Presenter Gráinne McElwain pictured at Croke Park.
By Cian O'Connell
“It was great, it was just such a privilege to go around to hear these stories,” presenter Gráinne McElwain says about TG4’s new six part series Scéalta na gCorn.
Exploring the stories about some of the 2,000 pieces of GAA silverware throughout the country, McElwain thoroughly enjoyed helping to stitch the programme together.
“To hear about the history of the area, just the different cups, shields, and competitions that have been organised because of the GAA, it shows just what a family the GAA is, how we all belong to this big family, and what it means to everyone to be connected to the GAA," she says. "It was absolutely lovely.”
That McElwain’s interests in the GAA, history, and the Irish language were all relevant, merely added to the sense of satisfaction.
“It was gorgeous, we were supposed to film this series in 2020,” McElwain says. “Then basically Covid hit so it was put on the back burner. We had hoped to do it towards the end of 2020, maybe the beginning of 2021, but it was actually towards the latter end of 2021 - when we were allowed to go filming again.
“It was so brilliant to meet people, to talk with people. I'm a history and Irish teacher in a former life so it kind of amalgamated my love history and my love of the Irish language - basically the two of them combining in doing the series for TG4. So it was great.
“There are over 2,000 pieces of GAA silverware in the country, you have so many cups out there that people don't know about. Cups that are missing, some of the cups we featured in the series, we were talking about them, but the cup is actually missing.
“That would be a great bonus at the end of the series if those cups were found. Somebody has them somewhere or has seen them somewhere, but maybe have forgotten about them in the realms of time or they have been just put aside. It was lovely going around hearing the stories, finding out who these people were.”
At every level when a trophy is hoisted, significant history can be attached. It is something that struck McElwain throughout the process of carrying out interviews in every pocket of the country.
“When people get a cup and it is not that easy to win one, but when you win one, when you raise it, and somebody tells you people might know the name, but actually they mightn't know the person or what their involvement was within the sport,” she adds.
“It was really lovely finding out who these people were, what impact that they have had on the GAA, and why it is important to remember them. Every time you raise a cup you are remembering that person who gave so much to the GAA. I think that is a lovely connection with our past, that these people were involved maybe as officials or people that died tragically or untimely deaths.
Gráinne McElwain leis an iarpheileadóir de chuid na Gaillimhe, Seán Óg de Paor, le Corn Canon Oliver Hughes.
“People are linked in history with us, the GAA has been a huge part in the Irish culture revival. So it is really interesting finding out about that element of the history and the cups attached.”
Unearthing new tales was critical according to McElwain. “What we found were personal stories, I love personal stories, and the connection people have with the cups,” she replies.
“One of the cups for example, in our Cork episode, was the Little Norah cup. It isn't around anymore, it had a natural shelf life, like a lot of cups have. What I found was a lovely story about that. Tom Lyons, who is from the area, has written a book about who Little Norah was. I won't spoil it, people will have to watch the story about her, but who she was and what she did.
“The cup was missing, he wrote in a local newspaper asking did anybody know where the cup is. He wanted the cup for the launch, but nobody knew where it was.
“Actually, when someone read it in the local paper a young lad said to his father 'Do you know what Dad, I think that is the cup we have under my bed'. So they had the cup and they gave it back.”
The various cups deeply mattered to families. “What I felt was the sense of pride people had in a cup, a lot of families that I spoke to, how proud they were that the cup was named after in some cases their child or grandfather or father, different people, what it actually meant to them and the families,” McElwain remarks.
“The people that they loved had given a life service to the GAA. They really appreciated it, so it was lovely hearing those stories. Also the little personal stories about the cups, where they were and where they are now.”
So how did McElwain take a particular interest in history initially? “My granny was huge into history and Irish,” McElwain replies. “I loved the Ulster rebellions, the plantations, all of that time and, of course, Michael Collins and the War of Independence and Civil War. I studied history in school, I wrote every essay on Michael Collins, I absolutely loved Michael Collins.
“I read all of the books about him. Then I went to college to study history. So I think it was probably from my nanny as we called her, Annie McElwain, she was an aunt of Seán McCague too, the former GAA President. She just loved history and Irish, we would always have been talking about it. I think it probably stemmed from her.”
Those stirring conversations proved to be time well spent.
Produced by Imagine Media, with support from NI Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund, ‘Scéalta na gCorn’ will broadcast on TG4 weekly, starting September 14 at 8.30pm.