Nuacht RTÉ and Nuacht TG4 Newscaster Eimear Ní Chonaola recalls last March when the virus 'felt very far away in China.'
I consider myself most fortunate to live in the beautiful village of An Spidéal in the Conamara Gaeltacht. The bog is a mere stone's throw from my house, and Galway Bay and the view of the Burren a few hundred metres in the opposite direction. We are blessed to have a few small beautiful beaches on our doorstep. A day does not go by that I don’t appreciate my surroundings.
Last March when I picked up my little boy Cuan from the crèche, on the infamous day when then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar made his speech from Washington, I remember saying to the women who minded him that it wouldn’t be for long and that he’d hopefully be back in a fortnight.
How wrong I was! Even though we had been reporting on the virus since January, nobody really understood the gravity of what we were facing, and it felt very far away in China. But the strained faces of Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney gave us an indication of what was in store.
Given the nature of my job as newscaster, I have been one of the few employees coming into the TG4 HQ in Baile na hAbhann in Conamara. Nuacht and TG4 management have put very stringent measures in place, and thus far we have been lucky and fortunate.
There is a temperature check on arrival, and a mask is worn at all times when in the building. The Nuacht team is small, and most now work from home. They have done extraordinary work – in the most difficult of circumstances.
Because in this line of work, there is always a deadline - or three, we have three Nuacht bulletins everyday -our first is at 5.00pm on RTÉ NewsNow, Nuacht RTÉ is broadcast every day on RTÉ One at 5.40pm, and our main news bulletin is broadcast on TG4 every evening at 7.00pm.
Lockdown measures are especially tough on the news reporters and camera crews, who are based all around the country, in Belfast, Donegal, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Dublin, Kerry and Cork. They now have to travel separately to cover stories, interviews always have to be conducted outside, no matter what the weather, and there is always the pressure of sending your story in on time for the next bulletin.
Our aim is to bring the latest news to our viewers not only in the Gaeltacht areas, but to our viewers all around the country and indeed to the diaspora. I remember being at the Milwaukee Irish Fest a few years ago, and the TG4 tent was one of the most popular there, as the Irish from all around Chicago congregated there to watch Timpeall na Tíre, our weekly round-up news programme - just to catch a glimpse of home. I can imagine that these glimpses of home are all the sweeter now, especially as most won’t be able to travel home for the foreseeable future.
I haven’t seen most of the reporters since last March, as only a handful of people are allowed to come into the TG4 building. The place isn’t the same at all. I miss seeing all the usual faces, and the buzz about the place. I miss the canteen and the camaraderie and the banter between Cáit, Nellie and Alan, who always took such great care of us all. Now it’s just lunch for one at my desk!
As with most live TV, no one in Nuacht knew what we were facing when the first lockdown was imposed last March; how we would cover stories, how we could make our interviewees feel safe. Like others, we have had to adapt to the new Covid world and we have had to look at doing things differently.
Instead of always meeting people to do face-to-face interviews, we use Skype, Zoom or WhatsApp. Editorial meetings are done via Zoom every morning. Like the previous lockdowns, I’m back doing my own hair (make-up we always do ourselves) so it often happens that I resort to a ponytail, as blow-drying my own hair is not one of my greatest talents. But in the greater scheme of things, hair and make-up are of very little consequence.
Despite working in televised media, I’m a total radio addict. Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio One to Adhmhaidin on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, and back to Today with Claire Byrne. However, like everyone, I need to escape current affairs and the difficulties of the 'new normal’ at times, and so I have also been switching more to Lyric FM.
I love Aedín Gormley’s presenting style as well as John Creedon with his laid-back tones and eclectic mix on Radio One. When not watching Nuacht - the nights when Siún Nic Gearailt is in the hot seat rather than I - or current affairs programmes like 7 Lá and Fíorscéal on TG4, and Prime Time on RTÉ, I like to switch off entirely. I like to be transported to another place and time and so I have been drawn to Outlander and Bridgerton, which I recently saw on Netflix. They provided excellent escapism. The Queen’s Gambit is next on my list!
I have been reading more too. I’m in a book club, which again has been conducted via Zoom since last March. It’s not quite the same, as we are all partial to tea and cake, but it’s still great to see everyone, albeit on a screen. We are currently reading Noah’s Child by Eric Emmanuel Schmitt, a short but compulsive read.
Of course, there are days when it can all become a little overwhelming, when an interview makes you pause and listen and cry. My heart goes out to grieving families, the loneliness of the funerals, the frustration at not being able to shake a person’s hand, or hug them when they have lost a dear one. More and more families are being touched by this terrible disease.
Before, we would have thought nothing of jumping in the car, and driving here, there and everywhere. A day off was a day to go somewhere. But that has changed. Lockdown has forced me, and us all, to slow down, to stay at home more, and to make use of all local amenities.
Now we walk down the road, chat to our neighbours, make sandcastles at the beach - no matter the weather, go to the local playground, climb trees, cook, bake and walk along the shoreline. Sén Cuainín, an trá is gaire dhúinn an áit is ansa linn. Is ann a bhíonn currach m’athair ceangailte sa Samhradh – agus is iomaí lá a chaitheann muid ann ag snámh agus ag spaisteoireacht. Being out on the water – be that rowing or swimming – is our favourite thing to do, and the opportunity to catch some pollock or mackerel never goes amiss.
This last year has made me appreciate my surroundings more, the beauty of nature and the value of good neighbours. And the support of a wonderful family. When lockdown restrictions eased last Summer, we made it to Donegal for a few days’ holidays.
Spending hours at Marble Hill beach, meeting good friends and spending time with my family was a tonic – all that was missing was the gin! This year I hope we will get the chance to head to Diamond Hill in Letterfrack or to the Aran Islands, to climb Cnoc Leitir Móir, to go for a swim in Dog’s Bay in Roundstone - we are really spoiled for choice here, and I look forward to seeing all my favourite places again soon, when restrictions ease and when it is safe to do so.
In the meantime, we will take it day by day, not plan too far ahead and be grateful for and enjoy what we have right now. I am hopeful for the future. The vaccines might take a little longer than we had envisaged this year, but they are definitely on the way. Until then, I just want us all - my family, my friends and neighbours -to stay safe and well. For without them, where would we be? Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine…
