RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish
free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the FTA Receiver, appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring ...
flagship television channel owned and operated by
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidi (; ; also written Ragdi; born August, 1938) is a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2008, and the highest ranking Tibeta ...
(RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís Éireann'' on 31 December 1961, it was renamed ''RTÉ'' in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ 1 upon the launch of
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 ...
in 1978. It is funded partly by the government's
licence fee
A television licence or broadcast receiving licence is a payment required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts, or the possession of a television set where some broadcasts are funded in full or in part by the licence f ...
; the remainder of the funding is provided by commercial advertising. Because RTÉ is funded partly by the licence fee it shows considerably fewer
advertisements
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
than most other channels available in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
RTÉ One is available to 98% of the Irish population in HD on the
Saorview
Saorview ( ) is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.
The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with a full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation i ...
DTT service. It is also available in Northern Ireland via
Saorview
Saorview ( ) is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.
The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with a full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation i ...
,
Freeview Freeview may refer to:
* Freeview (Australia), the marketing name for the digital terrestrial television platform in Australia
* Freeview (New Zealand), a digital satellite and digital terrestrial television platform in New Zealand
*Freeview (UK), ...
,
Sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space.
In the field of astronomy, ...
, and cable provider
Virgin Media
Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...
. The channel is also available online through
RTÉ Player
RTÉ Player is an on demand video service provided by Irish public media broadcaster RTÉ.
The service provides live and recorded RTÉ television programmes, and content exclusive to the player as well as content from other international broad ...
.
History
RTÉ One began life as ''Telefís Éireann'' in 1961. It was renamed simply as ''RTÉ'' in 1966, upon the renaming of the Radio Éireann Authority as Radio Telefís Éireann, and became ''RTÉ 1'' upon the launch of
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 ...
in 1978. Originally the station broadcast in black and white throughout the country using the European
625-line standard, as well as on the
405-line television system
The 405-line monochrome analogue television broadcasting system was the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting. The number of television lines influences the image resolution, or quality of the picture.
It was ...
in the northern and eastern parts of the country; since the mid-50s, many people in these areas already had 405-line TV sets receiving BBC and UTV/HTV transmissions from Wales and Northern Ireland.
A standards conversion unit was used to provide the 405-line service, but when this electronic device failed, optical conversion was used, reportedly by directing a 405-line camera at a 625-line monitor.
The first programme to be pre-recorded for the new television service was
The School Around the Corner, an interview/quiz show created and presented by
Paddy Crosbie
Paddy Crosbie (1 October 1913 – 2 September 1982) was the Irish creator of the radio and television programmes '' The School Around The Corner'' and ''Back To School''.Sunday Independent, 5 September 1982
Youth
Crosbie was born in Dublin, Ir ...
and produced by
James Plunkett
James Plunkett Kelly, or James Plunkett (21 May 1920 – 28 May 2003), was an Irish writer. He was educated at Synge Street CBS.
Kelly grew up among the Dublin working class and they, along with the petty bourgeoisie and lower intelligentsia ...
.
PAL
Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analogue television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...
colour transmissions began in 1968, and the first programme made and transmitted in colour was "
John Hume
John Hume (18 January 19373 August 2020) was an Irish nationalist politician from Northern Ireland, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the recent political history of Ireland, as one of the architects of the Northern Ire ...
's
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
." The first
outside broadcast
Outside broadcasting (OB) is the electronic field production (EFP) of television or radio programmes (typically to cover television news and sports television events) from a mobile remote broadcast television studio. Professional video camera a ...
in colour for RTÉ Television was the 1971 Railway Cup Finals (
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
), and soon after that, the
Eurovision Song Contest 1971
The Eurovision Song Contest 1971 was the 16th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, following the country's victory at the with the song "All Kinds of Everything" by Dana Rosemary ...
from Dublin.
In the 1970s the studios in RTÉ's
Television Centre started being equipped for colour, the first was the news studio in 1974, studio 2 in 1975 and finally studio 1 (the largest studio, used for productions such as ''
The Late Late Show'') in 1976.
RTÉ was also the sole Irish TV channel until 1978, when
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 ...
(known as Network 2 between 1988 and 2004) was created. The
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
station
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
began in 1996 as Teilifís na Gaeilge (TnaG). Since 1998 RTÉ One also competes with
Virgin Media One
Virgin Media One, also called Virgin One, is an Irish free-to-air television channel owned by Virgin Media Ireland (part of Liberty Global), operated through its subsidiary Virgin Media Television. The channel was known until 30 August 201 ...
