The People in Need Trust was a charity in Ireland. It was deregistered in 2016. Its main fundraiser, the RTÉ People in Need Telethon, was broadcast by

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

from 1989 until 2007 and supported by

Eircom Eircom Limited, trading as Eir ( ; stylised eir), is a large fixed, mobile and broadband telecommunications company in Ireland. The now privatised company, which is currently incorporated in Jersey, traces its origins to the Ireland's former ...

(formerly

Telecom Éireann Telecom Éireann (; meaning "Telecommunications of Ireland") was an Irish state-owned telecommunications company that operated from 1983 to 1999. Prior to then a telephone and postal service was provided by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs ...

), raising more than €35 million in total. The theme tune was " Come On Everybody" by

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as "Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire ...

. As with ''

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'' showca ...

'',

Gay Byrne Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne (5 August 1934 – 4 November 2019) was an Irish presenter and host of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of '' The Late Late Show'' over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999. ''The Late Lat ...

presented it wearing distinctive knitted

jumper Jumper or Jumpers may refer to: Clothing *Jumper (sweater), a long-sleeve article of clothing; also called a top, pullover, or sweater **A waist-length top garment of dense wool, part of the Royal Navy uniform and the uniform of the United State ...

s. Previously there was

Self Aid Self Aid was an unemployment benefit concert held in Dublin, Ireland on 17 May 1986. The concert performances were primarily by Irish musicians, although Elvis Costello and Chris Rea, both Englishmen of Irish descent, were designated "honorary Ir ...

on 17 May 1986 followed by Telethon For The Homeless on 10 June 1988. The event was replaced by

RTÉ Does Comic Relief ''RTÉ Does Comic Relief'' was an Irish telethon event that took place on 26 June 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) hosted the four-hour telethon "RTÉ does Telethon" in aid of the Community Foundation ...

on 26 June 2020. All nine People In Need Telethon's will be on RTE Player Christmas 2021 to celebrate 60 years of television.

History

The People in Need telethon took place nine times: 21 April 1989, 4 May 1990, 8 May 1992, 20 May 1994, 26 April 1996, 24 April 1998, 5 May 2000, 21 May 2004 and 26 October 2007. Merchandise included People in Need Telethon T-shirts, buckets, jumpers, welly boots and caps for each event.

1989 event

The 1989 event took place on Friday 21 April, broadcasting live on

RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís � ...

from 18:30 with the opening segment being presented by

. He interviewed his wife

Kathleen Watkins Kathleen Watkins (born 17 October 1934) is an Irish broadcaster, harpist, actress, singer and author. She is the widow of Gay Byrne. She played Grace Gifford in the 1966 docudrama ''Insurrection Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a re ...

reporting from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

with music by Johnny Logan, music was performed by

Hothouse Flowers Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock band that combine traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel, and rock. Formed in 1985 in Dublin, they started as street performers. Their first album, ''People'' (1988), was the most successf ...

Aslan Aslan () is a major character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. Unlike any other character, he appears in all seven chronicles of the series. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion, and is described as the King of Beasts, the ...

and

Enya Enya Patricia Brennan (; ga, Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin; born 17 May 1961), known professionally by the mononym Enya, is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician known for modern Celtic music. She is the best-selling Irish solo arti ...

in studio with

Mick Flavin Mick Flavin (born 3 August 1950) is an Irish country singer from Ballinamuck in County Longford. Flavin recorded his first album in Athlone in June 1986. His first big hit being "I'm Gonna Make It After All". Flavin has also recorded "Someday ...

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

that night. There was studio auction with visible telephonists. Maxi reported from Limerick.

Tommie Gorman Tommie Gorman (born 1956) is a retired Irish journalist. He worked for RTÉ News and Current Affairs from 1980 to 2021. He was the former Northern Ireland editor for RTÉ. He is known for his personal interviews with figures such as Seán Quin ...

and Ciana Campbell reported from

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

Anne Doyle Anne Catherine Doyle (born 30 January 1952) is an Irish journalist, presenter and former newsreader. She is best known as a long-serving newsreader for RTÉ, who anchored the broadcaster's main evening television news programmes, during her 3 ...

reported from

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

Bibi Baskin Olive "Bibi" Baskin (born 19 May 1952) is an Irish radio presenter, hotelier and former television presenter for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). She has been described as "RTÉ's legendary redhead". She has also worked as a magazine and news ...

reported from

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

Seán Bán Breathnach Seán Bán Breathnach (born 1949) is an Irish radio and television broadcaster and personality. He broadcasts primarily in the medium of the Irish language. Early life and career Born in the Connemara area of County Galway, Breathnach moved to t ...

reported from

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

Cynthia Ní Mhurchú Cynthia Ní Mhurchú (born 1966) is an Irish people, Irish barrister from Carlow and previously a radio host with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). She presented Eurovision Song Contest 1994 in Dublin along with Gerry Ryan. Biography Ní Mhu ...

reported from

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

. It was broadcast from RTÉ Studios and from the Round Room of the Mansion House,

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 ...

with

Pat Kenny Patrick Kenny (born 29 January 1948) is an Irish broadcaster, who currently hosts the daily radio show ''The Pat Kenny Show'' on Newstalk and the current affairs show ''Pat Kenny Tonight'' on Virgin Media One. Prior to this, Kenny had a 41-yea ...

