Síomha Ní Ruairc is non-stop.
She got most of the nation’s attention as one of the hosts of Grá ar an Trá in the summer. And now she is one of the weekend presenters on Ireland AM alongside Elaine Crowley and Martin King.
We caught up with Síomha at the launch of the Platinum VIP Style Awards.
Hi Síomha, conas atá tú? Comhghairdeas! How do you feel about your Most Stylish Newcomer nomination?
It’s very fun, it’s my first introduction into this kind of world. I’m delighted to be here and this event is such a major milestone in the Irish fashion calendar.
You also launched your podcast, How to Gael, with do chairde Louise Cantillon and Doireann Ní Ghlacáin. We love listening, how has it been?
The podcast has been going from strength to strength. We have a live show in April, which we did not think we would be doing at this early stage of the podcast! The reaction has been amazing, it’s been really positive. We’re really delighted with how it’s been received. People have been crying out for a bilingual, accessible podcast and we’re filling that gap in the market.
It’s definitely a great way to introduce or re-introduce listeners to Gaeilge!
The podcast is a stepping stone. Ideally, we want people to go on and listen to podcasts that are completely as Gaeilge. But some people are a little shy with the language. But we hope that our podcast helps people reconnect with the language and helps them form a new relationship leis an teanga. But it shouldn’t be the end of their journey listening to podcasts, it should be a door that opens to the rest of the Irish language community.
You joined the Ireland AM team last year, how have you been finding it?
I’ve never done anything like that before. It’s live TV, it’s a new segment every few minutes, it’s so fast-paced. But I really do enjoy it. If you make a mistake, you know that you won’t do that next time, you’re constantly improving. It’s a ball! What’s not to love?
Do you love being able to bridge the gap between Bearla agus Gaeilge? You got your start in TG4, which you have so much grá for.
I wouldn’t be where I am today without TG4. It’s an amazing service that provides a completely Irish language channel for the Irish language community. It’s important that it shows that we are worth a whole channel! In saying that, I’m delighted that the door has been open to me since working on TG4. But it’s not the end of me working with TG4, I have more shows coming out. I’m looking forward to working with as many channels as I can. But I want to always add that little bit of Gaeilge wherever I go!
Don’t forget to cast your votes in this year’s Platinum VIP Style Awards here.
