Watch: Donegal's Joe Ó Donaill and lifelong friend embark on TG4 road trip

Lifelong friends Joe Ó Dónaill agus Ray Mac Mánais set off on an entertaining road trip across the various Gaeltacht regions in search of fun, a good yarn and a bit of craic, and TG4 were there to catch it. 

Their unique journey explores friendship, new experiences and the Gaeltacht humour that inspired them to take to the Oireachtas na Gaeilge stage almost 40 years ago. On the road, they meet and come across old and new friends, local rogues, mavericks and entertainers who live and enjoy life to the full.

Joe is from Gaoth Dobhair in the Donegal Gaeltacht. He has been living in Dublin for many years, where he works as the principal of Gaelscoil Míde. It was there that he met Ray Mac Mánais, more than 40 years ago. Joe is well known as a presenter on the programme Steip on TG4 and won an IFTA Award for Television Personality of the Year for his work with the character, Hiúdaí.

Joe Ó Dónaill, Niall Mac Eamharcaigh and Ray Mac Mánais

Joe and Ray have been attending the Oireachtas for almost 30 years. In addition to individual awards, they have also won many awards together for duet interviews and skits.

They were awarded the Gradam an Oireachtas for the work they have done in promoting the oral arts. Joe says that he embarked on this road trip with Ray to see if the friendship would last, or perhaps even, if Ray would last!

In the opening episode, they escape Dublin and head for Donegal, only to be ambushed by an unexpected “gift” from old friend Niall Mac Eamharcaigh, throwing their travel plans into chaos. Luckily, a splash of holy water helps get things back on track before they head to Inis Meáin – Joe’s first home, a small, uninhabited island off the Gaoth Dobhair coast.

In episode two, Joe and Ray arrive in Conamara, calling in on the Ó Neachtain family in An Spidéal to reflect on the strong influence the various generations of this celebrated clan have had on Joe and Ray’s Oireachtas journey. Heading west to Ros Muc, they take a currach rowing lesson, where their competitive streaks quickly surface. A soothing seaweed bath in Leitir Mealláin follows, before they finish the day with a visit to the multi-talented Sonny Choilm Learaí family.

In the third episode, they return to familiar ground on the Dingle Peninsula in Kerry, where their quirks and friendship come to the fore. They reunite with old friends at Raidió na Gaeltachta, try their hand at set dancing in Kruger’s Pub in Dún Chaoin, they meet a local stonemason keeping the tradition alive, and round off their visit at the Dingle Food Festival — sampling local produce and even contemplating the good life.  

In the final episode of the series, they cross the Kerry border and head into Múscraí in County Cork. They stop at Barr an Chuma for a quick pint before trying their hand at road bowling — and it’s not long before rivalry surfaces. A visit to a local farm sees Joe riding high on a buffalo while Ray ends up holding the rope. At day’s end, they reflect on the special journey they’ve shared. Ar Son na Súise begins on TG4 on Thursday, April 9 at 8pm