Raidió Rí-Rá is delighted that its grant of €27,000 - officially approved by the Minister of State Dinny McGinley earlier today, 16 August 2012 - will enable the Irish-language chartstation to build its own studio and deliver a better radio service for young people. Raidió Rí-Rá currently broadcasts from studios rented from Digital Audio Productions Ltd.
Traic Ó Braonáin, Chairperson of Raidió Rí-Rá says: "We really appreciate the recognition the Minister for the Gaeltacht has given Raidió Rí-Rá by approving this substantial grant today; he obviously understands the vital role the chartstation plays in promoting the Irish language among young people in Ireland today."
"Raidió Rí-Rá inspires young people to use Irish in fun and innovative new ways beyond the classroom, and today's grant means the station will be able to provide a first-class Irish-language radio service to everyone, everywhere on this island."
"We now have the opportunity to broadcast more live shows and exciting new features on Raidió Rí-Rá, in addition to providing extra resources and podcasts online at www.rrr.ie and through our iPhone app."
Raidió Rí-Rá is funded by the Department for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht through Ciste na Gaeilge from the proceeds of the National Lottery and has been supported by Conradh na Gaeilge since the chartstation's foundation in 2008.
Raidió Rí-Rá began broadcasting via the internet in March 2008 and since then, the chartstation has broadcast live on FM in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick during the annual Seachtain na Gaeilge Irish-language festival in 2009, 2010 and 2011, thanks to a temporary multi-city licence from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).
Raidió Rí-Rá has also been broadcasting on the Digital Audio Broadcasting platform (DAB) in Dublin and Waterford since the start of last month, and the youth station intends to extend this DAB service to Cork and Limerick by the end of this year with this latest grant.
Raidió Rí-Rá plans to expand its new DAB service to cover the entire country in the future and intends to deliver a full-time Irish-language radio service for young people via digital television and national FM as well, an aim which will be greatly aided by today's grant.
Presented solely through Irish, Raidió Rí-Rá plays all the latest hit music from the charts all year round, online at www.rrr.ie, on all Nokia phones, and on the iPhone with its application, on Android phones via the TuneIn application, and on the DAB platform.
MORE INFORMATION:
Traic Ó Braonáin
Chairperson, Raidió Rí-Rá
+353 (0)87 6993439 /
Julian de Spáinn
Secretary, Raidió Rí-Rá
+353 (0) 1 4757401 / +353 (0)86 8142757
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Raidió Rí-Rá is a chart-station for young people playing all the latest music from the charts and broadcasting completely through the medium of Irish. The station began broadcasting on the internet in March 2008 and Raidió Rí-Rá was live on FM in Dublin, Cork and Galway in March 2009, 2010 and 2011 (and in Limerick in March 2009 and 2010), thanks to a temporary multi-city licence from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).
You can listen to Raidió Rí-Rá all year round online at www.rrr.ie, on all Nokia phones, and on your iPhone with the latest application, on Android phones via the TuneIn application, and now on the DAB platform in Dublin and Waterford from 01 July 2012; it will also be available on DAB in Cork and Limerick by the end of 2012. Raidió Rí-Rá has plans to broadcast via digital television in the future, and hopes that a full-time Irish-language youth station will be available national through FM and on DAB as well.
On average, over 4,000 people listen to Raidió Rí-Rá online around the world every month via www.rrr.ie - a number which rises significantly when the station is broadcasting live on FM as well - and over 1.5 million people had access to the Irish-language chartstation throughout the live broadcasts.
Raidió Rí-Rá is the official station of the international Irish-language festival, Seachtain na Gaeilge, which runs for a fortnight every March.
Listeners can get the latest celeb news, listen to the all the hottest hits, vote for their favourite songs, check out Top 40 Oifigiúil na hÉireann and download past programmes from the website. www.rrr.ie
Raidió Rí-Rá is managed by Raidió X Limited with support from Conradh na Gaeilge, is funded by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht through Ciste na Gaeilge from the National Lottery, and Digital Radio Ltd is the operating company.
Conradh na Gaeilge is the democratic forum for the Irish-speaking community working to promote the language. There are over 200 branches of Conradh na Gaeilge and since its foundation in 1893, members of the Conradh have been actively promoting Irish in every aspect of life in Ireland and especially its use in their own areas. Conraitheoirí are at the forefront of campaigns to secure and strengthen the rights of the Irish language community. It is also possible to register as an individual member of the Conradh. Conradh na Gaeilge runs Irish courses in Dublin, Galway, Mayo and other places throughout the country as well. www.cnag.ie/courses
Aontas Phobal na Gaeilge (APG) is an alliance of Irish-language organisations working to promote Irish across Ireland and the world through more strategic language-planning. Aontas Phobal na Gaeilge consists of Comhaltas Uladh, Comhluadar, Conradh na Gaeilge, Glór na nGael and Seachtain na Gaeilge, organisations dealing with different aspects of the promotion of Irish in the community that came together to form a working alliance that would ensure a better provision of services and more value for money. www.aontaspg.ie
