familiar with West Clare and often come to Ennis shopping. “It’s great to be here and get a feel of the town being back again, there’s a great buzz. “You’re very lucky in Clare. You are on the Wild Atlantic Way, have the Cliff of Moher and the Burren, towns like Ennis, the trad music. There’s a great balance, you get it all here.” While in Clare Dáithí met with …

THE village of Clarecastle will feature in this Monday’s episode of the popular RTÉ show Nationwide. The RTÉ Nationwide team with Anne Cassin filmed the programme in Clarecastle last November with the Clarecastle & Ballyea Heritage & Wildlife Group and other Clarecastle residents. Among those to feature are Pat Considine, the son of Anthony Considine who was the owner of 1950s cine-film featuring scenes around Clarecastle. Pat gave the Clarecastle & Ballyea Heritage & Wildlife Group access to hundreds of feet of the old cine-film and they found footage of ships being unloaded at Clarecastle Quay and scenes from the annual Regatta in the 1950s. They entered an edited 10 minute film – ‘Clarecastle in the 1950s’ from the Considine cine-films as their event for Heritage Week 2020 and won the Clare award for the film. The film was later featured on the main RTÉ evening news. The Nationwide team followed up on the story and decided to come to …

HEART of Stone is the title of a visually stunning two-part series to air on RTÉ One at 6.30pm next Sunday. The Burren is a place full of intrigue and mystery to Lahinch-based film-maker Katrina Costello, who has been working there for over 13 years. “It is not a landscape that gives up her secrets easily, but in every fold of rock and around every corner there is always a new surprise,” she remarked. Heart of Stone captures the raw and complicated beauty of the Burren using intimate natural history photography and the spontaneous insights of a cast of local contributors. Narrated by Brendan Gleeson, the piece takes audiences on a journey through the ages, tracing the genetic story of the Irish people. It tells the story of the Irish hunter-gatherers and reveals what became of them. It asks if prehistoric farmers irreversibly altered this landscape and if modern Irish society is descended from those who first lived here over …

A PARTEEN native took the top prize on RTÉ’s Home of the Year 2021 grand finale on Tuesday night last. Jen Sheahan, who now lives in Dublin, won the prestigious award after bowling the judging panel over with her late 1800s artisan cottage in Dublin. Judges Hugh Wallace, Suzie Mc Adam and Amanda Bone chose Jen’s home from among 21 homes across the country. Jen had her eye on a cottage for some time and was delighted when one came on the market in 2019. The property needed a lot of work as it was damp, had no central heating and the toilet was outside. Jen did a complete renovation, knocked all internal walls, dug up the floor and lowered it plus added on an extra floor to make it a two-storey house. Judges were highly impressed by work which includes clever storage solutions throughout and quirky features including a disco ball light in her brightly coloured downstairs toilet. “I …

STARS of RTÉ’s hit drama Smother have shared their impressions of the rugged North Clare coastline, and its role in creating the atmosphere for what has been described as a ‘Celtic Noir’ thriller. Thomas Levin and Hazel Doupe, who play father and daughter Carl and Ingrid Jensen, were among the stellar cast involved in RTÉ’S Smother which was shot last year in the Lahinch area. The six-part series follows the fortunes of the Ahern family in the aftermath of the suspicious death of patriarch Denis. His wife Val (Dervla Kirwan) is in a new relationship with Carl, but Denis seems to be able to keep his grudge against them going from beyond the grave. After being cast as Carl, Thomas, whose TV credits include the Danish hit Borgen and Channel 4’s Norskov, travelled to Ireland to join the cast. “It was my first time in Ireland and North Clare and it was fantastic waking up and going to work there …

NORTH Clare is to feature prominently in one of the year’s most eagerly awaited home-grown drama series, Smother, which will air on RTÉ One next Sunday night. Shot on location in Lahinch, Liscannor, Spanish Point, Fanore, Ennistymon and Lisdoonvarna, the six-part drama is described as a “domestic noir thriller,” and is a co-production with BBC. It was filmed last year in adherence with pandemic guidelines. The high-end production featured a number of locals as crew members and extras. Writer Kate O’Riordan, who worked on the hit series Mr Selfridge, created the family thriller which sees her tight-knit family of characters gradually unearth deeply buried secrets and live with their unintended consequences. The all-star cast is headed up by Dervla Kirwan who plays matriarch Val – a devoted mother who is determined to protect her family and particularly her three daughters Jenny, Anna, and Grace, at any cost. Jenny (played by Niamh Walsh of Good Omens and Jamestown is a doctor, facing …

THE WORK of a Scariff man will be aired on the national broadcaster from Friday evening, as part of The People’s Angelus, which is screened daily at 6pm on RTÉ One. James Treacy, a photographer and videographer, made the piece along with his former lecturer, Martin Ryan. The short film was made at Kilmallock Mart in County Limerick and aims to reflect the rhythm of agricultural life and what the mart has come to mean, over the decades, to the fabric of farming life. “It took me three days shooting to get the film right,” James said. “The indoor scenes had to be shot three times because to get them just right. We had about two hours of footage to choose from in the end. When we thought we had the film 100% complete, the director in RTÉ wanted us to have the gate in the auction ring fully closed at the end of the video and we hadn’t footage …