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A late change to TG4's GAA Beo schedule for this weekend.

The Crossmaglen v St. Gall's match will be televised live at 2:30pm (transmission starts at 2pm), and will be followed by the Tipperary hurling final.

Ar Aer 2:00
2:30 i.n. Raonaithe na Croise v Naomh Gall (Cluiche Ceathrú Ceannais Peile Uladh - Craobh Club AIB)
4:10 i.n. Na Sairséalaigh Dúrlas Éile v Cluain Abhla/An Ros Mór (Cluiche Ceannais Iomána Thiobraid Árann)

Seó Spóirt would like to thank all of you who sent in messages on behalf of clubs over the past couple of weeks. We've been delighted to advertise the needs of clubs as far away as Paris and London, as well as those of many at home. The well is a little dry for this week's programme though, so here's another reminder.

If clubs have a fundraiser on, are looking for new players or managers, etc., or have a tournament coming up, let us know and we'll put this news out on air every Friday night on Seó Spóirt (TG4 8:30 pm). Anything club-related will be considered, and as Seó Spóirt is broadcast all over the country, it is the best mode of free advertising available to clubs!!

Send any info and contact details to club@tg4.ie

Beir bua.

TG4 is offering clubs across the country a chance to get their news out live on air!

Seó Spóirt, the channel's live discussion show is broadcast every Friday at 8:30 pm. We have a slot on the programme aimed at helping clubs get their news out to a national audience.

If you've got a fundraiser going, for example, or are looking for a new manager, or have a new initiative that makes for a novel story, drop a line to club@tg4.ie with all the details. Remember to leave a name and contact number.

Also, if you've got some footage of your club in action, let us know and we can arrange to have some of it broadcast.

Remember, it's TV, so keep it interesting. You get to let people know your club news, and we get to stay in touch with the grassroots of the GAA.

Seó Spóirt is presented by Micheál Ó Domhnaill, with discussion from resident panellist Seán Bán Breathnach, plus a variety of weekly guests and features. We cover the weekend's action, GAA, rugby, and other stories as they break.

Seó Spóirt, every Friday, at 8:30 pm on TG4.


Tá TG4 ag cur deis ar fáil do chlubanna a gcuid nuachta a chur amach ar aer!

Má tá scéal suimiúil nuachta ón gclub agat agus gur mhaith leat é a scaipeadh, cur ríomhphost isteach chuig club@tg4.ie.

Coinnigh suimiúil é, cuimhnigh gur ábhar nuachtúil atá á lorg againn. Is féidir linn míreanna a chraoladh freisin, bígí i dteagmháil linn gan mhoill!

Seó Spóirt, gach Aoine ag 8:30 i.n. ar TG4.

GAA Beo Dé Domhnaigh 16ú Nollaig 2007

Final GAA Beo of the year will be broadcast next Sunday 16th December. The AIB Leinster Club Football Final pitches Tyrellspass (Westmeath) and St. Vincent's (Dublin) against each other. Match coverage begins at 1:30 pm, with a 2 pm throw in.

Presented by Micheál Ó Domhnaill, commentary by Brian Tyers.

Below are the matches we will televise from the McKenna Cup in January.

DÉ DOMHNAIGH 6 EANÁIR 2008
1:45pm   GAA Beo
Beo  -  Ard Mhacha v Doire, ó Chrois Mhic Lionáin (Throw-in 2pm), Gaelic
Life Dr McKenna Cup
Iarbheo  -  Baile Átha Cliath v Cill Mhantáin, ó Parnell Park (Played Sat)


DÉ DOMHNAIGH 13 EANÁIR
1:45pm   GAA Beo
Beo  -  Dún na nGall v Tír Eoghain, ó Ballyshannon (Throw-in 2pm).
Iarbheo  -  Cluiche ón Satharn i gCorn Uí Bhroin.

DÉ DOMHNAIGH 20 EANÁIR
Beo  -  Gaelic Life Dr McKenna Cup Semi-Final (Winner of Section A v the 4th
Placed Team) (Throw-in at 2.00pm).
Iarbheo  -  Cluiche ón Satharn i gCorn Uí Bhroin.