(formerly known as "TV3").
Since it began broadcasting, RTÉ One has competed with
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
and
UTV from Northern Ireland and in the 1980s RTÉ began competing with other
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
and
cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
channels that are widely available across Ireland through
cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
subscription services due to the high take up of cable TV from pan-European and UK channels since the 1960s, and the continued roll out of
MMDS and
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
during the 1980s and 1990s.
From 1961, RTÉ Television would only broadcast from 17:35 until around 23:30 during Winter months. In 1975 this changed slightly with transmission starting at around 15:30 and concluding around midnight (00:00). 24-hour broadcasts began in the late 1990s. In 1988, RTÉ One launched a schedule with a new news bulletin at 13:00. Currently, RTÉ One does not offer "breakfast television", but from 2013 to 2014 the station aired an early morning current affairs show called ''Morning Edition'', which was also simulcast on RTÉ News Now. Virgin Media One is currently the only indigenous broadcaster in direct competition for this early morning market with ''
Ireland AM
''Ireland AM'' is an Irish morning television show on Virgin Media One. It airs live every weekday from 07:00 to 10:00, and weekends from 9:00 to 12:00. The program features news, current affairs, weather updates, showbiz, fashion, beauty, fo ...
'' since 1999. RTÉ One during the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
and special breaking news or election coverage, will provide a special bulletin in the mornings.
On 6 July 2017, RTÉ One extended its on-air hours, starting at 6:00am as opposed to the later 6:20 am as previously.
RTÉ One HD
RTÉ One HD was launched on 21 October 2013—originally in upscaled HD—following the launch of a new
Saorview
Saorview ( ) is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.
The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with a full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation i ...
multiplex. Native HD broadcasts began on 16 December 2013.
RTÉ One is now broadcast solely in High Definition (HD) on the national
DTT service Saorview, with the Standard Definition simulcast ending on 2 April 2014. However RTÉ still provides a Standard Definition (SD) output of RTÉ One to pay television operators on cable and satellite, for those subscribers who still have equipment that does not support HD.
RTÉ Television decided to launch the new HD service just before the Christmas period to draw audiences attention to the new service available to viewers. RTÉ have started to convert their
main production studios to HD, the first being studio 5 in 2012, which is used mainly for sports productions. Any programmes still made in standard-definition are upscaled on the channel and it is intended that the vast majority of the channel's output will be in high-definition in due course. RTÉ One in SD continues to be available on
Virgin Media Ireland
Virgin Media Ireland is Liberty Global's telecommunications operation in Ireland. It is the largest digital cable television provider within the country. As of 31 December 2014, the company offers broadband internet, digital television and ...
until more of their customers have upgraded to HD.
Sky Ireland
Sky Ireland Limited is a subsidiary of Comcast-owned Sky and supplies television, internet and telephony services in Ireland.
Its corporate headquarters are in Dublin which were opened by Taoiseach Enda Kenny on 18 January 2013.
Sky Ireland ...
launched the channel on 14 December 2015, as part of a new long-term partnership with RTÉ, however the channel is not available on
Sky UK
Sky UK Limited is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television and broadband Internet services, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers and businesses in the United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of ...
's Northern Ireland EPG. In response to queries, RTÉ currently advises Northern Ireland Sky subscribers to contact Sky on the matter whereas Sky replies that it's an issue for RTÉ as to whether they make their HD channel available.
RTÉ One +1
A
timeshift channel
A timeshift channel (sometimes referred to as a +1 channel) is a television channel carrying time-delayed reruns of its "parent" channel's programming. This channel runs alongside their parent: the term "timeshift" does not refer to a network br ...
for RTÉ One (RTÉ One +1) was launched on 27 May 2011 and shares channel space with
RTÉjr
RTÉjr is an Irish free-to-air children's television channel operated by state-owned broadcaster RTÉ. The channel mainly targets a demographic of 2- to 7-year-olds, but some cartoons for older children also air. The channel is part of RTÉ K ...
. The channel was made available on
Saorview
Saorview ( ) is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.
