Irish-language station TG4 has launched a new dedicated kids' TV channel, which will run seven days a week and provide children with constant access to Irish-language programs.
Cúla4, which launched on Friday, September 8, will run between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days a week, providing kids with 14 hours of Irish-language entertainment every day.
The new channel will feature a mix of shows, including popular cartoons such as "Spongebob Squarepants", live-action shows, and brand-new competitions and games, all presented in the Irish language.
Niamh Ní Chróinín, one of three continuity presenters on the new channel, told IrishCentral that Cúla4 will cater to children around the country.
"One of the most important things for us is that kids are on screen and that they see themselves on screen, they see people who are like them on screen," Ní Chróinín told IrishCentral.
"Young people own the channel. They have all the power. Any big decision we make in Cúla4 comes from young people. This channel is all about them."
Ní Chróinín noted that there has been children's programming on TG4 ever since the station launched in 1996 but said it was limited to a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon.
This was simply not enough to cater to children who are being raised in the Irish language or trying to learn more Irish, Ní Chróinín said.
"It is about normalizing the language. It's about making it available for them and making them excited about Irish. While they're being exposed to Irish, really they're just looking at really great content.
"They're looking at cartoons that they love and they're looking at themselves and their friends on screen. It's a bonus that it's in Irish as well. They're learning, but it's never obvious that they're learning. It's fun."
As one of three continuity presenters, Ní Chróinín's role is to provide a link between shows, where she will be tasked with running competitions and conducting interviews from TG4's new purpose-built Cúla4 studio.
She has worked extensively on the launch of the new channel and told IrishCentral that she is excited to get it up and running.
"It's a lot of pressure and it's a lot of work, but at the same time, it's so exciting. For me, it's such a privilege to even be part of setting up a brand-new channel. That doesn't come around too often. I don't think it's anything I'll get to do again.
"It's been great for me. It's a dream job, I don't know what I would do next because I don't think it gets any better than this."
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