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(Seo alt ó fhoireann Gaeltachta The Journal – is féidir leat leagan as Gaeilge den alt a léamh anseo.)
AT LONG LAST, Bluey — perhaps the biggest star in the world — has learned Irish, and will soon be appearing on TV screens across Ireland speaking in our first official language.
Bluey sits at the top of streaming charts around the world. A new series of 26 episodes will begin on RTÉ Kids this coming Monday and further series will be also available as Gaeilge in the near future.
The Australian puppy follows in the footsteps of a famous parade of cartoon or puppet characters with Gaeilge including but not limited to Dáithí Lácha (from the 1960s), Bosco, Thomas the Tank Engine, Peppa Pig and Spongebob Squarepants.
Like any puppy, Bluey has great fun, and young viewers delight in watching her play in the rain or try her paw at cricket. Who knows — now that Bluey has learned Irish, perhaps there might even be an episode one day where she tries her hand at camogie?
Bluey has a sister — Bingo — and the two of them spend their days playing with their friends, among them Rusty, Dusty, Snickers to name just a handful – and what a handful! Bluey and Bingo’s father, Bandit, works from home and does his best to keep an eye on the pair, while their mother, Chilli, has returned to work.
Since its first broadcast in Australia in 2018, the series has attracted millions of devoted fans around the globe and is now one of the most-watched animated television series in the world. Not only does Bluey have an enormous audience worldwide, but it has also won numerous awards, including BAFTA and Emmy awards.
It was the most-streamed show in the United States in both 2024 and 2025 (Nielsen). Bluey was the most-watched children’s show on RTÉ Player in 2025 and that remains the case in 2026. It is also the most-watched children’s show on both CBeebies and Disney+ in the United Kingdom.
RTÉ has said it is delighted that Bluey will be available on its children’s channel, alongside other cartoon characters available through Irish, such as Tomás agus a Cháirde (Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends) and Peppa Muc (Peppa Pig).
Dermot Horan, the station’s director of acquisitions and co-productions, said that RTÉ was “thrilled to be able to give our younger viewers the chance to now watch Bluey, the world’s most in-demand pre-school show, through Irish.”
“All of this is part of our strategy to make the biggest children’s brands available to parents and children in both Irish and English.”
Bluey, a series now distributed worldwide by Disney, has been dubbed into Irish by actors from Connemara: Gráinne Bleasdale voices Bluey, Laoise Ní Nualláin voices her little sister Bingo, Meadhbh Ní Eidhin voices their mother Chilli, and it is Pól Ó Gríofa (Mack from Ros na Rún) who takes on the role of Bandit, the dad.
Parents will be pleased to know that Bluey will be available on RTÉ KIDSjr — an ad-free safe space for young viewers — and ads free also on the RTÉ Player when it is in safe mode.
The Journal’s Gaeltacht initiative is supported by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
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