The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with a full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation i ...
from its launch,
UPC Ireland
Virgin Media Ireland is Liberty Global's telecommunications operation in Ireland. It is the largest digital cable television provider within the country. As of 31 December 2014, the company offers broadband internet, digital television and d ...
replaced
City Channel
City Channel was an Irish television network that began broadcasting in October 2005, which focused primarily on local and regional television. It operated three stations: City Channel Dublin, City Channel Galway, and Channel South. The channel ...
with RTÉ One +1 on 13 March 2012.
Reeling in the Years does not broadcast on this channel due to music rights restrictions.
It was referred to as RTÉ One Deferred in the Easy TV commercial
DTT multiplex application, Easy TV was made up of RTÉ NL and
UPC Ireland
Virgin Media Ireland is Liberty Global's telecommunications operation in Ireland. It is the largest digital cable television provider within the country. As of 31 December 2014, the company offers broadband internet, digital television and d ...
. RTÉ had also plans to create a third channel called RTÉ Three along with RTÉ One Deferred as reported in the Sunday Business Post in May 2008.
RTÉ Three was dropped for the alternative RTÉ Plus/
RTÉjr
RTÉjr is an Irish free-to-air children's television channel operated by state-owned broadcaster RTÉ. The channel mainly targets a demographic of 2- to 7-year-olds, but some cartoons for older children also air. The channel is part of RTÉ K ...
. RTÉ Plus would have initially been a time shift channel for RTÉ One's prime time schedule, starting each night at 19:00 after RTÉjr ends for the night. This "Phase 1" of RTÉ plus was to begin broadcasting in May 2011. "Phase 2" of RTÉ Plus was to be made up of an entirely different schedule to that of RTÉ One, RTÉ had hoped that this would be made available in May 2012.
Minister Pat Carey gave the go ahead for RTÉ One +1 for a maximum of 4 years at which point it will be reviewed. He did not give permission for the second phase in the channel as he was advised by the BAI that it may cause problems for commercial service providers such as TV3.
As part of a new long-term partnership with
Sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space.
In the field of astronomy, ...
, RTÉ One +1 launched on Sky channel 115 on 14 December 2015, moving RTÉ2 HD down to 278. On 1 May 2018, the +1 channels and the Entertainment & Documentaries channel sections were moved to 201 - 299 to coincide with the non +1 channel. For example, RTÉ One is on channel 101, and RTÉ One +1 is on 201.
When launched, RTÉ One +1 broadcast from 19:00 to approximately 02:00. On 15 February 2019, RTÉ One +1 began broadcasting 24 hours a day to coincide with the launch of RTÉ2 +1.
Budget
References
The following figures were issued by RTÉ as part of their Annual reports 2008 and 2012
Income
Total Costs
Profit and Loss
Breakdown of Irish Productions
The table below outlines RTÉ One's total in-house and commissioned programming by genre in 2008 and 2012:
Programming
2015/2016 season
On 13 August 2015, RTÉ One revealed its 2015/2016 line-up. As part of the new schedule two new dramas will debut on the channel these include the four-part drama series ''
Clean Break'' (2015) and five-part drama series ''
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
'' (2016). The 2015/2016 schedule has a stronger focus on documentaries and a lesser focus on domestic drama when compared to previous seasons.
RTÉ One airs a variety of programmes each week, both homegrown programming and imported programming. A typical week of programming on RTÉ One would be as follows: On Sunday night RTÉ's flagship talent show ''
The Voice of Ireland
''The Voice of Ireland'' is the Irish edition of the international TV franchise '' The Voice'', a reality singing competition created by media tycoon John de Mol. The first series began airing from 8 January 2012 on RTÉ One. The coaches origin ...
'' airs at 18.30, with the results show following soap opera ''
Fair City
''Fair City'' is an Irish television soap opera which has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 1989. Produced by the public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), it first aired on Monday, 18 September 1989. It has won several awa ...
'' at 20.30. ''
Dragon's Den
''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is k ...
'' airs at 21.30 on Sunday nights. On Monday nights at 21.35, there is a questions and answers style show called ''Claire Byrne Live '' hosted by
Claire Byrne
Claire Byrne (born 11 August 1975) is an Irish journalist and television presenter.
Byrne presented ''The Daily Show'' from September 2010 to March 2012. In 2013, she became an anchor on RTÉ's flagship current affairs programme ''Prime Time''. ...
