TG4 has confirmed the appointment of Deirdre Ní Choistín as its new director general.
The Irish language broadcaster revealed the news this week following what it described as a “competitive public recruitment process”.
It marks the first time a woman has been appointed to lead the station, which was founded in 1996.
Raised in Kilcock, Co. Kildare, to parents from Waterford and Carlow, Ms Ní Choistín has been with the station since 1999.
She joined shortly after the channel rebranded from TnaG to TG4 and was a producer and director for fourteen years before holding the role of communications manager from 2019 to 2022 and later being appointed head of news and current affairs.
Ms Ní Choistín will be the fourth director general at TG4.
She takes over the role from the outgoing director general Alan Esslemont, who held the position for the past eight years.
TG4 claims her appointment heralds a “new era” for the organisation.
“On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to welcome the appointment of Deirdre Ní Choistín as Director General of TG4,” Cathaoirleach of the TG4 Board, Anna Ní Ghallachair said.
TG4 has confirmed the appointment of Deirdre Ní Choistín as its new director general (PIC: Martina Regan)“Deirdre has very considerable experience in many roles within the organisation as well as the vision and qualifications which will ensure the kind of leadership and strategic planning that will bring TG4 to the next level of excellence and recognition, for the benefit of Irish language communities in Ireland and internationally.”
She added: “As a new era for TG4 begins with Deirdre’s appointment, I wish to acknowledge and thank our outgoing Director General Alan Esslemont for the many achievements of the TG4 team under his stewardship over the last eight years. As Director General, Alan showed outstanding leadership and creative vision which brought Irish language broadcasting and cinema to the world stage and which created a cultural role model for minority language media at home and abroad.”
Regarding her appointment, Ms Ní Choistín, said: “It is a joy and a privilege for me to be appointed as director general of TG4.
“TG4 has had a special place in my heart since the day it was launched on Halloween night in 1996 while I was still at university,” the mother-of-four, who lives in Galway, added.
“At a crucial time in Irish language broadcasting, I am looking forward to working with the team to prepare TG4 for the future by cultivating creativity, better serving our audiences across all platforms, and further development of the independent production sector, in the Gaeltacht in particular.'
See More: Deirdre Ní Choistín, TG4
