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Four Million French People Go To The Dogs In Tralee

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The crew from French TV show 'Faut Pas Rever' Christian Auxemery, Bertrand Edel and Michel Magnien with Declan Dowling of Kingdom Greyhound Stadium. Photo by Dermot Crean
The crew from French TV show ‘Faut Pas Rever’, Christian Auxemery, Bertrand Edel and Michel Magnien with Declan Dowling of Kingdom Greyhound Stadium. Photo by Dermot Crean

TRALEE is to get a big tourism boost when a French national television station screens a programme, partly filmed in the town, to an audience of four million viewers.

The crew from ‘Faut Pas Rêver’ are in Ireland to film their 11o minute show about Irish culture for the France 3 channel, which will air in early 2015.

“They’re filming a programme about five aspects of Irish culture and one of those is greyhound racing,” said Declan Dowling of Kingdom Greyhound Stadium.

“They’re going to do a segment with one particular breeder who happens to be my brother, Liam Dowling. He is training Ballymac Vic for a race on Friday so the crew will follow Liam over the next few days and film the race on the night,” said Declan.

“Faut Pas Rêver is a travel programme in which we go all over the world. This time we’re in Ireland,” said the director, Bertrand Edel.

“When our chief editor decides the destination, we work on the country and try to find good ideas and stories. There are three aspects we look for; good landscapes, passionate people and a goal to work towards. So this time the landscape is beautiful around Kerry, Liam is a passionate greyhound breeder and the goal is the race on Friday night in the stadium,” explained Bertrand, who is no stranger to Kerry.

“I came years ago to Ireland as a tourist and we did the Ring of Kerry and Connemara so I know a little bit about the country and I’ve always enjoyed it. The people are really, really nice here,” he said.

rsz_roast_house_3Bertrand and the crew – sound man Michel Magnien and camera man Chrisian Auxemery – were about to go to Banna beach to film Liam walking the dogs when TraleeToday.ie met them on Wednesday.

They are also hiring an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to get spectacular shots of the coastline and the town.

We can expect to see the Tralee area at its best when the show airs, not only in France, but on the internet and on French-language station TV5 World, which is available on satellite networks all over the world.

Bertrand and the crew are also doing a segment on Ballymaloe Cookery School, Connemara ponies and two other subjects yet to be decided.

So for the sake of good television, the hope is that Ballymac Vic does the business on Friday night. But what if he doesn’t win Bertrand was asked?

“Oh he will win!” came the reply.