Comhghairdeas!
Bishop scoops award for Irish language show
Des Bishop has won one of the most prestigious awards in Irish TV, for his series about the Gaelic language.The stand-up won an Ifta for In The Name Of The Fada, which followed his progress through the Gaeltacht in Connemara.
He can now speak and perform gigs completely in Irish – and accepted his award, Ireland’s equivalent of a Bafta, in the language.
Bishop, a New Yorker, moved to Ireland in his teens and embarked on his mission because he felt he couldn’t properly understand Irish culture without knowing the language. He has since become something of a campaigner to promote its teaching in schools.
In a separate category, Graham Linehan won the Ifta for best TV script for The IT Crowd.
However, Dylan Moran lost out in the category for best actor in a movie, after being nominated for his role in A Film With Me In It. The gong went to Michael Fassbender for Hunger.
Published: 16 Feb 2009