DÉ SATHAIRN 26 EANÁIR
7:15pm    GAA Beo
Beo  -  Gaelic Life Dr McKenna Cup Final. (Throw-in at 7.30pm).

Yes, we have 3 Sundays outstanding between now and Christmas. On air at 1:30 pm on each Sunday.
2 Dec Munster Club Hurling Final LIVE, followed by deferred transmission of Leinster Club Hurling Final.
9 Dec Munster Club Football Final LIVE - no deferred transmission.
16 Dec Leinster Club Football Final LIVE - no deferred transmission.

To clarify a couple of points made earlier.

At any venue where we can film across from the crowd we do this. Some venues are just laid out so that you have to shoot from behind the crowd. The camera gantry for example at places like Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Semple Stadium or Páirc na nGael are located in the same stand as most of the crowd congregate. These places are set up from a cabling perspective so that we can use only the gantry - there's a bit more flexibility with some regional grounds. There may be difficulties here also however because sometimes to face the crowd we need to build a gantry, and for several reasons this may not be suitable - pylons or poles in the way, pillars within old stands which impinge on the view, or even from an access and insurance standpoint this is not always possible. Whenever we can we face the crowd for the reasons outlined by others.

Galway are televised not because there is any pro Galway bias but because they figure in the province with least counties. TG4 has visited every county in the country for either live, deferred or highlight transmission. We also plan to visit each province in the interests of fairness. We have to balance being fair to provinces and giving the public a match that they will watch. It's not always feasible to provide county matches from lower profile counties, but we do take opportunities when the profile of the county has risen - Sligo and Monaghan finals were televised this year.

While every county supporter will want his/her county covered as often as possible, we can only do our best with the resources available. I see Ulster fans saying we don't visit them enough - note that we'll be back in January with the McKenna Cup when the Province will have exclusive coverage.

We always want to do more, but we do work within confined budgets, so get on to your local politicians if you want TG4 to fund the GAA programmes to include more games!

In reply to a couple of points raised earlier:

The goal was missed on camera in the Vincent's v Seneschalstown match because of a camera battery change and that is why it didn't feature in the highlights package. It was unfortunate that the camera operator had to change battery at that time but when it is single camera coverage you always take a chance on losing a score. I've been told that it's just the second time that something like this has happened in almost a decade of covering matches for highlights for TG4. In relation to clips that are/ are not included, we generally don't show frees, and near misses are selected or left out after careful consideration. Because some programmes have tighter time constraints than others this may explain why sometimes incidents which didn't result in scores are omitted.

Regarding programme length, TG4 has a policy of making each of the GAA 2007 programmes half an hour in length. This cannot be changed on a week to week basis. Scheduling, advertising and other programming reasons make this impossible. In a couple of weeks we'll be down to the last match in each province, and a half hour will be more than enough.

From next weekend we're back to televising 2 matches back to back, we'll have live coverage of the Ballyhale v Birr match (coverage starts 1:30 pm), followed by the Tulla v Ballyduff match in full.

GAA Beo leaves behind it's season of County Finals for this year to focus on the AIB Club Championship, starting this weekend at the home of hurling.

GAA Beo Dé Domhnaigh 4ú Samhain 2007
MUNSTER CLUB HURLING 1/4 FINAL at Semple Stadium
Loughmore-Castleiney (Tiobraid Árann) v Erin's Own (Corcaigh) 
On air at 1:30 pm
Match begins at 2:00 pm
Coverage ends at 3:30 pm
Presented by Micheál Ó Domhnaill, Commentary by Brian Tyers, Analysis from Pat Fleury, former Offaly hurler.

GAA Beo Dé Domhnaigh 11ú Samhain 2007
CONNACHT CLUB FOOTBALL 1/2 FINAL at Tuam
KILLERERIN (Gaillimh) v ST. BRIGID'S (Roscommon)
On air at 1:30 pm
Match begins at 2:00 pm
Coverage ends at 3:30 pm
Presented by Micheál Ó Domhnaill, Commentary by Brian Tyers, Analysis from Seán Ó Domhnaill, former Galway All Ireland winner.

