Hi,
i see i am not the first one questioning you for a research for university...
i am writing a paper about the irish speaking media in ireland and would like to know what you think of it (especially TG4 and RnaG) - do you enjoy listening/watching it (be you native speakers, learners or non irish speakers)? what do you think of the contents of the programmes and the irish spoken in them? do you think more people are interested in irish or find irish easier as a result of the irish speaking media? i would love to hear any comment you have.

go raibh mille maith agaibh,
oritje

I listen to RnaG most of all radio stations, about 4-5 hours a day, most of it while commuting. (Of the rest of the time I spend listening to the radio, the bulk is to Lyric FM which broadcasts classical music, and some news on RTÉ Radio 1)

I find the news on RnaG very good. It is particularly impresssive the way they manage to find an Irish speaker wherever in the world something interesting is happening! (They had someone from Berlin this morning, and several people in the UK yesterday)

The real importance of RnaG is that it is a local radio for the Gaeltacht areas, and has done a lot to familiarise people in the Gaeltachts with the other dialects. It has I believe contributed to a strong Gaeltacht identity.

I don't often watch TG4. (Or television at all). I like the weekly arts program Soiscéal Phádraig.

But as a parent trying to bring up my children speaking Irish, I found the cartoons for young children very good.
Unfortunately, they don't serve the oldeer children and teens as well, and my children now watch far more German TV by satellite, because there are news and science programs for children there which TG4 does not provide.

TG4 has raised and changed the profile of Irish from something belonging to old fogeys in the Gaaltacht to something which young attractive people enjoy - they have done several low budget travel programmes, and the presenters of those, Hector in particular have moved on to the english language stations.

It is too early to say whether TG4 will have a lasting impact - they need to be better financed to be able to make more programs. The short films they commissioned are good, and some reach a wider audience.

Also, TG4 has fostered a lot of samll independent production companies such as Telegael, who provide high quality employment in the Gaeltacht. I see employemnt where the working language is Irish as key to survival of the Gaeltacht.

No, I believe that the media for kids/teens spends too much time trying to be cool-it doesn't work.