NEW LIFE:After a dream move to Brittany to spend more time in his homet here, broadcaster PÁDRAIG COYLEhas found himself back where he started - in a radio studio.
TALK ABOUT a busman’s holiday. In October 2008, I left BBC Northern Ireland, where I had worked for 18 years as a senior radio producer and presenter. The intention was to return to the life of a freelance and to spend more time in the little house in Brittany, which my wife Jane – a journalist – and I bought as a holiday home in 1991.
Four months later, we are, indeed, spending more time in Brittany, but what am I doing? Sitting in a radio studio, broadcasting to the nation. Plus ça change . . .
Well, not exactly the nation, maybe. When, in the summer of 2007, the idea of starting a radio service for the Anglophone residents of Brittany was but a twinkle in the eye of a few enterprising souls, the prospect of becoming involved in this exciting new challenge was too good to ignore.
It's hard to break the habits of a lifetime and, after all our years of broadcasting and journalism, why would we not have wanted to be part of Spotlight on Brittany? Now, after 18 months of meetings and careful planning, we are on air, courtesy of two Breton radio stations, Radio Bro Gwened (RBG) and Radio Kreiz Breizh (RKB).
Radio Kreiz Breizh is the longer established of the two. In 1983, it set itself up as Brittany’s first local language radio station and continues to broadcast, in French and Breton, from studios in a converted school at the heart of the small rural village of St Nicodème.
In contrast, Radio Bro Gwened is based in the Napoleonic town of Pontivy; its studios are located in the former barracks of the emperor himself.
RKB director Christian Rivoalen, a native Breton speaker, is protective of the station’s commitment to the two indigenous languages, but believes that it also has responsibilities to the growing constituency of listeners who have moved to live in the area.
“The large number of English-speakers in the region has created a need for some programming in English,” he says. “The role of the station is to reflect the needs of the local population – something which can’t be done by the national broadcasting media.”
With the Lorient Interceltic Festival drawing some 600,000 Celts to Brittany every year, Rivoalen is keen to extend the station’s Celtic connections by linking into the lives of local people, who originally hail from Wales, Scotland, Cornwall and Ireland.
Spotlight on Brittanyhas been established under the umbrella of AIKB – Association Intégration Kreiz Breizh ("Central Brittany" in Breton), an organisation that assists recent arrivals in settling into their new lives and dealing with the linguistic and bureaucratic issues that inevitably arise.
Many new residents are tempted to Brittany by low-priced property, glorious scenery and an apparently more relaxed way of life. But the reality of living permanently in a remote rural environment, where few locals speak English, is somewhat different. Many report feeling isolated and depressed, confused by the demands of the French system; marriages have broken down and a variety of social problems have been precipitated through the new arrivals’ inability to forge meaningful relations with their Breton neighbours.
“We’re an established port of call for people who have trouble understanding the French administration. The radio programme is a natural extension to the wide range of services we offer,” says Marilyn Le Moign, AIKB’s dynamic English-born president, who has lived and worked in France for more than 40 years.
She joins a hard-working group of people, who have come together to produce and present Spotlight on Brittany. Among them are Sandra Marks, a former studio technician for BFBS in Germany, who combines the roles of project co-ordinator, reporter and producer. Her husband Brian comes from Wales and contributes his skills as a sketch writer and amateur drama producer.
Language expert Paul Masters taught French at an English public school before moving to Brittany where he is renovating a farm complex. Lorna Farrington, a former school principal, was recently elected to the local council. Yorkshire man Henry Douglass produced corporate videos and public presentations.
“We’re not a daily newspaper, but the programmes will serve as a source of important information,” explains Marks, who has had a home in the area for 17 years. “These bilingual speech-based programmes aim to improve language skills – for English, Breton and French speakers – as well as covering subjects such health-care, taxation, building regulations and knowing what to ask for at the fishmonger’s.”
According to Marilyn Le Moign, the French and English view of integration is very different. “In France, integration means assimilation. People are considered integrated when they assume a French identity, speak French and behave French. At AIKB, we try the middle line as being more accessible. When people join in local events, learn Breton dancing and vote at the municipal elections, we feel we are getting there.”
As for this Irishman’s progress towards integration, broadcasting out of Napoleon’s barracks seems like a pretty good start.