On the 3rd of February students Caileigh Anne Ryan, Eimi Smith and Jackie Conway, were invited to the RTÉ Studios in Dublin. They were joined on the trip by students from two other CEIST schools – Scoil Bhríde, Tuam and Holy Rosary College Mountbellew and also students from St Jarlath’s Tuam.

The students had a chance to talk with the creators of RTE Player and discuss ideas on what young people want to see on their screens. The students came up with solutions on how to make RTE’s social media platforms more appealing to the younger audience. These concepts have led into the new digital signage televisions that are being introduced into our secondary school. The televisions  will display the news and  current affairs stories that young people are interested in. This way students will be encouraged to keep up with global as well as local issues.

Students also got a chance to talk to the presenters of Two Tube Stephen Byrne and Blathnaid Treacy, who told them how they had got involved with film, television and production. The two presenters talked about how they began their careers and had worked up the ladder to becoming presenters.  They also shared with the students  the importance and processes of preparing for interviews with celebrities who are promoting their new music or movies.

The group then got a tour of the RTE studios and production areas and sets for programmes such as the News, Fair City and The Late Late Show, along with the RTE radio stations. The students got an wonderful insight on how our national television programmes are filmed and created for our enjoyment.
The wonderful day was a great success and sparked an interest in film production and the whole experience culminated with the group meeting Nicky Byrne who stopped and posed for photos with everyone, ensuring that a great day was had by all.