. The long running chat show ''
The Late Late Show'' hosted by Ryan Tubridy airs Friday nights from 21.35, it is the longest running chat show in the world. On Saturday night, game show '' The Million Euro Challenge '' airs at around 20.15, ''
The Saturday Night Show
''The Saturday Night Show'' is a talk show hosted by Brendan O'Connor broadcast on RTÉ One between 2010 and 2015. The show features guest interviews, audience participation and live music. ''The Saturday Night Show'' is broadcast every Saturday ...
'' airs at around 21.45, similar to ''
The Late Late Show'' it has a variety of celebrity guests and music performances. Irish soap opera ''
Fair City
''Fair City'' is an Irish television soap opera which has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 1989. Produced by the public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), it first aired on Monday, 18 September 1989. It has won several awa ...
'' airs four times a week on ''RTÉ One'', it airs Sundays at 20:30, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 20.00, and Wednesdays at 19.30, ''
Fair City
''Fair City'' is an Irish television soap opera which has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 1989. Produced by the public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), it first aired on Monday, 18 September 1989. It has won several awa ...
'' is similar to the British format for soap operas such as ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
''. ''RTÉ One'' also airs British soap opera ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' weekly at the same times as ''
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
''. RTÉ One also air a host of films throughout the week including the midweek movie on Wednesday at 21:30 and the big big movie (usually a children's film) Saturdays at 18:30. RTÉ One also air news coverage throughout the week including a 13:00, 18:00, and 21:00 news broadcast every day.
News and current affairs
''RTÉ News and Current Affairs'' provides all of RTÉ One's News and Current Affairs Programming.
RTÉ News and current affairs television programmes include:
''News programming''
*''
Morning Edition
''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 AM ...
''
*''
RTÉ News: One O'Clock''
*''
RTÉ News: Six One''
*''
RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock''
*''
RTÉ News: Headlines (broadcast at regular intervals in the morning, early afternoon and at night)''
*''
Nuacht RTÉ
Nuacht RTÉ le TG4 (Irish for ''RTÉ and TG4 News'') is the main news service for Irish speakers on RTÉ television. The service is broadcast from the news studios at
Baile na hAbhann in the Connemara Gaeltacht, County Galway, Ireland.a
Nuach ...
''
*''
RTÉ News with Signing
(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, while ...
''
''Current Affairs Programming''
*''
Prime Time
Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
''
*''Prime Time Investigates''
*''
Claire Bryne Live''
*''
The Week in Politics
''The Week in Politics'' is an Irish news and current affairs programme broadcast on RTÉ One and the RTÉ News channel. It is presented by Áine Lawlor, occasionally by Sharon Ní Bheoláin or Paul Cunningham. In its original format in 1996 ...
''
*''
Nationwide''
*''
One To One''
*''
Oireachtas Report
''Oireachtas Report'' is an Republic of Ireland, Irish political television programme broadcast on RTÉ One. Presented by Edel McAllister, Ailbhe Conneely and Conor McMorrow one per edition, it transmits nightly highlights of that day's proceedi ...
''
*''
Euro Report''
RTÉ News and Current Affairs coverage of all major political events such as General Elections, Budgets, Local and European Elections and Referendums. Since 2000 RTÉ has covered the US Presidential Elections live. It also covers major political stories from the Northern Irish Assembly, including elections.
Diversity
RTÉ as a public service broadcaster is committed to providing awareness about the diverse communities found within Ireland. RTÉ aims to providing access to different groups through different mediums.
RTÉ Diversity provides awareness of Ireland's multicultural society. From 2002, RTÉ produced a weekly multicultural show called Mono.
The show aired between 2002 and 2005 and had a similar format as ''Nationwide''; but focused more on multicultural issues and had reports from all parts of the country. The show was produced by Kairos Communications for RTÉ
and was presented by Shalini Sinha.
RTÉ Diversity commissions a monthly show for individuals with
hearing impairments or deafness. ''
Hands On'' (originally called ''Sign of the Times'') airs every Sunday morning. The show is presented using
Irish Sign Language
Irish Sign Language (ISL, ga, Teanga Chomharthaíochta na hÉireann) is the sign language of Ireland, used primarily in the Republic of Ireland. It is also used in Northern Ireland, alongside British Sign Language (BSL). Irish Sign Language is ...
. The show is also subtitled using Irish or English subtitles. In 2009, the number of ''Hands On'' programmes were reduced by 60%, from 20 to 7.
