Cúla4 () is an

Irish-language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenou ...

programming block Block programming (also known as a strand in British broadcasting) is the arrangement of programs on radio or television so that those of a particular genre, theme, or target audience are united. Overview Block programming involves scheduling a ...

and standalone television channel operated by

TG4 TG4 (; , ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television channel. It launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on-demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was initially known as (TnaG), before bein ...

for Irish-speaking children in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. The channel broadcasts

free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscri ...

from 6am to 7:54pm, timesharing with TG4 +1, which starts at 8pm.

History

The strand was first established in 1996 as Cúlabúla along with the rebrand of TnaG to TG4. In 1999, Cúlabúla was renamed Cúla4. On 1 September 2009, Cúla4 was added as a separate channel to UPC customers on channel 602. A new schedule coincided with the launch on UPC. In November 2021, TG4 announced that it was planning to launch Cúla4 as a channel available for all Irish TV providers. An advertising campaign for the channel was launched in early September 2023 and advertisements were played on TV and in cinemas. The channel launched on 8 September at 4pm, replacing the simulcast on Virgin Media and also being added to

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

in Ireland. The first programme aired on the channel was an episode of ''

Pat the Dog ''Pat the Dog'' is an animated children's television series created by Patrick Ermosilla and produced by Superprod Studio and Animoka Studios, in co-production with Toon Factory (season 1), Grid Animation (season 1) and Rai Fiction (season 1), ...

''.

Programming

The majority of Cúla4's programming is a mixture of national and international programmes which are either dubbed or subtitled in Irish. Cúla4 works with international broadcasters to produce Irish dubs of TV series which are seen on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

and

Discovery Family Discovery Family (known on-air as Discovery Family Channel and abbreviated as DFC) is an American Specialty channel, cable television channel co-owned by The Cartoon Network, Inc. and Hasbro Entertainment, which are divisions of Warner Bros. Di ...

. It also works with homegrown animation companies to produce localised series. Cúla4's programming is either in Irish or in Irish and English, unlike its competition where the majority of their programmes are entirely in English.

''Cúla4 ar Scoil''

''Cúla4 Ar Scoil'' was launched in April 2020 in response to the closure of all schools during the

COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland The COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In Ireland, it has resulted in 1,753,206 cases ...

in 2020, following

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

's launch of ''

Home School Hub ''RTÉ's Home School Hub'', or simply ''Home School Hub'', and its companion show ''Home School Extra'', was an educational television programme which was created in response to the closure of all schools during the COVID-19 pandemic in Irelan ...

'' in March. It was recorded in

Connemara Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

with teachers Caitríona Ní Chualáin and Fiachra Ó Dubhghaill presenting daily lessons for the 30-minute show. A second series began in September with teachers

Orla Ní Fhinneadha Orla Ní Fhinneadha is an Irish singer, teacher, television presenter and former child actor. A gaeilgeoir she has been a weather presenter and teacher on the Irish-language station TG4. She is an accomplished Sean-nós singer. She was one of ...

and Micheál Ó Dubhghaill.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cula4 Children's television networks Irish-language television shows 1996 establishments in Ireland Television channels and stations established in 2009 Television programming blocks in Europe Television stations in Ireland TG4 original programming