Lord Mayor of Dublin Launches Raidió Rí-Rá Station

Lord Mayor of Dublin Launches Raidió Rí-Rá Station

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Nial Ring, has launched a scheme, supported by Dublin City Council, that will give over 750 school students the opportunity to take part in Irish language radio workshops. 40 students from Trinity Comprehensive School in Ballymun and Synge Street CBS were at the Mansion House in Dublin where the launch took place.

50 workshops will take place in Dublin secondary and primary schools as part of this new scheme. The workshops will be run by Irish language youth radio station, Raidió Rí-Rá. The workshops will give students the opportunity to speak as Gaeilge in a fun, natural environment, while also developing broadcasting techniques and learning essential communication skills.
Over the past number of years, Raidió Rí-Rá has been giving radio workshops in schools right around the country. Having completed the workshops, many students go on to broadcast shows on Raidió Rí-Rá.

The workshops highlight the job opportunities in Irish language media and the importance of Irish in media in general. For many students, the classroom has been the only opportunity they have had to speak as Gaeilge. These workshops bring the language alive for them and also show that there are endless opportunities and benefits to keeping up your Irish after school.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Nial Ring:“The Irish language is a passion of mine and over the years I realised that one of the best ways to learn Irish is to immerse yourself in an energetic, creative Irish language environment. These workshops are the perfect example of how students can improve their Irish, but also learn essential communication skills and tricks of the radio trade. Dublin City Council is delighted to provide support to Raidió Rí-Rá to run these workshops and provide an exciting opportunity for Dublin schools. I am very confident that the workshops will be a stepping stone for budding Irish language broadcasters from Dublin.”

Manager of Raidió Rí-Rá, Niamh Ní Chróinín said: “We are delighted to be at the Mansion House launching our Irish language radio workshop scheme. I have been giving radio workshops for a number of years and have seen the benefits for young people. The workshops give students the confidence to speak whatever amount of Irish they have and to have fun while doing it.

“Raidió Rí-Rá aims to be the Irish first Irish language youth full time radio station broadcasting on FM so we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with so many young students and introduce them to our station. We are very thankful for the support of the Lord Mayor and Dublin City Council and are looking forward to visiting secondary and primary schools around the city in the coming weeks and months.”

The 50 workshops will take place between now and the end of 2019 in schools around Dublin and in Raidió Rí-Rá’s Dublin studio.