The following is a list of events relating to

television in Ireland Television in the Republic of Ireland is available through a variety of platforms. The digital terrestrial television service is known as Saorview and is the primary source of broadcast television since analogue transmissions ended on 24 Octob ...

from 1978.

Events

*January – The controversial secondary school drama '' The Spike'' goes on air. It was pulled from the schedule following a

nude scene In film, nudity may be either graphic or suggestive, such as when a person appears to be naked but is covered by a sheet. Since the birth of film, depictions of any form of sexuality have been controversial, and in the case of most nude scen ...

in Episode 5 which sparked criticism from Irish conservatives, and has never been retransmitted. *March – George T. Waters is appointed as

Director-General of RTÉ The Director-General is chief executive and editor-in-chief of public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The current director-general is Dee Forbes, who replaced Noel Curran in the role in 2016. Appointment and role The RT� ...

. *2 November – Ireland's second television channel,

RTÉ 2 (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...

goes on air. The opening night features a variety gala performance from the

Cork Opera House Cork Opera House is a theatre and opera house in Cork in Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the Nort ...

and the 1968 film ''

Bullitt ''Bullitt'' is a 1968 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Philip D'Antoni. The picture stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Jacqueline Bisset. The screenplay by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleine ...

''. *6 November – The UK soap '' Coronation Street'' is aired for the first time on RTÉ 2. It had previously only been available to those who could receive UTV or

HTV Wales ITV Wales and West, previously known as Harlech Television (HTV), was an ITV franchise area in the United Kingdom until 31 December 2013, licensed to a broadcaster by the regulator Ofcom. There is no channel, past or present, named "ITV Wales ...

Debuts

RTÉ 1

*January – '' The Spike'' (1978) *29 April – ''

Fables of the Green Forest is an anime television series based on a series of books published in the 1910s and 1920s by Thornton W. Burgess which ran on the Japanese network Fuji Television from 7 January 1973 to 30 December 1973. It consists of 52 episodes and was pr ...

'' (1973) *11 September – ''

Hong Kong Phooey ''Hong Kong Phooey'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and originally broadcast on ABC. The original episodes aired from September 7 to December 21, 1974, and then in repeats until 1976. The show w ...

'' (1974–1975) *25 October – '' The Clifton House Mystery'' (1978) *24 December – '' Christmas Eve on Sesame Street'' (1978)

RTÉ 2

*2 November – ''

RTÉ News on Two ''RTÉ News on Two'' was a late night news programme that aired each Monday to Thursday on Irish public service broadcaster RTÉ Two. The transmission time of this programme varied each night. It generally aired between 10:45pm and 11:30pm. It ...

'' (1978–present) *3 November – '' The Upchat Line'' (1977) *3 November – ''

Armchair Thriller ''Armchair Thriller'' is a British television drama series broadcast on ITV in 1978 and 1980 in two seasons. Taking the form of a sequence of unconnected serials, scripts for ''Armchair Thriller'' were adaptations of published novels and storie ...

'' (1978–1980) *3 November – ''

The Voyage of Charles Darwin ''The Voyage of Charles Darwin'' was a 1978 BBC television serial depicting the life of Charles Darwin, focusing largely on his voyage on . The series encompasses his university days to the 1859 publication of his book ''On the Origin of Specie ...

'' (1978) *4 November – ''

Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, oft ...

'' (1975, 1978–1992) *4 November – ''

Mind Your Language ''Mind Your Language'' is a British sitcom that premiered on ITV in 1977. It was produced by London Weekend Television and directed by Stuart Allen. Three series were made by the London Weekend Television between 1977 and 1979 and briefly re ...

'' (1977–1979) *4 November – ''

Sha Na Na Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll doo-wop group. Formed in 1969, but performing a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs, it simultaneously revived and parodied the music and the New York street culture of the 1950s. After ga ...

'' (1977–1981) *4 November – '' Bruce Forsyth's Big Night'' (1978, 1980) *6 November – '' Coronation Street'' (1960–present)

Changes of network affiliation

Ongoing television programmes

*'' RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock'' (1961–present) *'' RTÉ News: Six One'' (1962–present) *'' The Late Late Show'' (1962–present) *''

The Riordans ''The Riordans'' was the second Irish television drama serial made by Raidio Telefís Éireann (then called ''Telefís Éireann''). It ran from 1965 to 1979 and was set in the fictional townland of Leestown in County Kilkenny. Its location fi ...

'' (1965–1979) *'' Quicksilver'' (1965–1981) *''

Wanderly Wagon ''Wanderly Wagon'' is an Irish children's television series which aired on RTÉ from Saturday 30 September 1967Hourihane, Anne Marie''Sunday Tribune'' 11 August 2002. until 1982. Plot ''Wanderly Wagon'' followed human and puppet characters as t ...

'' (1967–1982) *''

Hall's Pictorial Weekly ''Hall's Pictorial Weekly'' was an Irish satirical television series broadcast on Raidió Teilifís Éireann from 1971 to 1980. Regarded as RTÉ's flagship comedy show, it featured satirical sketches on current news stories, politics and pop ...

'' (1971–1980) *'' Sports Stadium'' (1973–1997) *''

Trom agus Éadrom Trom agus Éadrom (; meaning "Heavy and Light") was an Irish television variety show which was broadcast bilingually in Irish and English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: ...

'' (1975–1985) *''

The Late Late Toy Show ''The Late Late Toy Show'' is an annual, special edition of the Irish chat show '' The Late Late Show''. Airing annually on RTÉ One near the end of November or early December to coincide with the holiday shopping season, the ''Toy Show'' showc ...

'' (1975–present)

Ending this year

*Undated – '' The Spike'' (1978)

Births

*5 May – Paul Byrne, broadcast journalist *31 October – Ella McSweeney, radio and television producer

References

{{Years in TV by country, 1978 1970s in Irish television