Sky News Ireland was a programming block on

Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...

broadcast in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It was a separate feed from the UK and international versions of Sky News. Sky News Ireland was broadcast from its studios 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 ...

. The service was also available in the UK and around the world on Sky News Active (

Red Button Red button may refer to: *Red Button (digital television), a button on the remote control for certain digital television set top boxes in the United Kingdom and Australia, and used to access interactive television services **BBC Red Button, a digit ...

) service.

Background

launched in Europe in February 1989. In May 2004, Sky News confirmed the launch of an Irish version of the channel. Previous to this Sky News was broadcast in the Republic of Ireland with specific opt-out advertising and sponsorship. Specialized Irish news content aired for 30 minutes each night from 19:00 and 22:00. These special broadcasts were presented by

Gráinne Seoige Gráinne Seoige (; born 5 November 1973) is an Irish journalist, news anchor and documentary and entertainment television presenter. A noted Irish language supporter, Seoige is the only television personality to have worked with all four Irish ...

, news anchor

Ray Kennedy Raymond Kennedy (28 July 1951 – 30 November 2021) was an English footballer who won every domestic honour in the game with Arsenal and Liverpool in the 1970s and early 1980s. Kennedy played as a forward for Arsenal, and then played as a le ...

and

Brian Daly Brian Daly is an Irish news journalist who previously worked for TV3 News. He spent also worked as Ireland Correspondent for Sky News in Dublin. Daly was one of the Sky News Ireland's two anchors for its twice-weeknightly programmes alongside c ...

. On 24 October 2005, the 19:00h programme was moved to 18:30h, this put it in direct competition with RTÉ News: Six One. The bulletin was also available to international viewers via the Sky News Active service (red button) which proved quite popular with the

Irish diaspora The Irish diaspora ( ga, Diaspóra na nGael) refers to ethnic Irish people and their descendants who live outside the island of Ireland. The phenomenon of migration from Ireland is recorded since the Early Middle Ages,Flechner and Meeder, The ...

abroad. The channel was seen by European viewers with a

DVB-S Digital Video Broadcasting – Satellite (DVB-S) is the original DVB standard for Satellite Television and dates from 1995, in its first release, while development lasted from 1993 to 1997. The first commercial applications was by Star TV in Asia ...

satellite receiver across

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Sky News Ireland was the first Irish news service to be broadcast in widescreen, beating plans by

RTÉ News RTÉ News and Current Affairs ( ga, Nuacht agus Cúrsaí Reatha RTÉ), also known as RTÉ News (''Nuacht RTÉ''), is the national news service provided by Irish public broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Its services include local, nationa ...

and

TV3 News Virgin Media News (formerly TV3 News and then 3News Ireland) is the news division of Virgin Media Television in Ireland, owned by Liberty Global. The news division produces news and current affairs programming for free-to-air channels Virgin M ...

. On 27 December 2005, it was confirmed Sky News Ireland's 18:30h bulletin was to be simulcast on

Sky1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

from 9 January 2006. Reporters for the service included Jonathan Healy, Alison O'Reilly, Orla Chennnaoui, David Blevins, Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile, Geraldine Lynagh, Amanda Cassidy, Aisling Ni Choisdealbha, and John Sherwin. Weather on Sky News Ireland was usually presented by Lisa Burke. In October 2006, viewer ratings for the 22:00h programme were 135,000 avg; the 18:30 programme received 65,000 avg. ( Neilsen).

Closure

On 31 October 2006, it was reported that the programme block would cease at the end of November 2006. From 3 November 2006, no further Sky News Ireland bulletins were broadcast when the staff walked out.

presented the final programme at 10.00pm on 3 November after which the staff left in protest at the handling of the closure by their British Sky News managers in London Although specific Irish programming has now ended,

continues to air an Irish opt-out advertising and sponsorship feed. Sky News continue to host studios and offices in

and

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

References

External links

* {{Sky Ltd Television stations in Ireland Sky News Sky television channels Defunct television channels 2004 establishments in Ireland Television channels and stations established in 2004 Television channels and stations disestablished in 2009