As we come to the end of 2024, it's always great to look back on all the good things that have happened. That's why we decided to chat to Bonnie O'Meara, the star of RTÉjr's Maddie + Triggs, who has had a BRILLIANT year!
The show, produced by Turnip + Duck, stars a vision-impaired 7-year-old girl (Maddie) and her doggy best friend (Triggs) who find music and adventure in the sounds of the everyday, by really listening to the world around them.
Read Bonnie's article, written all by herself, below. And stream Maddie + Triggs on RTÉ Player now!
Tell us about yourself?
My name is Bonnie. I am 10 years old and I am from Dublin. I have a dog called Scruffy and 3 fish called Bobby, Big Tim, and Honey.
I love crocheting, gymnastics, athletics and arts and crafts! I love crocheting soft toys, I have millions of them at this stage! In gymnastics, I have about 2 to 3 competitions every year! Bars is my favourite piece. I love watching movies with my family!
How important is it for everyone to be able to enjoy shows?
I think it is really important that everybody should be able to watch a show without being stressed, or feeling strained.
I believe strongly that there should be more shows like Maddie + Triggs, because having a disability can sometimes be tough and having the stress of watching TV doesn't make it any easier. Besides, watching TV should be a nice experience, not a stressful one.
And how did you get picked to play Maddie?
To get the part of Maddie, I had to do an audition for the role. A message came in from vision Ireland about the show and I loved the sound of it so I looked into it a bit further.
I remember that I had to say a few lines from the show and I sang a part of the song Bubbles. I also remember that I had to tell a funny story. I told a story about my Nana running into a chair.
A few months later, Mam and Dad told me that they were going to go meet a friend for a chat, but then a few months later I figured out that it was about Maddie and Triggs and that I had got the role! I was so thrilled!
I remember the first time I went to see the Directors (Colm and Aidan). I felt so amazing and they gave me a big drumroll before they announced that I was Maddie! It was great!
Maddie + Triggs has been so much fun. It is a really big hit in the house and we all love learning the songs together! In one of the first 15 episodes, my brother Connor played the part of Derek in 'The Vet'. He was so happy and we were all so happy for him!
You were very busy over the past 12 months. Tell us about being on the Toy Show?
Yes!..the most exciting things that happened were the Toy show and Maddie + Triggs! I sang Peaches from the Mario movie. It was SO amazing!
My costume was incredible! It was made up with about 4 different layers! It was so thick, I could barely walk in it! The whole thing was so exciting, I remember seeing all the elf costumes, and all the Matilda costumes and so much more!
Recording all the new episodes for Maddie + Triggs has been brilliant! I was hoping for so long that the podcast would be turned into an animated cartoon and when I heard it was just so exciting!! I've really enjoyed all the new stories and singing all the brilliant new songs, the whole thing has just been so brilliant!
And finally, what do you want to do in 2025?
For the new year, I would love to go back to do some more Maddie and Triggs, it has been so much fun!!
Maddie + Triggs is streaming now on RTÉ Player.
And listen to the Podcast here or wherever you get yours.