Later matches will be posted here when the fixture list is decided. We tend not to look too far in advance at this time of year due to the possibility of postponements, draws/replays, etc. Also, for the 2 matches mentioned above they are 'stand alone' fixtures, ie there is no deferred match on these dates. The deferred coverage will begin again on Sunday November 18th.

GAA Beo Dé Domhnaigh 28.10.'07

On air at 3:00 pm
At 3:15 Galway Senior Football Club Championship Final (Killererin v Milltown) LIVE
At 4:45 Kilkenny Senior Hurling Club Championship Final (St Martins v Ballyhale Shamrocks) DEFERRED

Presented by Micheál Ó Domhnaill, Commentary by Brian Tyers and Analysis from former Galway All-Ireland winner Seán Óg de Paor.

GAA Beo Sunday Oct 21.
Programme starts at 3:00 pm
Tipperary County Hurling Final 3:30 Loughmore-Castleiney v Drom-Inch LIVE
Monaghan County Football Final 5:00 Castleblaney v Clontibret DEFERRED
Presented by Micheál Ó Domhnaill, Commentary by Brian Tyers, Tomás Ó hAilín and analysis by former Cork manager Dónal O'Grady.

GAA Beo Sunday 14th October
Programme starts 3:30 pm
Laois County Football Final Stradbally v Portlaoise 4pm LIVE
Cork County Hurling Final Newtownshandrum v Erin's Own 5:30 pm DEFERRED

Down Co Final Replay and Tyrone Co Final will feature as well as the abovementioned matches on GAA 2007, TG4's highlights programme, Monday night at 8:30.

One further change. Laois Co Football Final will have a throw in time of 4 pm next Sunday, so GAA Beo will be on air from 3:30 pm onwards. Deferred match TBC.

Changes to GAA beo schedule next Sunday etc. Some details to be confirmed. Because of Kerry Co Final being postponed due to draw last weekend, we will now cover Laois Co Football Final between Portlaoise v Stradbally live. Programme starts transmission at 3:15 pm (TBC) (throw in 3:45 pm). Deferred match TBC.
On 21st Oct, Tipperary Hurling Final will be live between Loughmore-Killiney and Drom & Inch, followed by Monaghan Co Football Final, Castleblaney Faughs v Clontibret (deferred).
On 28th Oct, Kilkenny hurling final will be deferred transmission, live match which precedes it TBC.
Looks like 4th November we will in Club Championship territory, all the way to December 9th when we broadcast Munster & Leinster club football finals.

I'll amend changes, fill in gaps when counties have come back to us. In the meantime, websites will probably be inaccurate - it's unfortunate but it's the nature of matches at this time of year.

On Setanta's coverage, I don't know what editorial decisions they take regarding what matches they decide to televise. And it's unlikely we will be covering the Tyrone County Final. Once the county finals I outlined earlier are broadcast, we're probably on to the Club Championship at that stage, through November and December. When we finalize details, I'll post them here.

It's worth mentioning that we don't always look for the most high profile games to cover. TG4 has a public service broadcast remit, and is not commercially driven to the same degree as other channels might be, though we have to ensure that matches are still of interest to both viewers and advertisers. We've built the programme's profile up over the past 8 seasons, from having an audience of 30-40K to over 250K for the most high profile matcches. We want to get around to the different counties, and this often involves finding a balance between broadcasting a match the public will want to watch, with giving all counties fair coverage. For example, Sligo's profile rose this Summer, which made the broadcast this Sunday a more attractive proposition. It means that we've been in 18 counties so far with either live or deferred coverage of county finals, and we've had highlights from the rest on the GAA highlights programme on Monday evening. We'd hope that we can get to the rest for live broadcast in the next few years, provided negotiations with the GAA go well on the next broadcast contract.