Tag Archives: RTE

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 …

DEPUTY Michael McNamara has criticised the lack of comprehensive information on self-harm presentations and suicide in Ireland during the current “oppressive” lockdown. The East Clare deputy has described the lack of empirical evidence on the impact of the lockdowns for people with mental health difficulties as an insult to these patients. The Independent deputy has expressed frustration about receiving self-harm information from only 24 out of 36 acute hospitals who are collecting this data. Speaking in the Dáil recently, Deputy McNamara stated nothing visibly has happened since he raised this issue recently. Acknowledging Minister of State, Mary Butler is working hard behind the scenes to advance mental health issues, he stressed everyone is living in an “incredibly oppressive society at present”. “The feeling is entirely oppressive and it is largely driven by elements in the media. I questioned whether there was sufficient coverage of mental health and I was attacked by some public health doctors for doing that and told …

CLARE interior designer Trish O’Brien will be opening up her home to the nation this Tuesday as RTÉ’s popular Home of the Year returns to our screens. Trish will be showcasing her re-designed early 1900s farmhouse, which she has transformed to create a modern family home for her family. She designed a modern extension that linked to the original farmhouse with Limerick-based architect Shane O’Neill of SONARC. They gutted the farmhouse back to its original state so they could keep the traditional exterior. The extension is very modern with open plan spaces downstairs and has a glass link to the original house. The home has four bedrooms and was a big passion project for Trish. The interior style is bright, modern with a mix of textures. Her home will be one of three featured in Home of the Year on Tuesday, February 16 on RTÉ One at 8.30pm. The show returns for a seventh series with two new judges at …

RTÉ’S hugely popular ‘Nationwide’ will put the spotlight on the Burren next Monday. The television show follows on the heels of Neven Maguire’s ‘Irish Seafood Trails’ on RTÉ One and Channel 5’s ‘Coastal Ireland’ which both featured the region last week. Monday nights ‘Nationwide,’ which airs on RTÉ One at 7pm, will feature members of the Burren Ecotourism Network, who recently won the Lonely Planet’s ‘Best in Travel 2021’ accolade for community tourism. Presenter Anne Cassin visited the area in late January and met three members of the Burren Ecotourism Network. Nuala Mulqueeney, Acting Managing Director of the Ailwee Cave and Birds of Prey Centre in Ballyvaughan gave the crew a tour of the cave. The subterranean ramble was followed by a bird of prey display, where Anne had the opportunity of handling Jess, the barn owl. Nuala also told the presenter how regular Zoom meetings with members of the tourism network have been vital in maintaining spirits and connections during …

IT will be lights, camera, action for students from Rice College in Ennis this week as they battle it out to be crowned winner of the re-scheduled 2020 Junk Kouture Grand Final when it is televised this Thursday, February 4. A fashion design created by Ennis students Carla Griffin, Eunice Boateng and Caitlin Mc Allister will be part of the show, which will be shown on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, having been chosen as a finalist in the prestigious competition. Their teacher Lorraine Hogan tells us, “There is great excitement with the girls, I’m very proud of their achievement to get to the final, the whole school community are behind them wishing them the best of luck on Thursday night.” Junk Kouture sees students from across the country design and create outfits made from 100% recycled materials. The Rice College design, titled ‘Do Your Own Sting’ was inspired by bees and their habitats. The students wanted to raise awareness …

LOOP Head Lighthouse is to play a key role in a moment of national solidarity this month. Photographs of front-line workers are to be beamed onto the Clare lighthouse in tribute to their tireless work during the Covid-19 pandemic. The images were taken by photographer Jeanette Lowe and are one of six projection instalments across the country which will be illuminated in the days leading up to the winter solstice. The art installations will form part of a nationwide multi-platform event Shine Your Light, or Lonraigh Do Sholas. The event will also feature a live TV broadcast on RTÉ One featuring Clare’s Sharon Shannon, and a radio special on RTÉ Radio 1. Funded by Creative Ireland, the Shine Your Light installations by Irish artists will be visible around the country from December 17 to 20 and will bring artworks from the Illuminations online gallery to epic and dramatic locations including Loop Head, bringing light, hope and colour to towns and …

ENNIS TV presenter and journalist Zainab Boladale has been appointed to Dublin City University’s governing authority. Currently working on RTÉ’s Nationwide Zainab was born in Lagos before growing up in the county capital. She graduated from DCU with a BA Journalism in 2017 and was named Journalist of the Year at the DCU Hybrid Awards and also nominated in the same category in the Union of Students in Ireland Student Achievement Awards. In that same year, she made her debut on TV as the presenter of RTÉ’s children’s programme, news2day and in doing so she also became the first Afro-Irish woman on Irish TV news. Welcoming her appointment, the Chancellor of the University, Dr Martin McAleese said, “All members of DCU’s Governing Authority welcome Zainab’s appointment as its newest member and I know they all look forward to working with her. She will bring a depth of knowledge, insight, energy and a new perspective and will contribute positively to its work as …