Autumn Launch 2016

30.08.16

Maritime gems and travel galore for Autumn as TG4 approaches 20th Birthday

Hector let loose in Central America
Trad’s own Spinal Tap
Revealing Documentaries and
Top-class Sport from home and abroad

In the run-up to its 20th Birthday at Halloween, TG4 today launched a distinctive Autumn 2016 schedule, featuring a gentle comedy drama series set in the murkier reaches of the Irish traditional music scene, lots of genuine traditional and country music shows, another batch of new and revealing documentaries and profiles (including the sometimes deadly Irish obsession with land disputes) and exciting young peoples’ programmes with a difference.

There is also a mouth-watering line-up of free to view movies and a great selection of exclusive live Gaelic games, rugby and horse-racing from the Listowel Festival as well as further exciting developments for TG4’s ever-expanding on-line offering for young people and Irish learners on the Player, the Web and social media.

Highlights include:

• Fir Bolg: A major new original 6 part comedy drama series that shows the underbelly of Irish traditional music. This is Spinal Tap with a bodhrán. A stellar cast is joined by cameos from many Irish showbusiness personalities in a gentle, affectionate send-up of the whole genre. The story is simple – a famous trad group from the 1970s makes an ill-fated come-back, awakening long-forgotten feuds, rivalries and bum notes.
• Mr. Robot: From the producers of “True Detective,” “Mr. Robot” follows Elliot, a young and brilliant programmer who has perfected the art of computer hacking. Elliot suffers from a debilitating anti-social disorder, making hacking into peoples’ lives his only means of human connection. He wields his skills as a weapon to protect the people he cares about from those who are trying to hurt them. Ultimately, he finds himself at the intersection between his day job at a cybersecurity firm and “F-Society,” an underground hacking collective that is trying to recruit Elliot to help take down the “one-percent.”
• Hector Central: Just when Central America thought that it had escaped Hector’s attention, the red-haired dynamo from Navan sets out on a madcap adventure along the Pan-American Highway, from Panama to Belize. Géill Slí or Approach with Caution.
• Anamnocht: Documentaries that concentrate on people more than on issues: Beginning with a celebratory selection from the channel’s 20 year archive, upcoming new factual programmes will celebrate Mary Elmes, the Cork-born humanitarian heroine of the Spanish Civil War and World War II, chronicle the first year of a new Connemara fire-station and tell the amazing story of John Phillip Holland the Clare-born ex-Christian Brother who invented the submarine with the support of the Fenians.
• Hup: High-energy live-performance traditional music, televised in a highly visual style, showcasing some of the biggest names in performance and musical collaboration with unexpected partners.
• Tithe Cois Farraige: We visit Ireland’s most stunning houses that overlook the sea – some of them centuries old, others very new and modern – all of them coastal wonders.
• An Ríl Deal: A most unstrictly approach as well-known faces attempt to speed-learn Irish dancing. We discover that accomplished rugby line-out technique may not be an advantage.
• Laochra Gael: A new season of the series that celebrates and chronicles the careers of the top Gaelic games legends including Seánie McMahon (Clare), Dónal Óg Cusack (Cork), Pete Finnerty (Galway), Pat Fox (Tipperary), Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny), Clíodhna O’Connor (Dublin), the Lowrys (Offaly), Owen Mulligan (Tyrone), Dara Ó Cinnéide (Kerry) and Éamonn O’Hara (Sligo).
• GAA Beo: Exclusive live free to view coverage of the All-Ireland Minor and Under-21 Finals, the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Gaelic Football Finals from Croke Park on Sept 25th, county finals, the AIB Club Provincial Championships and the Allianz National Leagues.
• Imeall: The wonder-full weekly window on the world of arts and culture, presented by Tristan Rosenstock and Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, offering an insider’s look at happenings, publications and exhibitions as well as practitioner profiles and interviews.
• Rugbaí Beo: Live free-to-view weekly coverage of the Guinness Pro 12 league competition as well as same-day highlights from Irish provinces’ matches in the European Champions Cup.
• Young people: The Cúla4 na nÓg zone provides a daily early-morning entertainment package for the pre-school age group. It offers brand-new Irish versions of famous animated series, introducing Masha and the Bear, Wussywat, Astroblast plus regular established favourites Dora the Explorer, Pocoyo, Dinosaur Train, Bia Linn, Saol Faoi Shráid, Igam Ogam and Scéal an Lae. For school-going kids Cúla4 in the afternoon also has an impressive line-up, including the newly commissioned Irish language originals Is Eolaí Mé, a fun science series and Na Dúlradóirí – in which young people are encouraged to get off their sofas and enjoy our amazing beaches, forests, parks and gardens.
• Nuacht TG4: Anchor Eimear Ní Chonaola and the country-wide team continue to throw a different light on news stories, local, national and global. People make news. See and hear from the people at the heart of things.
• Fíorscéal: A new season of top-class international documentaries that continue to cast a thought-provoking and fearless eye on issues which affect us – environmentally, socially, politically and globally. A number of the new season’s programmes report on the extensive profiteering taking place in the refugee/humanitarian aid sectors.
• Róisín: Róisín O’Hara and her studio guests tease out today’s issues and challenges with a mixture of conversation, reports and debate, often from a woman’s perspective, mixing the light hearted with the serious.
• Comhrá: A deceptively simple format – two chairs and a fireside conversation between the award-winning Máirtín Tom Sheáinín, and his weekly guest. The relaxed guest does most of the talking as the host gently guides the chat. GAA President, left-wing firebrand parliamentarian, lorry-driver, professor or pothole inspector – rank does not matter to Máirtín but good conversation does.
• Je Mo Peil: Two strolling Irish actors (Peter Coonan and Lochlann Ó Mearáin) join the Green Army in France for the 2016 Euro Finals, diving head first into the joyful madness and exuberance that marks out the Irish fans wherever they go. The football is the side-show.
• Opry an Iúir: A new season of the popular country music performance series recorded in front of a live audience, presented by Daniel O’Donnell and co-host Lynette Fay. In an exciting cross-over element, Ireland’s top country stars duet with some well-known traditional singers.
• Junior Eurovision: As Ireland’s efforts in the adult section continue to falter, can our young people redeem Ireland’s reputation in this year’s Eurovision Junior Song Contest in Valletta, Malta. We’ve searched for and found the top 32 singers. Now we must find a winner to represent the country. Ireland’s former Eurovision representatives will guest-judge each programme.
• Crá sa Chré: The Irish (sometimes bloody) obsession with land ownership is revealed through famous (and infamous) court cases that disputes have provoked.
• Na Bailéid: Cork’s wandering minstrel boy, John Spillane to the road has gone in search of the stories behind some of Ireland’s biggest exports – our best-loved ballads.
• Madraí na nGael: The story of Ireland’s best-loved native dog breeds.

TG4 content is available to view anywhere any time with Apps on most of the Smart TV sets now on the market from the major manufacturers, a browser-based Player, a TG4 Player App for iPad and the launch of an updated Website and a TG4 Player App for iPad. (The Cula4 Player App is coming soon!).