Diversity has also been showcased on RTÉ Dramas:
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 ...
and
Glenroe
''Glenroe'' was a television drama series broadcast on RTÉ One in Ireland between September 1983, when the first episode was aired, and May 2001. A spin-off from ''Bracken'' — a short-lived RTÉ drama itself spun off from ''The Riordans'' ...
featured several characters from the Irish Travelling Community.
Fair City
''Fair City'' is an Irish television soap opera which has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 1989. Produced by the public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), it first aired on Monday, 18 September 1989. It has won several awa ...
and
The Clinic have showcased a broader range of diversity which includes members of the
Roma community,
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
movement, African heritage, Eastern Europe and other ethnic minorities groups in Ireland.
In April 2010, RTÉ revealed a new multicultural programme which will air from March 2011. The show has a budget of €45,000 per episode.
Cláracha Gaeilge
RTÉ produced the television series ''
Buntús Cainte
(; "Rudiments of Speech") was a book series and an Irish-language learning TV programme, written by Tomás Ó Domhnalláin in the mid-1960s, illustrated by William Bolger, and first published in a three volume series by the Stationery Office, ...
'' in 1967, which together with the corresponding series of books, aimed to promote the learning of the Irish Language. The television series was presented by Máire O'Neill and Aileen Geoghegan.
In the early 1990s, they produced a similar show with
BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland ( ga, BBC Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ''BBC Norlin Airlan'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ire ...
called ''Now You're Talking'' which used the
Ulster dialect of Irish.
In they early 2000s, they produced a new series called ''Turas Teanga'', which was presented by newsreader
Sharon Ní Bheoláin.
During
Seachtain na Gaeilge
Seachtain na Gaeilge (English: ''Irish language week''), known for sponsorship purposes as Seachtain na Gaeilge le Energia, is an annual international festival promoting the Irish language and culture, both in Ireland and all around the world. ...
(Irish Language Week), continuity is provided through the Irish Language. During this week they also have a range of shows that promote the learning or use of the Irish language. In 2010 they produced An Cór with Fiachna O Braonáin.
RTÉ also produced the highly successful Irish Language documentary strands Leargás, Scannal and
CSÍ, which were first shown on RTÉ One with repeats on
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
.
Nuacht RTÉ
Nuacht RTÉ le TG4 (Irish for ''RTÉ and TG4 News'') is the main news service for Irish speakers on RTÉ television. The service is broadcast from the news studios at
Baile na hAbhann in the Connemara Gaeltacht, County Galway, Ireland.a
Nuach ...
provides a round-up of the day's events at 17:40 each weekday.
RTÉ has a dedicated commissioning brief inviting proposals for new Irish-language programming.
Education
In the early years of Teilifís Éireann most of the educational shows were aimed at children such as ''
Dáithí Lacha
''Dáithí Lacha'' (; meaning "David Duck") was an Irish language television cartoon series for children broadcast on RTÉ during the 1960s. The series was not animated, however. For each five-minute episode, the creator, illustrator, and camera ...
''. In more recent years they have produced literacy programmes for adults such as ''
Read, Write, Now'' presented by
Derek Mooney
Derek James Mooney (born 4 March 1967) is an Irish radio and television presenter, as well as a radio producer. Until January 2015 he presented a weekday afternoon programme called '' Mooney'' on RTÉ Radio 1. He is the current executive produce ...
.
Regional
''
Nationwide'' is RTÉ's main regional programme, in 2010 Gala began sponsoring the show. The shows average audience for 2009 was 400,000 viewers. The show began airing in the early 1990s. In 1999 RTÉ tested opt out for Dublin, Cork and Galway on UHF signals, however Chorus (a Dublin cable operator at the time) aired the Galway edition, while NTL (the other Dublin cable operator aired the Dublin version). RTÉ do not provide local opt-out or regional news. However RTÉ Cork produces a number of other Irish shows. ''
Capital D'' was a programme for Dublin (similar in style to Nationwide), presented by
Anne Cassin, it took a look at issues in Dublin. The programme did not return in 2012. ''Ear to the Ground'' is a farming magazine show. ''Nationwide'' is produced by RTÉ Factual while ''Ear to the Ground'' is produced by Independent Films for RTÉ.
