Ros na Rún
Ros na Rún is an Irish soap opera produced for the Irish-language television channel TG4. The series is set in a fictional village called Ros Na Rún, located near to An Spidéal, and focuses on the domestic and professional lives of its residents.[1]
| Ros na Rún | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Soap opera |
| Directed by | Niall Fallon Louise Ní Fhiannachta Eamonn Norris |
| Starring | Cast list |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| Original language(s) | Irish |
| No. of seasons | 24 |
| No. of episodes | 1795 (as of June 2020) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Patricia Carroll Siobhán Ní Ghadra |
| Producer(s) | Deirdre Ní Fhlatharta |
| Production location(s) | An Spidéal, County Galway |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Tyrone Productions EO Teilifís |
| Release | |
| Original network | TG4 |
| Picture format | 16:9 (SDTV) |
| Original release | 3 November 1996 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Na Rúin |
| External links | |
| Website | |
| Production website | |
Ros na Rún has been praised for its tackling of realistic and socially challenging storylines, which got it dubbed ‘The Wild West‘. It has dealt with many different storylines, including domestic violence, infidelity, theft, arson, abortion, homosexuality, adoption, murder, rape, drugs, teen pregnancy and paedophilia.
Background
Ros na Rún was originally transmitted on RTÉ One and later transferred to the Irish-language station TG4, when it opened in October 1996. Ros na Rún first aired on the night of 3 November 1996. The episode filmed scenes in Galway, Dublin and London. The title (pronounced [ɾˠɔsˠ nˠə ˈɾˠuːnˠ]) plays on the double meaning of the Irish word rún, which has a basic meaning of 'secret' but also has a long history as a term of endearment, similar to "honey", "sweetheart", or "darling". Ros can mean either "a wood or wooded headland" or "a headland or promontory", so the title can mean either "Wood/Headland of the Secrets" or "Wood/Headland of the Sweethearts".
Characters
Storylines
The show begins following the death of Old Jack Padráig, presumed to not have left behind a will. His niece Rita O’Connor prepares to move her family from Dublin into her uncle's home in Ros na Rún only to find that her cousin Jack Hayes is already occupying the property, leading to a family dispute over its inheritance. Surrounding the circumstances of Old Jack's death is seedy local publican Tadhg Ó Direáin, whom Rita recalls being raped by on the night of her hen party seventeen years ago. Rita's son Jason is devastated when he learns that Tadhg is his biological father, though the two later establish a relationship. Other early storylines include the O'Connor family struggling to settle into their new lives in Ros na Rún, along with the closure of the Mil Rí Chocolate Factory's effect on the local job economy. Robbie Lynch comes to terms with the accidental death of his sister Yvonne, while Jack and his partner Tom Doherty face scrutiny as a gay couple as they attempt to start a local business. A moment between Tom and veterinarian Owen Collins leads to the first on-screen gay kiss broadcast on TV in Ireland, which made headlines across the country.[2]
During the 2000s, the machinations of drug lord Jim O’Dowd destroys the lives of his wife Ríona De Búrca, her brother Donnacha, and unwilling associate Daniel McLoughlin, framed for the murder of his wife by O'Dowd for blackmail. Following the death of her adopted father, local teenager Mo Gilmartin struggles to accept that Sergeant Úna Ní Riain is her birth mother. The mental deterioration of Dr. Cathal Hennessy nearly leads to the murder-suicide of his fiancé and series regular Berni Ní Neachtain, before he is thwarted and killed by Bernie's son Evan. Tadhg is visited by his illegitimate son Eoin, who possesses a vendetta that culminates into Eoin locking Tadhg inside a coffin and setting it ablaze. The show pays tribute to the character of beloved series original Séamus Mhicil Tom Ó Catháin following the passing of actor Diarmuid Mac An Adhastair.[3]
Following the show's 20th season, Bernie's criminal brother Andy Ó Neachtain returns to the series in an attempt to extort money, kidnapping Tadhg and Francis's daughter Ainé for ransom and nearly strangling his estranged wife Bobbi-Lee during her escape. An unconscious Andy is tossed into the river by Tadhg with a reluctant Vince De Búrca's assistance, though is later found alive and acquitted by jury for his crimes over lack of evidence. A major plot spanning several seasons involves the conflict between sisters Katy and Dee Daly, which begins when Katy becomes pregnant following a one-night stand with Dee's fiancé Mack Ó Riain. Dee takes desperate measures to hide the truth from Mack including becoming pregnant herself and undermining Katy's sanity, with the storyline intended to highlight the effects of gaslighting upon its victims.[4]
Na Rúin
On 13 September 2011, TG4 launched a ten-part online spinoff series, titled Na Rúin (The Secrets).[5] The miniseries took on the theme of mystery, when 16-year-old Ciara goes missing. Lorcán finds himself in the frame for her murder, despite his protests of his innocence. The viewer had to read the blogs of Rachel, her roommate and Lorcán, as well as watch video diaries detailing the thoughts of each character about the disappearance to solve the mystery.
Satire
In 2005, John Finn, Kathryn Morris and Jeremy Ratchford from Cold Case appeared in a satirical promo for both Cold Case and Ros na Rún for TG4. The commercial won a Gold Medal in the "Best Drama Promos" category of the 2007 Sharks International Advertising Awards Festival of Ireland (Sharks Awards).[6] The promotion features both John Finn and Kathryn Morris in character interrogating a murder suspect from TG4 soap Ros na Rún played by Peadar Cox who refuses to speak in English, both detectives then begin talking in Irish much to the surprise of Jeremy Ratchford's character, the promo tied in with a murder investigation in Ros na Rún.[7] TG4 also ran a similar promo for Nip/Tuck, where Séamus is seen cycling through the country side supporting a brand new pair of breasts.
References
- "Stephen Fry to cameo in TG4 soap". Irish Times.
- "Six of the most scandalous moments from Irish soaps". The Irish Post. 27 July 2015.
- "'Ros na Run' mourns the loss of Diarmuid". Independent.ie. 11 July 2015.
- "Donegal duo bring 'gaslighting" to the fore in shocking Ros na Rún finale". Donegal Woman. 12 June 2019.
- "TG4 Reveals 'Ros na Rún' Teen Drama Spinoff 'Na Rúin'". IFTN.
- "Corporate – Awards". TG4. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
- "Cold Case meets Ros Na Rún". YouTube/TG4. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
External links
- Ros na Rún on IMDb
