A young Conamara broadcaster, Máire Bríd Ní Chualáin, has taken over as presenter of RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta’s flagship magazine for the west, Iris Aniar.
Iris Aniar is broadcast Monday to Friday at 9.15 am and covers stories of interest to Galway and Mayo audiences as well as the Ráth Cairn Gaeltacht in Meath, which has close connections to the west.
Máire Bríd is from Ros a’Mhíl in Conamara and has been working with RTÉ RnaG since 2015.
She worked initially in the newsroom of the station, and also presented music shows and documentaries, including a series about death and the afterlife.
For just over a year, Máire Bríd was the anchor for the lunchtime news Nuacht a hAon, and she now moves to the presenter’s chair for the popular morning magazine show Iris Aniar.
Máire Bríd won the Rising Star award, Réalta Óg na Bliana, at the Oireachtas Media Awards in 2020, and prior to that was shortlisted for Best Newcomer in the PPI Radio Awards.
She is a singer, and won many underage prizes for sean-nós singing, and is also interested in acting and keep fit.
Máire Bríd said she is looking forward to her new role as presenter of Iris Aniar.
“Myself and producer Mícheál Ó Tuathail will be bringing communities in the west all the stories and issues of most concern and interest to them, hot off the press,” said Máire Bríd.
“One of the things I’m most looking forward to is getting out and about to meet people and hear their personal stories.”
Shesaid that they will be covering serious stories on the programme, but also making room for the more playful stuff.
“We all need a bit of fun in our day with all that’s going on in the world at the moment.”
The team plans to make the listeners an integral part of the programme, and they also intend to ensure that the voices of today’s young people are heard on the show, with regular features with schools, youth clubs and sports clubs across the region.
They won’t be forgetting the Galway Diaspora either, and plan to check in regularly with emigrant communities in areas like Boston and London during the year.
