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(Seo alt ónár bhfoireann nua Gaeltachta. Is féidir an bunleagan as Gaeilge a léamh anseo.)
WHILE OFFERING CONDOLENCES to the families of the deceased at a funeral, relatives have asked a TG4 weather presenter whether they would need a raincoat at the cemetery the next day.
As Fiona Ní Fhlaithearta tells The Journal while talking to us about her life as a weather and continuity presenter on TG4, there is hardly any escape from the weather in Ireland, wherever you go and, especially, if you are providing weather forecasts on television!
Over the 30 years that TG4 has been broadcasting, a number of weather presenters who have worked with TG4, such as Síle Seoige, Páidí Ó Lionáird and Dáithí Ó Sé, have achieved fame.
The broadcaster is now looking to for another weather presenter and continuity announce to join the team.
Ní Fhlaithearta, who has been working as a weather and continuity presenter for twelve years, says that the opportunities she and her colleagues receive in their roles at the channel’s headquarters in Baile na hAbhann in the heart of Connemara are fantastic.
When she started working at TG4, she had just returned from Australia and received training on TG4′s system for preparing weather bulletins.
While RTÉ weather presenters usually come from Met Éireann and most of those who deal with the weather are meteorologists, TG4 has a different system.
“For the weather, we work with a company based in New Zealand, called Metra-weather, and they have offices in England,” says Ní Fhlaithearta.
“Every day they send us the weather script every day – it’s in English of course.
“We read it and go through it and then we translate it into Irish, you put your own natural Irish on it and then we have a meeting with them (Metra-weather) and if there are any additional questions or anything that we want to focus on in particular, especially when there are storms, that is discussed further.”
As Ní Fhlaithearta explains, once the script is agreed, it is then up to the presenter to learn it by heart almost before they go behind the camera to record the weather segment. It is the presenter who sets the camera in motion and edits the weather segment that goes out on TG4 just before the news programme which is broadcast daily at 7pm.
“Our biggest enemy is the clock because even though the segment is not live, it has to be in the system on time.”
Fiona and her colleagues have a lot more to do during the day as they present various TG4 programmes – which now run 24/7.
They are not in front of the camera all the time as many of the programmes are presented with just voice commentary. However, they are in front of the camera often to present specific programmes as well as films and broadcasts from major GAA matches, rugby and women’s soccer.
They also get other opportunities. Last year Ní Fhlaithearta was broadcasting live from the red carpet at the IFTA Awards and managed to interview Kneecap.
Fiona’s colleague Caitlín Nic Aoidh attracted attention when she interviewed Paul Mescall and the star of Hamnet and Normal People spoke in Irish. Previously, Mairéad Ní Chuaig was at the Oscars when An Cailín Ciúin was on the shortlist and she interviewed various stars that night in Hollywood.
When the weather in Ireland is not always as nice as we would like, Ní Fhlaithearta gets a lot of feedback in her life outside of TG4. She views it as an enjoyable part of her life as a weather presenter.
“It happens more in the Gaeltacht areas, people recognise you,” she said.
“It happens when you are calm that people start talking to you about the weather.
“You’ll be offering condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased and they’ll start talking and asking if they’ll need a raincoat at the cemetery the day after.
There’s always talk about the weather and people feel like they know us and they’re comfortable talking to us and having a bit of a laugh with us too.
In saying that, it’s clear that Ni Fhlaithearta enjoys the banter, being out and about talking to people, even if it’s in the weather.
In terms of what candidates need to take on this role, she says that fluent correct Irish is important but what the station is looking for most is a little sparkle that suggests the presenter will be good in front of the camera.
With all that said, candidates have until Saturday, 17 January, to send a one-minute video describing yourself along with a Curriculum Vitae to cv@tg4.ie.
The Journal’s Gaeltacht initiative is supported by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
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