Drama and comedy
1960s
In 1961 as Teilifís Éireann got ready to begin broadcasting it appointed
Hilton Edwards
Hilton Edwards (2 February 1903 – 18 November 1982) was an English-born Irish actor, lighting designer and theatrical producer. He co-founded the Gate Theatre with his partner Micheál Mac Liammóir and two others, and has been referred to as ...
as head of Drama, he was heavily involved in Irish theatre at the time. At this early stage they produced many international and local plays for television audiences such as ''
Antigone
In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & R ...
'', ''
The Wild Duck
''The Wild Duck'' (original Norwegian title: ''Vildanden'') is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It is considered the first modern masterpiece in the genre of tragicomedy. ''The Wild Duck'' and ''Rosmersholm'' are "often t ...
'', ''
The Fire Raisers'', ''
The Government Inspector
''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pl ...
'', ''
The Physicists
''The Physicists'' (german: Die Physiker) is a satiric drama/ tragic comedy written in 1961 by Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt. The play was mainly written as a result of the Second World War and many advances in science and nuclear technolo ...
'', ''
Martine
Martine is a feminine given name and a surname.
Given name
* Martine Aubry (born 1950), French politician
* Martine Audet (born 1961), Canadian poet
* Martine Aurillac (born 1939), French politician
* Martine Baay-Timmerman (born 1958), Dutch po ...
'', ''
The Well of the Saints
''The Well of the Saints'' is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge, J. M. Synge, first performed at the Abbey Theatre by the Irish National Theatre Society in February 1905 in literature, 1905. The Setting (narrative) ...
'', ''
Candida'', ''
The Man of Destiny
''The Man of Destiny'' is an 1897 play by George Bernard Shaw, set in Italy during the early career of Napoleon. It was published as a part of ''Plays Pleasant'', which also included '' Arms and the Man'', '' Candida'' and '' You Never Can Tell. ...
'', ''
In the Shadow of the Glen'', ''
Church Street'', ''
The Field'', ''
The Plough and the Stars
''The Plough and the Stars'' is a four-act play by the Irish writer Seán O'Casey that was first performed on 8 February 1926 at the Abbey Theatre. It is set in Dublin and addresses the 1916 Easter Rising. The play's title references the Sta ...
'', ''
The Shadow of a Gunman
''The Shadow of a Gunman'' is a 1923 tragicomedy play by Seán O'Casey set during the Irish War of Independence. It centres on the mistaken identity of a building tenant who is thought to be an IRA assassin.
It is the first in O'Casey's "Dublin ...
'' and ''
The Hostage''. Both of Edwards' successors Jim Fitzgerald and Chloe Gibson would continue with stage play adaptations but would also look for original dramas for television.
Hugh Leonard
Hugh Leonard (9 November 1926 – 12 February 2009) was an Irish dramatist, television writer, and essayist. In a career that spanned 50 years, Leonard wrote nearly 30 full-length plays, 10 one-act plays, three volumes of essay, two autobiograph ...
adapted
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
's ''
Dubliners
''Dubliners'' is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. It presents a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century.
The stories were writt ...
'' under the title Dublin and in 1966 he wrote ''
Insurrection
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
'', an 8-part real-time series which depicted the events of the
1916 Easter Rising which was broadcast on Easter Week on the 50th anniversary of the rising, it was RTÉ biggest drama production of the 1960s, involving on location filming and the Army. In its first ten years on the air RTÉ produced 103 plays of which 66% were Irish and 50% began life as stage plays. Half of the drama produced came from serials such as the
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
based urban soap ''
Tolka Row
''Tolka Row'' was an Irish drama serial set in a fictional housing estate on the northside of Dublin. Based on Maura Laverty's play of the same name, ''Tolka Row'' was first broadcast on 3 January 1964 and aired weekly for five series until it ...
'' which began broadcasting in 1964 and finished in 1968. In terms of population RTÉ was one of Europe's biggest producers of television drama.
In 1965 ''
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 ...
'' began broadcasting, this would begin the
Wesley Burrowes
Wesley Burrowes (15 April 193031 December 2015) was an Irish playwright and screenwriter. Originally from Northern Ireland, he became a resident of the Republic of Ireland. He was best known as the chief scriptwriter on ''The Riordans'' and ''G ...
trilogy of Irish Agrisoaps (Agricultural based dramas), it was followed by ''
Bracken
Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells (eggs ...
