go outside and play carl mullan

Over the past few years, I’ve spent a handful of weekends touring Ireland. It’s really not enough because every single time I do take the time, I say “it’s the most amazing country to explore”. Do I though? Do I f…. That’s why RTÉ’s new mini docuseries really peaked my interest. I’ve watched Go Outside and Play on RTÉ player. Here’s what you need to know.

What is Go Outside and Play About?

Go Outside and Play is all about finding Ireland’s peak Instagram spots. Those places that you just need to visit and pop a selfie at. The best part is that these locations are unlikely to have been popped into your Google Maps any time recently. They’re somewhat off the beaten track with even popular places like Glendalough hiding some of its most spectacular views from most people.

In this series, host, online-content creator and 2FM DJ Carl Mullan, visits some of Ireland’s most Instagrammable locations. These six places to see in Ireland include:

  • Coumshingaun Lake, Co. Waterford
  • Sliabh Liag, Co.Donegal
  • Three Castle Head, Co. Cork
  • The Spinc, Glendalough, Co. Wicklow
  • Gougane Barra Forest Park, Co. Cork
  • Cuilcagh Mountain Boardwalk, Co. Fermanagh

Each location gets a five minute episode jam-packed with handheld YouTube-creator style video and some of the most beautiful drone footage of areas possibly seeing a drone for the first time. Go Outside and Play is bite-sized chunks about what you should do next weekend.

Most importantly, it’s an enjoyable watch too. Carl has been creating content online for the past few years and can turn anything into a gas story. From his car frequently breaking down to his ongoing attempts to land a Berocca in a glass of water from across the kitchen.

If you follow Carl on Instagram, you’ll get what I’m on about.

Watching Go Outside and Play, you’ll laugh at Carl being gas, but also discover some hidden gems from around the country that you usually stumble upon.

Away from this specific series, Go Outside and Play symbolises an exciting direction for RTÉ to head in.

Could This Be The Future of RTÉ?

Carl is someone who just gets creating content for modern audiences. It was watching a Casey Neistat video just last year that he decided he needed to grab a camera and start telling stories. Actually, it was this video:

So from watching that video, within 12 months, Carl was using all the skills he’d honed from just going and creating videos to create video for RTÉ Player.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

This is my excited/nervous face. Now before I start, this is a probably come across as a totally obnoxious/self congratulatory post but tomorrow is a big day and I’m SO DAMN EXCITED – so please bear with me. First some context… So just over a year ago I watched a video on Youtube by @caseyneistat. It’s called ‘Do What You Can’t’ and basically it’s a video about how lucky we are to live in an age where you can come up with an idea, shoot it on your phone, and share it with the world with the click of a button. I had always enjoyed making videos as a kid, but had only really dabbled in it and had been saying to myself for years “I should really try make more videos”. There’s lots of inspiring videos online, but this one in particular inspired me to the point where I decided there and then that 2018 was the year where I’d really make this my focus. A few weeks later and I was clicking upload on my first vlog for YouTube. It kicked off a year of creating stuff for my own Youtube channel and @rte2fm as well. Some of it was good, some not so much, but looking back it was a year where I got to upskill massively in ideation, shooting, editing, and presenting on camera….and really enjoy myself in the process. So fast forward to tomorrow and why it’s a big deal. By pure coincidence, 1 year to the day since I uploaded my first video to YouTube, I’m starting a 2 week shoot on my first ever commissioned series for the @rteplayer. In short, I’m travelling around some of the most incredible spots in Ireland you might not realise are right on your doorstep, and will be shooting/presenting it along with a super talented Cameraman @garrcleary. From watching a 4 minute video on Youtube to shooting my own series for RTE in the space of a year. Absolutely mental! I am so unbelievably excited. GO ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. #Rteplayer #creator #caseyneistat #dowhatyoucant #gooutsideandplay

A post shared by Carl Mullan (@carlmullan) on

It’s totally the Casey Neistat style too. Handheld cameras with secondary cameras and drones for cutaway and context. Without going too deep into it, it’s everything that you need to tell a great story.

I find this really interested. We’ve moved away from traditional TV content and instead moved towards blogger content, for want of a better title. Carl and a few lads armed with little more than DSLRs, a GoPro and a drone were able to shoot a video that would leave Failte Ireland feeling proud. All shot on a shoestring compared to more traditional travel shows.

This is a proof of concept by RTÉ. A test. That you can take someone who is really passionate about creating quality content, armed with consumer products and let them loose on the world to entertain the masses.

In parts, it’s slightly rough around the edges. You know that when that GoPro in episode one falls off the car, that was a genuine balls up. But it gets left in because life isn’t a perfect take. The episodes take on a level of authenticity because of it, an authenticity that often gets left on the cutting room floor.

Go Outside and Play: The Verdict

First of all, you’ve nearly spent longer reading this than you would have watching the whole series. I meant it when I said bite-sized. The whole lot is thirty minutes, but it’s thirty minutes where you’ll have a laugh and likely plan your next trip. I also didn’t spot any ads on this, a small thing that makes a difference for me.

this show will inspire you to either travel or shoot

It’s also an exciting indicator from RTÉ as to where they go next. The gag in the final episode about one of the attractions rolling out the red carpet because they heard RTÉ was coming but would be surprised to see it’s not the Nationwide team is so on the money. Content creation doesn’t need a heap of expensive tech and a massive crew. It needs some personality, a story and a camera with a decent mic. The rest is up to you. It embodies everything I love about things like the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival. Content creation is uber accessible these days. No matter what happens, this show will inspire you to either travel or shoot.

Watch all six episodes of Go Outside and Play, now on RTÉ Player.

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Marty
Founding Editor of Goosed, Martin is a massive tech fan, into movies and will talk about anything to anyone. - Find me on Mastodon
go-outside-and-play-reviewIt's 30 minutes of TV making this totally bingeable. Carl is gas, so entertainment-wise, this is great stuff. The series would really benefit from some blog posts to go with each episode to really help you find your way to each location - something I'm sure is on the way. Finally, you'll be either inspired to shoot or travel. From 30 minutes of TV, it doesn't get more worthwhile than that.