THERE must be something in the Ring air. I lathair na huaire, in the winter chill, everyone (well, almost everyone) is talking about either one of two things. Spanish soccer or county finals. It is a wild and wonderful place and there's no doubt about it. Agus ta muintir na nDeise ag ceiliuradh i gceart na laethanta seo.
The coastal parish in the south western corner of Co Waterford at the moment is alive with the sounds of back slapping and "comhghairdeachas". Sporting talk is the subject of the moment. Even non enthusiasts like this writer are having to sit up and take note.
One newspaper headlined recently summed it all up - "Sensational score seals win for Ring". This pithy line refers to the fact that the Gaelic football team from this Gaeltacht parish in the west of the county won the intermediary county final last November against the city team, De La Salle. Ring, defeated in the finals of 93 and 94, were rewarded this year. La iontach don pharoiste dabht agus an chomortas idirmheanach seo buaite acu.
Second Sporting Topic
Ach ta dea sceal eile le cloisiul sa Rinn na laethanta seo. The headline could easily refer also to the second sporting topic, one that many soccer enthusiasts around the country will appreciate. Matches from the Spanish Premier Division La Primera, are now being screened on Teilifis na Gaeilge, every Monday with a repeat on Tuesday night, brought to us by Nemeton, a Ring based television company. Gach seachtain craoltar priomhchluiche an deiradh seachtaine, maraon le buaicphoinnti agus torthai na gcluichi eile go leir.
Footage from the Spanish soccer stadiums are brought home eve weekend by Piaras O Rahallaigh and Ronan O Coisdhealbha of Nemeton. They act as couriers and arrive, a box with the latest from the world of Spanish, soccer. This tape is edited in Ring, commentary and voiceovers are prepared and the programme is ready to be broadcast on TnaG on Monday night at 9 p.m.
Time is of the essence, says Piaras. The main package is ready for, collection in Spain on Saturday night. He collects it and arrives back in Ring at 3 p.m. (breathless no doubt) on Sunday when the editing begins. Another package with highlights from other games is ready for collection in Spain on Sunday. Ronan collects this and races back to Ireland, arriving at the door in Ring with his tape on Monday. The programme goes out that night and is repeated on Tuesday.
Once a month the crew from Ring travels to Spain to bring live coverage of the matches, filmed at the side lines, back to Irish television screens. Cuirtear an clar i lathair on Spainn uair amhain sa mhi agus don chuid eile den mhi tagann se on stiudeo nua sa Rinn. Bionn athchraoladh ar an Mairt le fotheidil.
Stroke of Genius
The company, which was set up three years ago by a local journalist, Irial Mac Murchu, now employs five full time and five part time people, The company's stroke of genius was in recognising an opening in TnaG for such a programme about Spanish football. As the experts will assert, the quality and standard of football in Spain is arguably the highest in Europe. Ole Ole! Fans can now follow their favourite teams with a feature game, all the main high lights plus the results from all the other games every week. Nemeton is at present adding the finishing touches to a new 2,600 square, foot state of the art production facility and studio in the Gaeltacht.
During its first week of transmission, Nemeton had three programmes broadcast on the new station, The company, which specialises in sports productions has already televised several series in the Waterford Gaeltacht, including Ard san Aer, Dha Chaman and several county football finals.
Michael O Comhnaill, another localman who is presenter of the new sports programme on TnaG, is delighted with his job. "Bhi me i mo chonai sa Spainn, congarach le Pamploma, ar feadh tri bhliana. Gach Domhnach, the inn sios chun cluiche a fheiscint ... Thosaigh mise le Nemeton i lair mi Dheireadh Fomhair. Taimid ag foghlaim gach uile la." Cork man, Brian Tyers, does the commentary on the programme. Both are new faces to the screen.
"Ta an t-eolas ar fad a thagann isteach go maith, ta foinsi an-mhacanta agus suas - chun data againn," a deir an Domhnailleach, iar-mhuinteoir - bunscoile a rugadh agus a togadh sa Rinn. Ceapann se go bhfuil muintir an chontae agus an cheantair an-shasta go dti seo leis an chlar. Nuair a bhuailtear leis i siopai agus in aiteanna eile croithtear laimh leis agus ta "comhghairdeachas" agus rudai eile deasa raite acu leis. Taobh amuigh de sin, ce go bhfuil a aghaidh le feiceail go rialta ar an scathlan anois, "ni bhraithim-se aon difriocht i mo ghnath-shaol" arsa se.
Passion and Drama
Aicsean, paisean agus dramaiocht ata geallta sa chlar nua seo, Ole! Ole! One reviewer wrote recently that "All in all TnaG's Spanish football coverage makes for excellent sports television in anyone's language ... I'll willingly go back ford more", he said after seeing Nemeton's coverage of the match between Barcelona versus Atletico Madrid, which drew 3-3.
"As someone with an unforgivable weak grasp of the native tongue but a serious gra for top class European football, this clever initiative by the new station is the carrot about which I used to fantasise through too many years of an educational stick that left me almost allergic to all but the cupla focal" he writes.
Mary Hannigan, a writer in this paper commented also on this thrilling gage between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, which was broadcast on TnaG recently. In relation to the station's coverage of the post match interviews on Ole Ole!, she uses the word "surreal".
Her closing comments are as follows: "B'e soccer an buasteoir inniu," said (unbeknownst to himself), Barcelona's Guardiola. Surreal".
Nil aon rud eile le ra ach comhghairdeachas, Nemeton agus foireann peil na Rinne.