Ros na Rún

Ros na Rún was originally devised by RTÉ producers Con Bushe and Antoine Ó Flatharta as a response to the upcoming centenary of the Gaelic League, with the network choosing an Irish-language drama to mark the occasion.

The show first aired on RTÉ One in 1992 as a pilot series of twelve-minute episodes before being discontinued, and was later revived as an expanded production to launch Teilifís na Gaeilge (now TG4) on 3 November 1996.

The title Ros na Rún is a play on words in Irish, since 'rún' can mean 'secret' or serve as a term of endearment like 'darling', while 'Ros' can mean a wood, headland or promontory, giving the title a double meaning of either 'Wood of the Secrets' or 'Wood of the Sweethearts'.

The show has been dubbed 'the Wild West' for its willingness to tackle realistic and socially challenging storylines such as domestic violence, arson, abortion, homosexuality, murder, rape, drugs and paedophilia.

An affair storyline between characters Tom and veterinarian Owen Collins led to the first on-screen gay kiss ever broadcast on Irish television, which made national headlines.

The show became the first Irish soap opera to broadcast in HD, starting with its 23rd season in 2018.

Guest appearances on the show have included celebrities such as Stephen Fry (playing an English tourist in a 2011 episode), Daniel O'Donnell, Nathan Carter, Francis Brennan and, more recently, US talk show host Conan O'Brien, who played a balloon delivery man.

In 2005, actors John Finn, Kathryn Morris and Jeremy Ratchford from the American show Cold Case appeared in a satirical crossover promo with Ros na Rún for TG4, which went on to win a gold medal at the 2007 Sharks International Advertising Awards Festival of Ireland; a similar promo was made for Nip/Tuck.

In 2011, TG4 launched Na Rúin (The Secrets), a ten-part online spinoff miniseries centered on the disappearance of a 16-year-old girl, told through character blogs and video diaries that viewers had to follow to solve the mystery.