Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin
Encyclopedia
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin is an Irish language
television personality from Aghamore
, County Mayo
in Ireland
. Originally a schoolteacher, Mac Dhonnagáin was invited to present children's programmes on RTÉ
Television in the early 1980s. He went on to become an anchoring presenter on the Irish language
arts programme, Cúrsaí Ealaíona.
Mac Dhonnagáin, a guitarist and singer, also recorded two albums while working for RTÉ in Dublin: Solas Gorm, a tongue-in-cheek blues
collection, and Raiftéirí san Underground, a more serious collection in Irish and English.
With the creation of TG4
in 1996 and the concomitant rise of an Irish language television industry in the West of Ireland, Mac Dhonnagáin resettled in the Conamara Gaeltacht
, where he is a scriptwriter for television dramas and comedies, most notably the Irish Film and Television Awards
winning teenage drama show Aifric
, and the owner/director of a music publisher, Futa Fata, which specializes in material for children. The publisher's most successful production to date has been the award-winning Gugalaí Gug, a collection of children's rhymes put to music.
Mac Dhonnagáin lives in Conamara with his wife and four children.
In 2007 Mac Dhonnagáin was named Uachtarán an Oireachtais, an honorary title given by the Irish language festival Oireachtas na Gaeilge
, which was being held in Westport that year.
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
television personality from Aghamore
Aghamore
Aghamore is a village in County Leitrim, Ireland, located on the main N4 national primary road between Dublin and Sligo.-See also:*List of towns and villages in Ireland...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Originally a schoolteacher, Mac Dhonnagáin was invited to present children's programmes on RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
Television in the early 1980s. He went on to become an anchoring presenter on the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
arts programme, Cúrsaí Ealaíona.
Mac Dhonnagáin, a guitarist and singer, also recorded two albums while working for RTÉ in Dublin: Solas Gorm, a tongue-in-cheek blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
collection, and Raiftéirí san Underground, a more serious collection in Irish and English.
With the creation of TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
in 1996 and the concomitant rise of an Irish language television industry in the West of Ireland, Mac Dhonnagáin resettled in the Conamara Gaeltacht
Gaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...
, where he is a scriptwriter for television dramas and comedies, most notably the Irish Film and Television Awards
Irish Film and Television Awards
The Irish Film and Television Awards were first awarded in 2003. Its sole aim is to celebrate Ireland's notably talented film and television community...
winning teenage drama show Aifric
Aifric
Aifric is an Irish-language TV series aimed at young teenagers, directed by Paul Mercier.The first of the weekly thirteen-part series began broadcasting on 31 October 2006, the date of TG4's tenth anniversary....
, and the owner/director of a music publisher, Futa Fata, which specializes in material for children. The publisher's most successful production to date has been the award-winning Gugalaí Gug, a collection of children's rhymes put to music.
Mac Dhonnagáin lives in Conamara with his wife and four children.
In 2007 Mac Dhonnagáin was named Uachtarán an Oireachtais, an honorary title given by the Irish language festival Oireachtas na Gaeilge
Oireachtas na Gaeilge
Oireachtas na Gaeilge is an annually held arts festival of Irish culture, which has run since the 1890s. Based on the Welsh Eisteddfod, Oireachtas na Gaeilge runs for one week, featuring performances, demonstrations and competitions...
, which was being held in Westport that year.