Ireland’s TG4 appoints first female director general

Irish-language broadcaster TG4 has named Deirdre NÍ Choistín as director general, marking the first time a woman has held the role at the network.  

Ní Choistín assumes the position from April when her predecessor Alan Esslemont steps down, following nearly a decade as director general.

She will be the fourth person to hold the role since TG4 was founded in 1996.

Ní Choistín has been with the PSB since 1999, serving as a producer and director for 14 years. She was then communications manager from 2019 until 2022, when she was named TG4’s first head of news and current affairs.  

She is also editor of current affairs series Iniúchadh TG4 and of children’s news service Nuacht Cúla4. In 2017, she established online news and entertainment platform Molscéal. Her appointment followed a competitive public recruitment process. 

Anna Ní Ghallachair, cathaoirleach (chairperson) of the TG4 board, said: “Deirdre has very considerable experience in many roles within the organisation as well as the vision and qualifications which will ensure the kind of leadership and strategic planning that will bring TG4 to the next level of excellence and recognition, for the benefit of Irish language communities in Ireland and internationally.  

“As a new era for TG4 begins with Deirdre’s appointment, I wish to acknowledge and thank our outgoing director general Alan Esslemont for the many achievements of the TG4 team under his stewardship over the last eight years. As director general, Alan showed outstanding leadership and creative vision which brought Irish language broadcasting and cinema to the world stage and which created a cultural role model for minority language media at home and abroad.” 

Ní Choistín added: “TG4 has had a special place in my heart since the day it was launched on Halloween night in 1996 while I was still at university. At a crucial time in Irish language broadcasting, I am looking forward to working with the team to prepare TG4 for the future by cultivating creativity, better serving our audiences across all platforms, and further development of the independent production sector, in the Gaeltacht [Irish speaking regions] in particular.”