Revealed: RTE's Nationwide cameras make a visit to popular Tipperary village

The popular RTE Nationwide programme - which is aired on television three evenings a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7pm - visited Lorrha on Sunday week last.

Nationwide, which is presented by Anne Cassin and Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, travel to all corners around Ireland to cover interesting stories on many different types of topics from a broad and diverse range of sources and subjects.

This was no different as RTE rolled into Lorrha village with cameraman and editor Matt Kelly and his wife Marian Malone, who is a reporter with Nationwide, focusing on all things Lorrha has to offer.

Patrick Cahalan, chairman of the community based Scéal shop, outlined what the shop has to offer and plans going forward for the future development of the community hall where the shop is based.

This was a timely visit from the Nationwide team as Patrick pointed out that the idea, which was initiated by the Scéal committee, happened some years ago in the hope of attracting some national coverage. “After a number of emails to RTE,” he said, “they eventually came back to us and so here we are today.”

With Scéal embarking on a building project to extend St Ruadhan’s Community Hall, funding has been secured, but there is also fundraising taking place. “We have our Buy a Brick fundraiser which is ongoing all the time and is going quite well I must say,” said Patrick.

Elaborating on the funding received to date, the Scéal chairman pointed out how the hard working committee received funding “from different sources such as the Department of Community and Rural Affairs, Pobal, North Tipperary County Council and the LEADER group. The Pobal funding will go towards renovations to the existing hall. We hope to start the extension in June of this year and finish around February 2024 roughly if all goes to plan,” he said.

He mentioned that the Nationwide visit was “a big event” for Lorrha and indeed for the whole parish and that later there would be a drone filming the entire village which would take in the historical sites as well.
Marian Malone, who is a reporter with Nationwide, has over twenty five years experience working with the programme so both she and her cameraman/editor husband Matt Kelly, know exactly what they want.

“We are absolutely thrilled and delighted to be in Lorrha and to be able to show off the community and the wonderful people and wonderful spirit here,” she said. “The main attraction is the community shop and it’s really wonderful when we see villages that are in decline and then the community come together and rejuvenate it and bring it back to life. There is now going to be an extension built and the shop will be a dedicated area and it’s wonderful that the group have got grant funding for that,” she said. “Here today, we will be talking and getting a snapshot of the community, the shop, the heritage and all of that, for the programme which will be aired later in May,” she said.

The Scéal shop which is totally kept open by local volunteers, opens seven days a week and carries items from groceries to art and craft work to firewood and papers to mention just some. They also serve teas and coffee.

Located close to the shores of Lough Derg, Lorrha is a small attractive village set in the surrounds of an ancient monastic settlement. Founded by St Ruadhan in the 6th century, Lorrha boasts of many ruins such as the Augustinian Abbey, the Dominican Abbey, St. Ruadhan’s Abbey and Holy Well to name just a few of so much to be seen here. The story of the rich ecclesiastical history of the village, attracts tourists from far and near to view such as the ruins in the peace and tranquillity of centuries gone by and hopefully when this Nationwide Programme airs later in May, it will attract more many more visitors to Lorrha and the gem of a village that it is.