'' in 1978 (and was aired on RTÉ One) as
Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, and author. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's s ...
's character (Pat Barry) moved from
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
to
Wicklow
Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...
and in 1982 two of ''
Bracken
Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells (eggs ...
s main characters Dinny and Milie Byrne moved to
Glenroe
''Glenroe'' was a television drama series broadcast on RTÉ One in Ireland between September 1983, when the first episode was aired, and May 2001. A spin-off from ''Bracken'' — a short-lived RTÉ drama itself spun off from ''The Riordans'' ...
which ran until 2001.
1970s
In the 1970s RTÉ produced several urban dramas set outside Dublin. ''The Burke Enigma'' began in 1975 and was RTÉ's first
police procedural
The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...
something that they did not return to very often. ''Partners in Practice'' was RTÉ's first medical drama and was loosely based on successful TV formats from abroad such as ''Emergency Ward 10'', ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook'', ''Marcus Welby M.D.'' and ''Dr. Kildare''. ''Partners in Practice'' was set in the new sprawling suburban Dublin in the fictional town of Sallybawn. Sallybawn was based on the new 1970s sprawling developments such as Tallaght. The series was set in the fictional Sallybawn Health Centre. It ran for one season in 1972 and was written by
Carolyn Swift
Carolyn is a female given name, a variant of Caroline. Other spellings include Karolyn, Carolyne, Carolynn or Carolynne. Caroline itself is one of the feminine forms of Charles.
List of Notable People
*Carolyn Bennett (born 1950), Canadian pol ...
. In 1978
Louis Lentin became head of RTÉ Drama having produced Uncle Vanya (1970), King of Friday's Men (1967) and King of the Castle (1977). He started ''Thursday Playdate'', these were once of plays which dramatized current events and current affairs in Ireland. He would also be responsible for ''The Spike'' a controversial drama that was to run for 10 weeks only to be taken of the after the fifth episode. Problems surrounded both the content (A very critical look at the VEC system in Irish Education) and poor scriptwritting to deal with major issues.
1980s
RTÉ One had a major success with 1980s ''
Strumpet City'' based on the novel by
James Plunkett
James Plunkett Kelly, or James Plunkett (21 May 1920 – 28 May 2003), was an Irish writer. He was educated at Synge Street CBS.
Kelly grew up among the Dublin working class and they, along with the petty bourgeoisie and lower intelligentsia ...
about the 1913
Dublin Lockout
The Dublin lock-out was a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers that took place in Ireland's capital and largest city, Dublin. The dispute, lasting from 26 August 1913 to 18 January 1914, is often vie ...
. It was successfully sold around the world to various countries including the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. ''
The Year of The French
''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
'' was a major follow up period drama with twice the production budget as ''Strumpet City'', however it was not as successful. ''The Year of The French'' was one of the many co-productions that RTÉ produced during the 1980s, it was co-produced with the UK's
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
and France's
FR2.
In 1983 RTÉ produced a World War II drama titled ''
Caught in a Free State
''Caught in a Free State'' was a dramatised television series made by RTÉ in 1983. This four-part series was about German spies in neutral Ireland during World War II, known in Ireland as " The Emergency".
Production
The series was written by ...
''. The four-part series was set against the backdrop of Irish Neutrality during the Second World War. It surrounded the true stories of German Spies in Ireland. The series was a co-production with
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
. Other Channel 4/RTÉ co-productions from the 1980s include ''
The Irish R.M.
''The Irish R.M.'' is a trilogy of books by the Anglo-Irish novelists Somerville and Ross and a 1983 television comedy-drama series based on them. They are set in the turn-of-the-twentieth-century west of Ireland.
Books
The television series ...
'' and ''
Echoes''.
In the mid-1980s RTÉ developed a sitcom called ''
Leave It to Mrs O'Brien'' which centred on the housekeeper of a Parish Priest. It is often quoted as one of the comedies which shows that RTÉ cannot produce good comedy. The series was a critical and audience failure. RTÉ would not produce another sitcom until the mid-1990s, while being criticized for not commissioning another series that featured a Parish Priest Housekeeper.
In 1989, RTÉ returned with a new drama series based in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
city called ''
Fair City
''Fair City'' is an Irish television soap opera which has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 1989. Produced by the public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), it first aired on Monday, 18 September 1989. It has won several awa ...
