The RT Raidi na Gaeltachta Award 2025 will be presented to journalist P il n N Chiar in at the Oireachtas na Samhna in Belfast tomorrow, Saturday 1 November, during the Corn U Riada competition.
This award is given as a mark of respect and recognition to individuals or groups for their work on behalf of the Irish language and the Irish-speaking community.
P il n N Chiar in is one of the finest journalists of our time, highly respected and renowned as a reporter, columnist, expert on political affairs, and on many other topics.
P il n was born in Dumha Locha in Erris, County Mayo. She received her secondary education at Col iste Mhuire, Tourmakeady, and later earned a degree from the University of Galway. She began her career in media as a researcher and presenter with RT , working on the current affairs programme F ach, and later with RT News. In 1981, she moved to Belfast with RT News and has been reporting and analyzing current affairs in Northern Ireland ever since.
She spent time as Head of News with the BBC in Derry and was a columnist for the newspaper Foinse from its founding in 1996 until it ceased publication in 2009. She has written columns for The Irish Times, the magazine Comhar, and many others over the years, and is a regular columnist on tuairisc.ie.
As RT Raidi na Gaeltachta's correspondent in Northern Ireland, she is frequently heard reporting for the news and other programmes. She also appears on Blas and An Focal Scoir on BBC Northern Ireland. Over the years, she has participated in television programmes on RT , TG4, and the BBC. She provided commentary for TG4 documentaries on buses and trains and translated scripts into Irish for the films Ar Intinn Eile and Congo 1961.
She received the Oireachtas Communications Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 for her outstanding, knowledgeable, and versatile work in media over the years. Among other awards she has received is An Peann faoi Bhl th, presented to her by former President Mary McAleese in 1998.
Gear id Mac Donncha, Head of RT Raidi na Gaeltachta, said:
When I think of P il n N Chiar in, I think of a top-class journalist, a storyteller who has done deep analysis and reflection, a broadcaster and writer who is articulate, precise, and authoritative-and that's just a small part of it. She is one of the most experienced and respected journalists working in the North. She kept the public, especially the Irish-speaking community, informed about what was happening in the North during the Troubles and since. This award is being presented to P il n in recognition of the immense service she has given-and continues to give-to that community through radio, television, and the written word. I want to sincerely congratulate you, P il n. It has always been a great pleasure to work with you and to be in your company.
P il n said:
It is a great honour for me to receive this award from Raidi na Gaeltachta. I have great respect for the station and I'm proud of the care RnaG has always taken with Northern affairs. This recognition is not just for me, but for the community from which I was shaped in Erris, County Mayo, and for all the people here whose stories I have had the privilege to tell.
The RT Raidi na Gaeltachta Award, designed by sculptor Jarlath Daly, will be presented to P il n N Chiar in during the Corn U Riada competition at Oireachtas na Samhna.
The Corn U Riada competition, presented by Neansa N Choisdealbha, will be broadcast live on RT Raidi na Gaeltachta on Saturday 1 November at 19:00 from the Great Hall of the ICC in Belfast.
-ENDS-
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The RT Raidi na Gaeltachta Award 2025 will be presented to journalist P il n N Chiar in at the Oireachtas na Samhna in Belfast tomorrow, Saturday 1 November, during the Corn U Riada competition.
