New online research archive site launched ahead of TG4's 30 year milestone

TG4 launched ‘Cartlann TG4’, a new online research archive site, at MoLI – Museum of Literature Ireland in Dublin last week.

Ahead of its 30 year anniversary this fall, TG4 has launched the new website to improve access to the station’s digital archive. Cartlann TG4 contains a valuable and diverse collection of material, reflecting Irish history, culture, music, sport, news, current affairs, entertainment and community life through the medium of the Irish language. 

TG4 has broadcast more than 50,000 hours of Irish-language content since the station came on air thirty years ago in October 1996. 

From the establishment of TG4 in 1996 until 2012, programmes were stored in TG4’s videotape archive. Cartlann TG4 is continuously digitising this material. It is mainly this digitised material that is available in the current version of this site.

This preservation work is being carried out in partnership with Europus and with support from funding received from the Broadcasting Funding Scheme 154(1)(e)1. Access to some other material has been granted with permission from RTÉ Archives and Ros na Rún.  

The aim is for TG4’s Digital Research Archive to be a living archive, with content added to the site on an ongoing basis. TG4 are preparing newly digitised tape material from 1996 to 2011, as well as material from 2012 onwards, for upload to the site. 

There is currently access on this site to more than 9,000 programmes. It is a site designed for researchers. The layout is clear and intuitive. There are options for simple and advanced searches by date, genre and field. There are eleven filter fields, such as title, description, catalogue item and place name. Functional workspaces allow users to save search lists, content lists and clips. 

Registration is required to access this service at www.cartlann.tg4.ie.

The site allows access for three levels of research users: 1) Public, 2) Educational and 3) Production researchers.

The level of access is selected based on the intended use. The visibility of the material is based on the access level. 

Deirdre Ní Choistín, Director-General of TG4, said: 

“As TG4 approaches 30 years on air in October, it is timely that we are increasing access to Cartlann TG4. This archive is a central part of Ireland’s cultural and broadcasting heritage. Over the past thirty years, TG4 content has given a voice, insight and platform to communities, artists, musicians, athletes, newsmakers and storytellers throughout the country. It is vital that this wealth of material is preserved, catalogued and made available for future generations.” 

Máire Aoibhinn Ní Ógáin, Head of TG4 Archive, is leading the ongoing development of the archive. She has comprehensive expertise in the archive’s content, based on her long experience with TG4 and on the pioneering work she has carried out in previous archive developments. 

She said: “It is hard to believe that we, TG4, have been in existence for 30 years. I am delighted with what we have achieved and proud to share Cartlann TG4’s content. This site will allow young and old to find content and conduct their own research into Irish life, language and culture.  Special thanks are due to Risteárd Ó hAodha, the site developer ; Sinéad Ní Chadhain, the site designer ; and my colleagues in TG4 – Cartlann, Teicneolaíocht, Ardáin, Grafaicí agus Dlí.

"If you are a researcher, scholar or producer with an interest in the history of Irish broadcasting, register at www.cartlann.tg4.ie and try it out!”