All eyes on Kenmare as anchors of popular US TV network show prepare for live broadcast

Early birds Doirreann Healy, Rachel Healy, Jessica Lynch and Kelly Cunnion, ahead of the posse in the audience queue for NBC’s Today Show, which is broadcast live from Sheen Falls Hotel in Kenmare, Co Kerry today. Picture: Noel Sweeney

It’s a glorious autumn day in Kenmare, Co Kerry. It’s almost as if the weather gods knew they needed to play ball and light up Kenmare Bay and the mountains that encase the chocolate-box town.

NBC’s Today Show has rolled into town complete with all seven anchors to broadcast the entire four-hour show live from Sheen Falls Lodge between 12pm and 4pm local time. Tourism Ireland is sponsoring the show, a canny strategy to showcase Ireland to the Today Show's three million regular US viewers.

This is the first time in the show’s 75-year history that all the anchors have travelled to an international location. They’re excited. 

“I was so excited to hear we would be broadcasting from Ireland,” Carson Daly, one of the show’s anchors, says. 

NBC Today hosts Carson Daly and Al Roker smile for the cameras ahead of their NBC broadcast live from Kenmare. Picture: Noel Sweeney

“I’m from California but I grew up with my parents telling me about our Irish family history, but there are a lot of holes.” 

Daly will be discovering a detailed family history live on air during the show today, with genealogist Fiona Fitzsimons of Eneclann filling in those blanks for him. 

“I know that my family is from the Ancient East, and they were coal miners, but that’s about it. For better or worse, I’m going to find out more today.” 

This is a big production, with pallets of kit being shipped in from New York, where the show is based, over the past few weeks. Brian Loughnane, General Manager of Sheen Falls Lodge, has been busy overseeing the operation on the Irish side for the past month. He told RTÉ that he promised the US crew “blue skies” and, despite the odd shower, that promise is holding.

NBC Today host Carson Daly chats with Irish Examiner journalist Deirdre McArdle ahead of NBC’s broadcast live from Sheen Falls Hotel in Kenmare. Picture: Noel Sweeney

Ahead, on the four-hour broadcast will be a celebration of all things Irish, from the food and fashion to the scenery and the people. Live segments will be interspersed with reports from sites around the west of Ireland, as well as a live piece from Kenmare town itself.

There’ll be celebrity guests too, but aside from rumours, we’re in the dark on which Irish stars will be on the show. What we do know is that the Riverdance troupe are here; as we approached the hotel this morning, we heard the familiar bodhrán beats as the dancers put in a last-minute practice ahead of a live performance.

One thing is for sure: this is about putting a spotlight on Ireland, and as I look around at the incredible setting, with Kenmare Bay glistening in the background, Ireland is looking good.