In the Name of the Fada

tv show

poster for In the Name of the Fada

6 total episodes

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1 seasons

First Aired March 13, 2008

Overview

In the Name of the Fada was a show that aired on RTÉ from 13 March to 17 April 2008, documenting Irish-American comedian Des Bishop and his pursuit of fluency in the Irish language. The show was a 6-part mini-series in which Bishop spends a year living in Tír an Fhia, which is one of many Gaeltacht regions in Ireland. Bishop aims to be able to perform a stand-up comedy act as Gaeilge by the end of the stay. The theme tune is Floating by Jape.

Irish in America poster unavailable

Irish in America

Season 1 - Episode 5 - 0h 0m

Air Date

April 10, 2008

Overview

The question of why Des is undertaking this is incessant and confronting. Bottom line is that it's hard to get answers sometimes in Ireland. Galetacht people just speak it as it is their language. Irish people have to learn it in school, so their opinion of the language is largely impacted by that experience. For some respite and reflection, Des returns to New York and Boston where Irish is the 66th most spoken language. He meets Irish speakers, students and teachers, many of whom share his motivations - to tap into an Irish identity that is so important to the diaspora. He meets up with the extension of the Connemara Gaeltacht in Boston where he is inspired by the motivation of people who have never been to Ireland but continue to work hard to learn and teach the language - not for money - but for the sheer love of it.