Donegal teenager Sadbh Breathnach is set to make waves in the anime world with her voice-acting role in a new Irish series.
Lí Ban, coming to Cúla4, is the first Celtic-inspired adventure anime in the Irish language.
Sadbh, from Manorcunningham, stars as the voice of sassy 12-year-old Lí Ban.
Sadbh is the daughter of Colm and Sinéad Breathnach and attends Coláiste Ailigh in Letterkenny.
The series is co-created by Letterkenny woman Gráinne McGuinness who is the Creative Director of Paper Owl Films in Belfast. Together with writer Máire Zepf, they are breathing new life into a forgotten local legend, the story of Lough Neagh mermaid, Lí Ban.
Lí Ban launches on Cúla4 in Ireland and S4C in the Welsh language on 15th October 2024.
Watch the trailer here:
The tales of the series are some of the wildest ever passed down the Celtic generations. With origins as old as the lands and shores that shaped it, each of the 11-minute episodes brings some answers, but even more questions, as Lí Ban’s quest unfolds.
Gráinne comments: “Tapping into the international popularity of anime and fantasy storytelling, this is a true coming of age tale, perfect for the 7-9-year-old audience facing the end of childhood and beginnings of adolescence. Lí Ban’s ancient Celtic story will resonate with children worldwide – her struggle to find out who she is in the world is as real for today’s audience as it was for her centuries ago.”
Lí Ban was commissioned by TG4 and S4C has been made with funding support from Coimisiún na Meán and Northern Ireland Screen’s Screen Fund and Irish Language Broadcast Fund. The series is distributed internationally by Aardman.
Lí Ban will air on the dedicated children’s channel Cúla4 on October 15th at 4.20pm. All episodes will be available on the Cúla4 Player from Tuesday 15th.
