By Bernie Ní Fhlatharta

The quintessential British actor, Stephen Fry, is learning Irish – so he can take a part in the Irish language soap, Ros na Rún.

The actor and broadcaster will be coming to Galway early next month with a BBC film crew to shoot a new series on minority languages.
Mr Fry has a special interest in Irish literature and is a scholar on James Joyce and Oscar Wilde. His new series takes him all over the world to document how minority languages are faring in the modern world.

He has recently presented Stephen Fry’s America and is the regular host of Qi, has a huge interest in language and especially minority languages.

It is believed that Mr Fry was completely taken with the idea of an Irish language soap and was thrilled when he was not only invited onto the set, located in Spiddal village, but to take a part as ‘a special extra’.
Scripwriters have written a small speaking part for the Englishman and from this week, Mr Fry will be learning his Irish script though he will be touching up on his accent when he actually gets to Galway.

The filming of the programme will take place on December 6 and possibly December 7 and will involve a game of golf – in Irish of course – at the Connemara Islands golf club in Eanach Mheain, a visit to Ros a’ Mhíl harbour where he gets a boat to Spiddal Pier before heading to the Ros na Rún set.

TG4 broadcaster, Páidí Ó Lionaird, who is the contact in Galway for the visit, said: “They wanted to film something different and it is important that they see us banking, shopping, eating and drinking as Gaeilge and going onto a set of an Irish language soap was very appealing to Stephen Fry.”