TV presenter Maura Derrane says returning to her native Inis Mor to film The Today Show feels like “going back to school”.
The RTE series will broadcast from the Aran Islands tomorrow while Daithi O Se and guest presenter Nuala Carey are in the Cork studios.
Maura will bring the latest in lifestyles, food, music and craic as well as speaking to locals including her childhood friend Cathy Gill who stayed on when Maura left to pursue a career in journalism.
The 48-year-old broadcaster told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “It’s fantastic to be going home but in a way it’s easier to do this job with people you don’t know.
“It’s almost like going back to school. That said, it’s lovely to get out to visit any community but to bring the cameras to where I’m originally from is just brilliant. I’m very excited.”
A series of live outside broadcasts are lined up for The Today Show which has bucked the trend by growing its viewer numbers and securing an extra 30- minutes airtime each day.
Maura said: “My best friend in school now lives in Chicago but she still comes home once a year with her husband and children. I get home fairly often to visit so I would see Cathy on and off. The island has developed like everywhere else, it’s very tourist-oriented now.
“When I was a child the only way to get to the mainland was by steamer which took three hours to get to Galway. Now it’s unreal. I always take the Aer Arann plane.”
Tomorrow’s show features seaweed harvesting company Blath na Mara, Galway chef JP McMahon and a host of local craftspeople and musicians.
