Siún Nic Gearailt | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1971-09-14)14 September 1971 (age 54) |
| Education | B.A. Irish and German |
| Alma mater | University College Galway |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Notable credit(s) | Nuacht RTÉ, RTÉ News, Nuacht TG4 |
| Spouse | |
Siún Nic Gearailt (Irish pronunciation:[ˈʃuːn̪ˠn̠ʲɪcˈɟaɾˠəl̠ʲtʲ]; born 14 September 1971) is a newsreader withRTÉ andTeilifís na Gaeilge (TG4) inIreland.
She currently presentsNuacht RTÉ andNuacht TG4 and has presented many of RTÉ's English news programmes, including theSix One News,Nine O'Clock News and theNews on Two. She has also read the news and English bulletins onRTÉ Radio.
A native Irish speaker, Nic Gearailt was raised in theFeothanachGaeltacht region of westernCounty Kerry. Her family ran apub named An Cúinne.[1]
She lived inGermany for some years and speaks fluent German. She worked for the film production companyConcorde Anois and was an trainee assistant director on theRoger Corman-producedThe Unspeakable (1996).[2] She made a cameo appearance in the successful Irish sitcomCU Burn.[citation needed]
Nic Gearailt studied Irish and German atUniversity College Galway (UCG).[3]
Following her graduation from UCG in 1995, Nic Gearailt began her broadcasting career with local radio stationClare FM where she worked as researcher and reporter. She also worked on a freelance basis forRTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.[citation needed]
With the inception of TnaG in 1996, Nic Gearailt was among the first group of journalists to work for the new Irish language television station. The Kerry native reported extensively throughout the west of Ireland and further afield, covering (the aftermath of) theOmagh bombing, reporting from Frankfurt and Berlin prior to the introduction of the new European currency, theeuro, and on the work of Irish missionary priests and nuns from Nigeria. She co-presented the Inauguration ofMary McAleese as the 8thPresident of Ireland fromDublin Castle with fellow broadcaster Tomás Ó Ceallaigh for the station.
In 2003 she was asked by RTÉ to present a bilingual current affairs programme -Seachtain - a weekly on-location broadcast focusing on regional issues. Shortly afterwards she was appointed Anchor ofNuacht RTÉ. She continued to presentSeachtain for a number of years.
In 2006 she began to present various other radio and television news bulletins for the national broadcaster and has presented all the main news bulletins includingSix One,News on Two andNine O'Clock since then.
More recently, she presented a special live tribute to the writer and musicianMaidhc Dainín Ó Sé following his death in 2013. In 2015 Nic Gearailt presentedNuacht RTÉ fromWestminster during theBritish General Election. In the lead-up to the2016 Irish General Election, she presented live outside broadcasts from Galway, Kerry andTaoiseachEnda Kenny's constituency ofMayo forNuacht RTÉ.
Nic Gearailt held off the challenge fromMícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, RTÉ's Mr GAA, to win the inaugural RTÉ Personalities' GAA Prediction League title. Nic Gearailt has also been voted Kerry Woman of the Year byRSVP readers and was voted as one of theRTÉ Guide's Top 5 most liked presenters.
She acts as MC at charity and cultural events from time to time.
Nic Gearailt married her fellow news presenter Ailbhe Ó Monacháin (fromGaoth Dobhair,County Donegal, inUlster) in December 2007.[4] They separated in 2014.
She studied Irish and German at NUI Galway...