On Saturday at 2pm, RTE Radio One will air a documentary with distinct Galway connections. Produced by Renmore native Niall Fallon and featuring Joanna Fitzpatrick from Forster Court, as well as vox pops from the Galway public, Ring Girls takes a look at the women who parade around the boxing ring notifying the crowd of the next round. As intrinsic and iconic part of the boxing spectacle as ropes and canvas, this documentary promises to give an interesting insight into an often forgotten aspect of the sport.
While we are more than accustomed to seeing the ring girls, they are seldom if ever heard, and radio is an interesting platform for them to give their opinions and insights on their vocation. Fallon has toured around Ireland and England to secure the voices of these five young Irishwomen pursuing an intriging path.
Among them is Galway dancer Joanna Fitzpatrick, who is certainly in for a busy week. Her parents run a bed and breakfast on Fr Griffin Road where Joanna will be helping out, and they are also involved in training racehorses.
Performing as a dancer since the age of 15 with Galway based promotions company Grooveyard, she is a full time dancer and ring girl after losing her retail job in the economic downturn.
Among her many talents, she is also a fire eating snake charmer. Talking candidly throughout the documentary, she expresses her fear at getting out of cage fights unharmed, while also memorably recounting how the frequency of her costume changes led someone to opine: “I have never seen a girl change her knickers so many times in one night.” Ms Fitzpatrick is joined in the broadcast by two sisters from Tallaght, a dancing hairdresser from Cork, as well as a glamour model and Babestation TV presenter.
Although Ring Girls represents his first foray into radio documentary making, Niall Fallon has a distinguished media career behind him. Starting as a contributor and editor with college publications, he was a member of the inaugural video and television production course in GMIT. As well as editing a documentary about Big Tom and his followers which won an award at the Galway Film Fleadh, Fallon has directed Ros Na Rún and Fair City and also just finished a spin off the Irish language soap called Na Rúin which will air on the internet in September.
Ring Girls is part of the award winning Documentary on One series and will be repeated on Sunday at 7pm as well as being available for free download and podcast on www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/
