Ponc XL's Director, Cloughaneely's Caroline Ní Dhubhchóin.
BY SEÁN P. FEENY
THE makers of popular TG4 youth magazine, Ponc XL, have visited Donegal several times recently and will feature innovative youths from the county in various segments from tomorrow.
Ponc XL is directed by Cloughaneely native Caroline Ní Dhubhchóin, who returned to TG4 in September after taking a career break.
She said: “The great thing about Ponc XL is that we get out and about a lot all around the country to cover stories on innovative youths. Just recently we went to Letterkenny where we met students that used recycled and raw material to make innovative creations.”
The Ponc XL team visited An Grianán Theatre in Letterkenny two weeks where they filmed the creative work of a selection of young Donegal women who made it to the semi finals of the ERP Junk Kouture competition.
The fashionistas of the future had to design and create costumes made out of recycled materials and after getting in touch with Elizabeth O’Donnell from the Donegal office of ERP Junk Kouture, Ponc XL filmed with Sarah Ní Mhaonaigh (14), Aoife Goeppert (15), Claudia McLaughlin (15) and Sinéad Ní Cholmáin (16).
The team was dazzled by their array of outfits which were creatively crafted from newspaper cuttings, tape reels, electric circuit boards and recycled product packaging.
Caroline said: “One of them designed a bride’s dress out of recycled materials, while another had an outfit made out of old electric circuit boards, they were very cool and creative pieces.”
To catch a glimpse of those outfits check out Ponc XL tomorrow evening, April 17, between 5.55 and 6.30 on TG4 when presenter Colman Mac Séalaigh talks to Sinéad Ní Cholmáin about their creative designs.
Just recently the programme also invited some of the Letterkenny students from Coláiste Ailigh onto Ponc XL to speak about BEO (www.beoireland.com), a school rock competition they hope to expand throughout the country. Several schools in Donegal already participate.
Caroline said: “It’s great to use the programme as a platform for interesting youth projects like this and give them a chance to promote them.”