An tOireachtas announced this week that the Oireachtas Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to one of the leading figures in the Irish language broadcasting sector in the last twenty five years, Pádhraic Ó Ciardha.
The Award, which will be presented during the annual Oireachtas Media Awards Ceremony in the INEC, Killarney, next week acknowledges the invaluable contribution of Mr Ó Ciardha throughout his varied career in the media, as a journalist with Raidió na Gaeltachta initially and later on serving in senior positions within the RTÉ News department.
A skilled broadcaster, Mr Ó Ciardha worked interchangeably in the two official languages. He was a key member of the editorial team that established RTÉ Radio One’s renowned Morning Ireland programme and went on to become Head of Nuacht RTÉ. In 1992 he moved to the Department of Communications to become Advisor to then Minister Máire Geoghegan-Quinn in the run-up to the establishment of the new Irish-medium television service. He continued to serve under her successor in the Department of Communication, Minister Michael D Higgins.
“Pádhraic Ó Ciardha has been to the forefront of the most ground-breaking developments in Irish language broadcasting in the last quarter century”, said Liam Ó Maolaodha, National Director of An tOireachtas.
“His contribution to the success of TG4 is widely recognized, from the preparatory stages in influencing government policy and legislation to the establishment of the new channel and going on to defining the culture, values and ethos of the service. His vast reserves of energy and creativity have been an inspirational force in the sector.”
Pádhraic Ó Ciardha says that he is both honoured and surprised at the accolade:
“I have been very lucky to have worked with so many dedicated professionals working on a number of major broadcasting start-ups,” he said “ in RnaG, RTÉ and most recently in making the TG4 dream become a reality. Who could ask for anything more?”
A native of Cois Fharraige in the Galway Gaeltacht, Mr Ó Ciardha, who took early retirement from TG4 in February of this year after more than 22 year’s service there (having coined the channel’s well known slogan Súil Eile at its inception ), has lately returned to his Alma Mater, Maynooth University, to lecture in the Department of Modern Irish.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is one of a series of awards which will be bestowed at the official Ceremony and Gala Evening in the INEC Killarney on Wednesday, 31 October 2018.
The shortlist for the other categories has already been announced and is currently available on http://www.antoireachtas.ie/nuacht/gearrliosta-ghradaim-chumarsaide-an-oireachtais-2018-fogartha.html
The Rising Star Award is the only award decided by public vote. Voting is by text and lines will be open until midnight on the 30 October 2018 (details at http://www.antoireachtas.ie/nuacht/linte-votala-oscailte-do-realta-og-na-bliana-2018.html )
