Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin facts for kids
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin is a talented writer, musician, and publisher. He was born in Aghamore, County Mayo, Ireland. Tadhg is well-known for creating books and TV shows for children and young people.
Early Life and TV Career
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin was born in 1961. He went to school at St Louis Community School in Kiltimagh. Later, he graduated from St Patrick's College, Dublin, in 1982.
He worked as a teacher for five years. He taught at Gaelscoil Uí Dhálaigh, an Irish-speaking primary school in Leixlip.
In 1984, Tadhg started working in television. He was invited to present a children's show called Dilín ó Deamhas on RTÉ Television. In 1987, he left teaching to work full-time in TV. He became a presenter and reporter for Cúrsaí, an Irish language program.
Later, in 1995, a new arts show began. It was called Cúrsaí Ealaíne. Tadhg helped present this show. Cúrsaí Ealaíne won an Irish Film and Television Awards award in 2000. It was named the best TV Features series.
Music and Moving West
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin is also a guitarist and singer. While he lived in Dublin, he recorded two music albums. One album was called Solas Gorm. It was a fun collection of blues songs. The other album was Raiftéirí san Underground. This album had songs in both Irish and English.
In 1996, a new Irish-language TV channel started. It was called TG4. This led to more TV work in the West of Ireland. In 2000, Tadhg moved to the Conamara Gaeltacht. A Gaeltacht is an area where Irish is the main language.
He still works there as a freelance screenwriter. One of his most famous works is Aifric. This was a popular teenage drama show. It won awards from the Irish Film and Television Awards and the Celtic Media Festival. Aifric has been shown in seven different languages around the world.
Author and Publisher Work
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin has written many award-winning books. One of them is Gugalaí Gug!. This book came with a CD of traditional children's rhymes. It won a Gold Disc in 2013. His book, Madame Lazare, was named 'Irish Language Book of the Year' in 2021.
He also wrote a book for adults about Antaine Ó Raiftearaí. It is called Mise Raiftearaí an Fíodóir Focal. This book won the Gradam Uí Shúilleabháin award in 2015. This award is for the best Irish-language book of the year. The project started as a TV show script for TG4. Tadhg also presented the TV film. The film was shown on TG4 in December 2010.
Another book for children is 'Bliain na nAmhrán'. It is a collection of songs. This book and CD won an award in 2017. It received the Children's Books Ireland Judges' Honour Award.
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin also owns a book publishing company. It is called Futa Fata. This company mainly publishes books for children. Futa Fata has over 100 books in print. Some are by Irish writers and artists. Others are translations of books from French, German, and English. Futa Fata also sells its books to other countries. Their books have been published in eleven languages worldwide.
In 2007, Tadhg was given a special honor. He was named Uachtarán an Oireachtais. This is an honorary title from Oireachtas na Gaeilge. This is a big Irish language festival. That year, the festival was held in Westport.
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin lives in An Spidéal, Conamara.