. The final total raised by the telethon, as reported at the end of the programme, was £2,389,967. The Telethon featured in RTE's '' Reeling In the Years'' review of 1989.

1990 event

The 1990 event took place on Friday 4 May, broadcasting live on

from 18:30 with the opening segment being presented by

Gerry Ryan Gerard Ryan (4 June 1956 – 30 April 2010) was an Irish presenter of radio and television employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). He presented ''The Gerry Ryan Show'' on radio station RTÉ 2fm each weekday morning from 1988 until hou ...

and

Dave Fanning David Fanning (born 27 February 1956) is an Irish television and radio broadcaster, rock journalist, DJ, film critic and author. Fanning currently hosts weekend midday magazine/chat show ''The Dave Fanning Show'' on the Irish national radio sta ...

. It was decided to hold the event every 2nd year (i.e. biennially rather than annually) due to financial problems.

Something Happens Something Happens are an Irish pop-rock band whose heyday was the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's lineup consists of Tom Dunne (Vocals), Ray Harman (Guitar), Alan Byrne (Bass) and Eamonn Ryan (Drums). An earlier incarnation of the band ...

performed the music that day. Telethon cost RTÉ approximately £500,000. Executive Producer Joe Mulholland felt it would be better to have it every other year. John Curry, executive director, People In Need, said that Telethon was a joint effort between People In Need and RTÉ. People In Need could not organise it on its own.

1992 event

The 1992 event took place on Friday 8 May, broadcasting live on

from 18:30 with the opening segment being presented by

and

Derek Davis Derek Davis (26 April 1948 – 13 May 2015) was an Irish broadcaster. On television, he co-hosted '' Live at 3'', presented '' Davis at Large'' and '' Out of the Blue'' and won ''Celebrity Bainisteoir''. Early life Davis was born in Bangor, ...

. An RTÉ strike earlier in the year threatened cancellation of the event.

1994 event

The 1994 event took place on Friday 20 May, broadcasting live on

from 18:30 with the opening segment being presented by

, charity work was carried out on both sides of the island of

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 ...

. The events included

radio DJ A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

Des Cahill Desmond Cahill (born 10 March 1959) is an Irish sports presenter and commentator with national broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Cahill presents RTÉ television's GAA programme ''The Sunday Game'' and RTÉ's flagship weekend sports radi ...

and

Ian Dempsey Ian Dempsey (born 16 January 1961) is an Irish presenter of television and breakfast radio. He is the long-running presenter of the breakfast show on Today FM, self-titled ''The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show'', which runs from 6-9 am each weekday. ...

bowling. Other entertainment on the night included a raffle Cadbury's Treasure Island Hunt followed by a auction with Theresa Lowe and

. The final total raised by the telethon, as reported at the end of the programme, was £3 million.

1996 event

The 1996 event took place on Friday 26 April, broadcasting live on

from 18:30 with the opening segment being presented by

. Popular events singer

Eleanor McEvoy Eleanor McEvoy (born 22 January 1967) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She composed the song "Only a Woman's Heart", title track of '' A Woman's Heart'', the best-selling Irish album in Irish history. Early life and beginnings McEvoy's life as ...

in Dark Tights.

and

Mary Kennedy Mary Kennedy ( ga, Máire Ní Chinnéide; born 4 October 1954) is an Irish television personality and former newscaster, and writer. She presented the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 from the Point Theatre in Dublin. She has also presented her own ...

Christy O'Connor Jnr Christy O'Connor Jnr (born Christopher O'Connor; 19 August 1948 – 6 January 2016) was an Irish professional golfer. He is best known for defeating American Fred Couples at the 1989 Ryder Cup, helping Europe secure the trophy. Early life O'C ...

playing

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

interviewed by

and

Joe Duffy Joseph Duffy (born 27 January 1956) is an Irish broadcaster employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). One of RTÉ's highest-earning stars, he is the current presenter of ''Liveline'', an interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RT� ...

1998 event

The 1998 event took place on Friday 24 April, broadcasting live on

from 18:30 with the opening segment being presented by

and

. The main event included

Lorraine Keane Lorraine Keane (born 1972 or 1973) is an IFTA-nominated Irish broadcaster and journalist. She is best known as the entertainment news correspondent for TV3 and presenter of the daily entertainment show Xpose. Keane announced her departure from ...

