Dara Ó Cinnéide and Gemma Ní Chionnaith to front new sport series on TG4
TG4 has announced the addition of SPÓRT IRIS to its upcoming summer schedule. Hosted by Kerry footballing legend Dara Ó Cinnéide and TG4 presenter Gemma Ní Chionnaith, SPÓRT IRIS will launch with a live broadcast from the opening night of Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta in Leitir Mór, Co. Galway, on Friday (June 3) at 9.55 p.m.
Thereafter, Dara and Gemma will be joined each week in Croke Park by a panel of experts to analyse and preview all the best of the summer sports action from the United Rugby Championship, hurling, football, Peil na mBan and camogie championships, as well as the action from the Galway Races, to name but a few.
Joining Dara and Gemma for the first episode will be Marc Ó Sé, Kevin Cassidy, Michael Rice and Joe Connolly, and there will be a live interview with Waterford hurling manager Liam Cahill.
Speaking about the launch of the new show, Dara Ó Cinnéide said: “I’m really looking forward to being back on TG4 with this exciting new production. With its mix of expert analysis, chat about the talking points of the week and live interviews with the main characters of the drama that will unfold during the summer, I believe SPÓRT IRIS - going out each Friday night - will fill a void in the weekly schedule for the sports-mad Irish audience.”
No stranger to sporting audiences from her recent hosting of Rugbaí Beo for TG4, Gemma Ní Chionnaith added: “For so long now people have commented to me about the lack of a weekly sports show previewing all the weekend's sporting action on Irish television so I’m delighted to be part of this new series from TG4. I’m looking forward to getting out and about to connect with the stories that will be preoccupying us all during the summer.”
Also commenting on the launch of SPÓRT IRIS, the CEO of TG4, Alan Esslemont, commented: “TG4 is delighted that SPÓRT IRIS, a new sports analysis series, will be broadcast from Croke Park, expanding on the station’s partnership with GAA headquarters. In previewing the upcoming sports with expert analysis from presenters and panelists, this series adds to the extensive live coverage that TG4 shows throughout the week, offering a great start to the sporting weekends throughout the summer schedule.”
Production on SPÓRT IRIS will be by Galway-based Iris Productions to complement Iris’ growing slate of sports production, which includes Rugbaí Beo, URC Live, Women’s 6 Nations, Tour de France and World Athletics for TG4, RTÉ and BBCNI.