Imelda May visits Donegal Gaeltacht in new RTÉ series airing this week

Imelda May will visit the Donegal Gaeltacht, where she will meet some of the county's best sean nós singers. 

Imelda May: Amhráin na nGael, episode five, which airs on Friday at 8:30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, will feature Imelda on Tory Island. 

She meets with island local Niamh Ní Dhubhgáin, who comes from a long line of talented sean-nós singers and is inspired by how today’s youth are keeping these traditions alive. 

Sisters Maighréad and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill support Imelda in the performance of a majestic sean-nós song. 

The series follows Imelda as she travels to Ireland’s Gaeltacht regions, from An Rinn in Waterford to Múscraí in Cork, on to west Kerry, Conamara and further north to Toraigh, off the coast of Donegal, seeking to reignite her connection with the Irish language through traditional songs and the sean-nós tradition. 

She digs deep, searching for songs that resonate with her emotionally and help her connect with this style of singing. Throughout the series, Imelda delves into the archives of remarkable music collectors who paved the way, taking inspiration from Risteard De Hindeberg, Elizabeth “Bess” Cronin and many others who passed on and preserved a rich heritage of songs. 

“Making this series was such a personal journey,” Imelda said. “I travelled the length of Ireland’s precious Gaeltacht areas in search of a way back into our beloved mother tongue, after it was forced and kept out of many of us. 

“I discovered that song seems to be a magical key to unlocking the path forward and I was met with such kindness, wisdom and warmth along the way by some of Ireland’s finest singers, poets and scholars. I hope I reflected on the often unspoken and sometimes complex relationship many of us have with our language.

“I hope that you will come with me on this gorgeous discovery and maybe narrow the divide a little between those who are fluent as Gaeilge and those of us who’d love to be.” 

Imelda May: Amhráin na nGael continues on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Friday 21 November at 8.30pm.