''. In 2010, the show has celebrated its 20th anniversary since it first broadcast. The show continues to air four nights a week on RTÉ One.
1990s
In 1993, RTÉ One began to broadcast
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
's soap ''
Ros na Rún
() is an Irish soap opera produced for the Irish-language television channel TG4. The series is set in a fictional village called Ros Na Rún, located near to An Spidéal, and focuses on the domestic and professional lives of its residents.
...
''. The show initially broadcast for a short season each year. The show no-longer airs on RTÉ One, but instead airs each night on TG4. The show also airs on television in Scotland and America. In 1994 RTÉ broadcast ''
Family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
'' by
Roddy Doyle
Roddy Doyle (born 8 May 1958) is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. He is the author of eleven novels for adults, eight books for children, seven plays and screenplays, and dozens of short stories. Several of his books have been ma ...
, a co-production with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' (also known as ''Extra! Extra!''). It was poorly received, critics stating the scripts lacked any humour and that the direction was poor. Reviewing the programme for the ''
called it "probably the worst programme RTÉ has ever shown". The ''
'' Brendan Glacken was equally scathing: "Speaking of ''Extra! Extra!'', as I am afraid we still must, even seasoned RTÉ observers seem unable to answer the question why a series so pathetically weak should have been allowed to reach the screen at all". The ''
'' later listed it as one of the worst Irish TV shows ever.
In the mid-1990s RTÉ return to sitcom with the development of ''
'' which ran for 3 seasons. The series was a critical failure but it often land in RTÉ top programmes each week. At the same time British station
'', which RTÉ is often incorrectly accused of turning down. RTÉ would not return to sitcoms until 2001 when ''The Cassidys'' appeared on ''
'' this was also a failure however two other successive comedies appeared in the same year on
''. RTÉ One's next comedy series would not appear until 2003 with the arrival of ''
''.
In the late 1990s RTÉ co-produced many period dramas based on novels by significant modern day Irish novelists, such as ''
''. They also produced the
''.
As a replacement for the axed rural soap ''Glenroe'' RTÉ commissioned ''On Home Ground'', surrounding a rural
club. The series was not well received and was replaced in 2003 by ''
''. The Clinic was an award-winning primetime television medical drama series produced by Parallel Film Productions for RTÉ. The show ran for seven seasons between September 2003 to November 2009. The last episode aired on RTÉ One on Sunday, 15 November 2009. The show was so successful that it also aired in Finland, New Zealand, Australia,
, Scotland and Portugal.
Since 2000 RTÉ has increased its output of specialized dramas. These drama's have discussed a broad range of issues such as the Irish Hepatitis C scandal in ''
'' series. The series was produced by Irish Comedian
. The series was a critical failure but according to one critic this was due to the rural/urban divide and "because TV critics tend to stand very firmly on one side of that gap, they have seldom attempted to understand the popularity of something so old-fashioned, predictable and lazy.".
The series was a huge audience success for the channel often getting over 500,000 every Sunday night, with its Christmas specials becoming some of Ireland's most watched TV programmes during its run.
In 2004 RTÉ co-produced with Denmark's
a gritty drama series based on criminality in Dublin City. ''
. In 2006 RTÉ broadcast a fictional drama based on a nuclear fallout called ''
''. Following this another drama appeared on RTÉ One in September 2006, the
'', to mark the 25th anniversary of the incident.
In 2007, RTÉ began the drama series ''
''. Three episodes of the series ran over the course of three years when ITV bought the rights to the show in 2009, which led to the co-production of the fourth series with Britain's
'' a drama which focused on rape and sexual abuse. In 2008, RTÉ produced ''
'' this drama highlighted irregular obstetric practices within Irish hospitals. Another drama in 2008 included ''Bitter Sweet''. This drama follows the difficulties encountered by three female friends who undergo difficult changes to their respective lives.
In 2009 RTÉ commissioned a second
comedy titled ''Mattie''. ''Mattie'' initially centred on the move of a rural
to the big city, however the series received poor reviews and audience figures were lacklustre. RTÉ attempted to re-launch the show as''STG Mattie'' the following year this time keeping Garda Mattie in country surrounding and adding a
'' co-produced with ITV.
biopic ''When Harvey met Bobby'' (surrounding the relationship between Bob Geldof and Harvey Goldsmith) was co-produced with the
...