RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster, will be in Crawley this Thursday (30 November) to record a radio show focused on the Irish population in the southeast.

Paschal Mooney, RTÉ presenter and now Senator in the Irish upper house will be presenting the show entitled “The Irish Experience”.

The event takes place at the Tavern on the Green, Pound Hill, from 7.45pm with traditional and ballad music from Blackthorne and Broge plus Irish dancing from the O’Brien School of Irish Dancing. The broadcast will also include interviews with local people.

The “Irish Experience” is a four-part programme looking at the Irish living in England. Other programmes are to be recorded in Manchester, Newcastle and London.

The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society, who organise the Crawley Irish Festival, would like to invite the Irish community, and anyone with an interest, to come down and join in the fun.

The recording which will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 on Friday 15 December at 9pm. RTÉ Radio 1 can be received on Sky Radio 160 and Longwave 252.

The third annual Crawley Fleadh (pronounced Flar) kicked off at 8pm tonight at the Conservative Club, Three Bridges.The Fleadh is a celebration of Irish culture taking place in venues throughout the area.

The opening night concert featured live music from Sateen and Fairtrade plus Irish dancing from the Andromeda School of Irish Dancing. MC for the night was television presenter Alan Ennis and additional material was provided by Marie Aine Dhrainne in both English and Irish Gaelic.

The Fleadh opening night was also the venue for the launch of the 2006 Annual Report which detailed plans for the future and reviewed events during the year. Distinguished guests included the Deputy Mayor of Crawley, elected officials and representatives from the Irish Embassy in London.

[Crawley Fleadh 2006] – [2006 Annual Report (PDF) 87kb]

Michael Flatley may never be able to dance again due to a virus attacking his immune system, with more details emerging about the extent of his illness.

The Riverdance star’s spokesperson Geraldine Roche told IMDB:

“He is very frustrated that he has been in hospital so long. He is incredibly motivated and driven and wants to get back on stage as soon as possible. But so far doctors have been unable to give him a firm promise on what the future holds and whether he’ll ever be able to dance again. He has been inundated with messages of support.”

It was also reported that a friend of Flatley’s who visited in hospital claimed that he “was having difficulty breathing owing to a build up of fluid on his lungs”.

With thanks to DigitalSpy for the news story.

The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society requires an enthusiastic, self-motivated and highly organised individual to manage administration, promote the Society and support the committee in the development of cultural events.

The Society promotes Irish and Celtic culture throughout the year, focussed in and around Crawley, West Sussex. Larger events include the Crawley Irish Festival and Celtic Weekend, Saint Patrick’s Festivities and November Fleadh. The CICS also fund Irish language classes and organise a number of other smaller projects.

ABOUT THE ROLE:
The post will be the main contact for the society; will implement relevant policies; negotiate costs with suppliers and strengthen the role of the Society.

Working from home, the candidate should have excellent administrative, ICT and communication skills. Knowledge of WP, spreadsheet and databases is essential and knowledge of website design an advantage. The ability to work flexible hours, as required, is essential.

SALARY:
£10,000 per year (16 hours per week) [£24,000 pro rata]

The post is initially funded for 12 months by the Irish government Dion Fund, renewable subject to review.

APPLICATION PACK:
The application pack can be downloaded below and may be completed electronically and emailed to the address shown within the application form. Alternatively, you can request an application pack by telephone on 01293 513189.

Closing date for application: Friday 1 December 2006

[Job Info Pack (132kb)] – [Application Form (227kb)]

The Irish television channel, TG4, reached its tenth birthday yesterday. TG4 is the Irish language channel broadcasting in Ireland, most of Northern Ireland and via the internet.

The Irish language has strengthened in recent years and TG4 regularly attracts approximately 730,000 viewers daily: a sizable chunk of the TV audience. The channel broadcasts at least three hours of new gaelic programming each day as well as live sport and documentaries (also in Irish). As well as Irish originated programming, the channel also broadcasts popular US television shows such as Nip/Tuck in English. In June 2006 TG4 also won the rights to broadcast the first four seasons of The Simpsons, dubbed into Irish.

The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society wish to congratulate the channel on reaching its tenth birthday and wish it the best of luck in the future. The CICS would also like to invite anyone interested in learning the Irish language to come down to the Crawley Fleadh and get involved.

[Crawley Fleadh]