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| Broadcast area |
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|---|---|
| Frequencies | FM: 92MHz - 94 MHz (Ireland) 102.7 MHz (Northern Ireland) Digital terrestrial television |
| RDS | RTE RnaG |
| Programming | |
| Format | Irish-language speech and music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Raidió Teilifís Éireann |
| RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ 2fm RTÉ lyric fm RTÉ Pulse RTÉ 2XM RTÉ Jr Radio RTÉ Chill RTÉ Gold RTÉ Radio 1 Extra | |
| History | |
First air date | 2 April 1972 |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (Irish pronunciation:[ˈɾˠadʲiːoːn̪ˠəˈɡeːl̪ˠt̪ˠəxt̪ˠə]; "Radio of theGaeltacht"), abbreviatedRnaG, is anIrish language radio station owned and operated byRaidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The station is available on FM in Ireland and via satellite and on the internet. In 2022, Raidio na Gaeltachta celebrated its 50th year in broadcasting.[1] The station's main-headquarters are inCasla,County Galway with major studios also inGaoth Dobhair,County Donegal andBallydavid,County Kerry.
After theIrish Free State was formed and theIrish Civil War was concluded, the new state set up a single radio channel named2RN in 1926, launched byDouglas Hyde. This was run by theIrish Post Office and was not a private enterprise. The radio program, operating out ofDublin, largely served theAnglophone population and at best reached as far asCounty Tipperary; a situation which did not change until more powerful transmitters were adopted in the 1930s atAthlone.[2] Those involved in setting up 2RN andJ. J. Walsh (Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1923 to 1927) discussed the possibility of setting up anIrish-language radio service for theGaeltacht community and more widely were sympathetic to Irish culture which included language revival, but the project was frustrated due to economic reasons and came to little.[3]
If we do not revive and develop Irish, we must inevitably be assimilated by one of these two communities (United Kingdom or theUnited States), or by the combined power by which they must eventually form and in that case our name and tradition and history will vanish out of human ken and our national individuality will be lost.
— P. S. O'Hegarty,Secretary of the Department for Posts and Telegraphs, 1924.[4]
As the Irish language was valued as part of Irish national identity and a marker of the young state's independence, there were some broadcasts in the language such asNuacht andTréimhseachán Teann (shows with English equivalents), the latter written bySéamus Ó Néill andCiarán Ó Nualláin (brother ofBrian Ó Nualláin). These featured alongside focus onGaelic games,Irish traditional music andCatholic religious programming as part of a generalnation-building content focus. In the 1940s, there were shows which sought to proactively teach the language such asIs Your Irish Rusty? andListen and Learn.[5] Irish-language programming suffered from a shortage of materials and for audience figures. In 1943,TaoiseachÉamon de Valera – whose wifeSinéad Ní Fhlannagáin was a keenConradh na Gaeilge activist – promoted the idea of aGaeltacht station again, but there was no breakthrough.[3] By this time, 2RN had becomeRadio Éireann and still only hadone channel, with limited broadcasting hours, often in competition for listeners withBBC Radio andRadio Luxembourg.
In the 1950s, a generalliberalisation andcommercialisation, indeedAmericanisation began to occur in Ireland, as a push was made to move Ireland from a rural-agrarian society with a protectionist cultural policy, towards amarket economy basis, withsupply and demand the primarily basis of public communications. This brought Ireland into line culturally with theWestern powers and eventually paved the way for its entrance into theEuropean Economic Community. In 1960,RTÉ was established and direct control of communications moved from a government ministry position to a non-governmentalRTÉ Director-General position, first filled by the American, Edward Roth. Previous cultural policies, including broadcasting in Irish, reduced in percentage, as ratings and profit became key. Eventually, in the late 1960s, a civil rights movement in theGaeltacht, particularly Conamara emerged, seeking development and services for Irish-speakers, including a radio service. Out of theGluaiseacht Chearta Siabhialta na Gaeltachta's advocacy came thepirate radio stationSaor Raidió Chonamara in 1970.[6] This set the subsequent discourse for Irish-language andGaeltacht issues as acivil rights andminority rights imperative.
Gerry Collins, the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, announced in theDáil in February 1971 that a new radio station for theGaeltacht would be created.Raidió na Gaeltachta began broadcasting at 3pm on 2 April 1972 as part ofEaster Sunday programming. During the very first broadcast, the main station atCasla,County Galway was not yet finished and the studios inCounty Kerry andCounty Donegal were still in construction, so it was broadcast fromGalway. The firstCeannaire (Controller) Pádraic Ó Raghallaigh opened the show, which was followed by a recording from President Éamon de Valera. A recording ofSeán Ó Riada's Irish-languageMass,Ceol an Aifrinn (which includes the hymnAg Críost an Síol) from theSeipéal Mhic Dara atCarraroe was also played.
