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TG4’s ‘An Biongó’, The Lives of Bingo-Goers Across Ireland
16 Dec 2016 : Laura Brennan
‘An Biongó’, Friday 30th December at 8pm on TG4
‘An Biongó’ is an hour long documentary film that looks at the tradition of bingo nights in Ireland from the indoor parish halls and GAA clubhouses to the outdoor drive-in bingo in Co. Meath, ‘An Biongó’ is an Imagine Media Production for TG4, it airs Friday 30th December at 8pm on TG4.

It takes a look at what is, for many, the focal point of their week, their main 'release' from their daily and weekly obligations.

As seen through the eyes of generations of bingo-goers around the country today, ‘An Biongó’ explores the evolution of the game, its initial popularity across America and Europe, its subsequent arrival to Irish shores in the 1950s and its place in Irish society today.

Producer Sheila Friel said “We have spent many months sharing in the bingo lives of people from all over Ireland, in order to piece together the emotional connection they share with the bingo hall, whether it’s an ageing bachelor with a bingo obsession, a group of young women new to the game, or a recently widowed pensioner who plays seven nights in the week.

“We found a unique form of social interaction, where community and competition meet face to face in an addictive and ritualistic manner; and for its many players, escapism from the realities of Irish life for a few short hours. From mothers and daughters, brother and sisters, aunts and nieces and lifelong friends, ‘An Biongó’ depicts their lives and their continuing love affair with the game. We have tried to capture the dynamics of their relationships and offer an endearing, humorous and sometimes affecting portrait of a whole cross section of Irish society who all happen to have one thing in common - bingo.”

Through intimate observation, ‘An Biongó’ observes the players’ love for the game and their motivation for playing. On the face of it, it is partaking in a game of chance, a harmless flutter that might win one a few extra Euro. But what is the real appeal for those attending week after week? Is it just for the sake of winning? Or does it function on a much deeper level – perhaps a way of combating loneliness and isolation in remote parts of the country? Is it a social occasion, a way to meet up with friends and make new ones? Is it a tradition in the family, passed down from parent to child?

Observing the lives of a number of bingo enthusiasts, of varying ages and from different parts of the country, who find their way to the parish halls, the GAA clubhouses and the commercial bingo centres week on week to mark their cards and cross their fingers.

 Máire Cáit Ní Mhurchú lives in the remote, wind-swept Gaeltacht of Ceathrú Thaidhg in Mayo. A bingo player for almost forty years, hers is a story of family and that period in life when a parent finds their children have flown the coop.

In Gaoth Dóbhair, mile-a-minute Marie Gillespie works part-time in the local supermarket, but with businesses closing all around, including the local nightclub, Marie has resorted to the bingo in the local GAA club as a way of getting out of the house. The bingo bug runs in the family however, and with her bingo-mad aunt Peggy Hazelton returning from the US on holiday, Marie’s bingo nights out are about to go into overdrive.

Driving is something of a prerequisite for Garda Sergeant O’Dwyer’s bingo in Baile Ghib, Co. Meath. Although he runs a regular bingo night in the area, it’s his drive-in bingo in a local field that really gets his motor running. Punters pull up and settle down, the sergeant’s daughter Sheryl Ní Dhuibhír assists with the chaos and when you’ve got a “Check!” you beep your horn!

‘An Biongó’ airs Friday 30th December at 8pm on TG4. It is an Imagine Media Production for TG4, with support from Northern Ireland Screen's Irish language Broadcast Fund.





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