Irish language TV station TG4 has appointed Deirdre Ní Choistín as its new director general with the statutory consent of the Government following a competitive public recruitment process. She succeeds Alan Esslemont who has been DG since 2016 and who steps down in April. Ní Choistín is the first woman to assume the DG role since the station’s launch in 1996.
She was TG4’s first head of news and current affairs. She was appointed in 2022 with responsibility for developing a strategy and vision for TG4’s news services. She is also editor of current affairs series Iniúchadh TG4 and of children’s news service Nuacht Cúla4. She first began working with the station in 1999, shortly after the channel rebranded from TnaG to TG4.
She was a producer and director for 14 years. She established Molscéal online news and entertainment platform for TG4’s core Irish speaking audience in 2017. Prior to being head of news and current affairs, she was TG4’s vommunications manager from 2019 to 2022 where she implemented a new multi-platform communications strategy.
She was raised in Kilcock, Co Kildare, the eldest of five children.
She graduated with a degree in Irish and French from TCD in in 1998 before undertaking a higher diploma in applied communications through Irish at the University of Galway. She was awarded first class honours in a professional masters in business by UCC/Irish Management Institute, specialising in advanced strategy, leadership and innovation.