At foundation, the station began with a staff of seven, including six former teachers and a businessman: Ó Raghallaigh, Breandán Feiritéar, Timlín Ó Cearnaigh, Máirtín Ó Fátharta, Seán Ó Tuairisg, Maidhc P. Ó Conaola,Mícheál Ó Sé and Feardorcha Ó Colla.[7] Initially,Raidió na Gaeltachta broadcast for only two hours a day[8] and was only available in or near the three largestGaeltacht districts. The local studio atDerrybeg inGweedore, County Donegal, under the direction of Ulstermen, Ó Cearnaigh and Ó Colla, aided the native Irish music scene there. In the 1970s,Raidió na Gaeltachta gave early coverage toClannad andMairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (later the singer forAltan). These groups would gain popularity not only in Ireland, but on the international stage, selling millions of records during the 1980s especially.[7] The station was dedicated to bringing the listener general news, both national and international (which, as a result ofThe Troubles, meant reporters who had Irish-language surnames could have a "very difficult [time] at army checkpoints"), as well asGaelic sports coverage and more localised affairs of significance to the community in theGaeltacht.[7]
Following the putting in place of a fourth RTÉ national radio transmitter network (used forRTÉ lyric fm), the station expanded to 24 hours from 1 October 2001. Listenership figures are hard to come by, as the station does not make payments to be included covered in theJNLR listenership survey. It is claimed that – as it doesn't carry advertising (the only Irish radio station not to do so) – paying to be included in a survey organised mainly for the benefit of the Irish advertising industry would be a waste of scarce funds. It is generally believed that listenership is high amongst fluent Irish speakers but its appeal among those learning the language is not as high asTG4 because (despite being available nationally) it is widely perceived as being oriented (as its name suggests) towardsGaeltacht residents.
For many years, Raidió na Gaeltachta was the only Irish-language broadcaster in the country; from the 1990s, it was joined by a television service, Telefís na Gaeilge (now known asTG4), and by regional community radio stations:Raidió na Life in Dublin,Raidió Fáilte in Belfast andRaidió Rí-Rá.
In March 2005, RTÉ announced that RnaG would allow songs with English lyrics to be played between 21:00 and 01:00, as part of a new popular music strand. In April 2005, it was announced that the name of this strand would beAnocht FM ('Tonight FM'). On weeknights the strand includes a new programme,Géill Slí ('Give Way'), as well as the existing long-runningAn Taobh Tuathail slot. The new service was launched on 2 May 2005. The first track with English-language lyrics played was "Blister in the Sun" by theViolent Femmes, chosen by public vote.[9]
On 12 July 2024, staff at RTÉ Raidio na Gaeltachta won the right to pay parity with journalists working through the medium of the English language in Ireland.
The development follows a long running campaign by the NUJ, SIPTU and the RTÉ Group of Unions and is in line with the recommendations in the report by the Expert Advisory Committee on Contractor Fees, HR and other matters, the report by the Joint Oireachtas Media Committee and the report of the Future of Media Commission.[10]
After campaigning for several years for pay parity with equivalent posts working within the English language, the three Irish language grades at Raidio na Gaeltacha will be moved in line with their counterparts in the English language grades.[10][11][12]These three Irish language job grades are:Clár Reachtaire,Reachtaire Rúnaíochta Grade 1 andReachtaire Rúnaíochta Grade 2, and theNational Union of Journalists press release on the matter notes that the job grades combine a range of journalistic and production skills and that they differ only in title from their equivalents working through English.
RnaG is based inCasla, County Galway. It also has studios atGaoth Dobhair (Gweedore), County Donegal;Baile na nGall inArd na Caithne, County Kerry;Castlebar, County Mayo; with a smaller studio inRing, County Waterford and theRTÉ Radio Centre inDublin. The station is operated by RTÉ, but has a separate advisory council, Comhairle Raidió na Gaeltachta, which is appointed by the RTÉ Authority. RTÉ also appoints the Ceannaire, or Controller, of RnaG, who has day-to-day responsibility for the service.
According to the 2011JNLR survey, RnaG then had a weekly listenership of 100,000 which equates to a 3% market share. This is similar to Welsh-languageBBC Radio Cymru, with 116,000 listeners and a 2.4% share.[13][14]
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53°17′24″N9°33′21″W / 53.2900°N 9.5559°W /53.2900; -9.5559