. A version of

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

's ''

Piano Man Piano Man refers to a male pianist. Piano Man may also refer to: Music * ''Piano Man'' (Billy Joel album), a 1973 rock album by Billy Joel ** "Piano Man" (song), a 1973 song from the album * ''Piano Man'' (Hilton Ruiz album), 1975 * ''Piano Man'' ...

'' and an accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was released, featuring artists The Carter Twins,

Leslie Dowdall Leslie Dowdall is an Irish singer-songwriter from Howth, County Dublin. She was the singer in trad/rock group In Tua Nua IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, G ...

Christy Dignam Christy Dignam (born Christopher Dignam on 23 May 1960) is the lead singer of the popular Irish rock band Aslan. His career of over forty years has been characterised by numerous successes on the Irish charts as well as recurring problems with dr ...

Eimear Quinn Eimear Mary Rose Quinn (; ga, Eimear Ní Chuinn, ) is an Irish singer and composer. She is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song "The Voice". Since then she has toured and performed extensively internationally ...

Linda Martin Linda Martin (born 27 March 1952) is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known as the winner of the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest during which she represented Ireland with the song " Why Me?". She is also known within Irelan ...

and Paul Harrington,

Frances Black Frances Black (born 25 June 1960) is an Irish singer and politician. She came to prominence in the late 1980s when she began to play with her family's band, the Black Family, performing a mix of traditional and contemporary Irish music. Bla ...

, Don Baker,

Gavin Friday Gavin Friday (born Fionán Martin Hanvey, 8 October 1959) is an Irish singer and songwriter, composer, actor and painter, best known as a founding member of the post-punk group The Virgin Prunes. Early life Friday was born in Dublin and attende ...

and

Liam Reilly Liam Reilly (29 January 1955 – 1 January 2021) was an Irish singer-songwriter and a member of the group Bagatelle, formed in 1978 by drummer Walter (Wally) McConville along with bass player Ken Doyle and guitarist John O’Brien. Career In 1 ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic ...

made an appearance on the night.

2000 event

The 2000 event took place on Friday 5 May, broadcasting live on

from 18:30 with the opening segment being presented by

and

Brendan O'Carroll Brendan O'Carroll (born 17 September 1955) is an Irish actor, comedian, director, producer and writer. He is best known for portraying foul-mouthed matriarch Agnes Brown on stage and in the BBC and RTÉ television sitcom ''Mrs. Brown's Boys''. ...

. The main events included

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...

and

Dustin the Turkey Dustin the Turkey, a character performed by John Morrison is a former star of RTÉ television's ''The Den'' between 1989 and 2010 and from 2020. He has been described as "the most subversive comedy force on Irish television". A turkey-vulture w ...

performing the music while

Aonghus McAnally Aonghus McAnally (born 20 June 1955) is an Irish radio and television producer and presenter, as well as an actor, musician, magician and billiards champion. He worked on both sides of the mic and camera for public service broadcaster Raidió Te ...

and

did some reporting. In 2001, the 2002 event was cancelled, due to financial problems, the introduction of the

Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

Foot and Mouth Disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, followe ...

and the

2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games ) , Nations participating = 166 , Athletes participating = , Events = 23 sports , Opening ceremony = , Closing ceremony = , Officially opened by = Mary McAleese and Nelson Mandela , Torch Lighter ...

. The new plan was to hold the event every 4 years.

2004 event

The 2004 event took place on Friday 21 May, broadcasting live on

from 19:00 with the opening segment being presented by

and

. A radio station "Charity 252", was operated by celebrities, (including

Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh (; born 12 November 1970) is an Irish TV presenter, she has presented ''Echo Island'', ''The Afternoon Show'' and ''Charity ICA Bootcamp''. She was a judge in ''The All Ireland Talent Show'' and participated in ''Celebrity ...

Eileen Reid Eileen Reid (born January 1943) is an Irish singer of the showband era. She had an Irish number 1 on 29 May 1964 with "Fallen Star", and was also known for her song "I Gave My Wedding Dress Away". Career Eileen Reid began singing as a teenage ...

Brian McFadden Brian Nicholas McFadden (born 12 April 1980) is an Irish pop singer and television presenter who rose to fame in 1998 as a member of the Irish boy band Westlife. Following his departure from the group in 2004, McFadden released his debut solo ...

Amanda Brunker Amanda Brunker (born 12 June 1974) is a novelist, journalist and columnist for the Irish '' Sunday World'' tabloid newspaper, and former Miss Ireland. After attending Mount Temple Comprehensive School she turned to modelling, entering and winnin ...

Mickey Joe Harte Michael Joseph "Mickey Joe" Harte (born 21 August 1973), is an Irish singer-songwriter. He represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003 with the song " We've Got the World". Early life Harte hails from Lifford, County Donegal. As ...

Emma O'Driscoll Emma Louise O'Driscoll (born 23 March 1982 in Limerick, Ireland) is a former Irish pop star, turned children's television presenter and reality television personality. O'Driscoll rose to fame in the 2001–2002 RTÉ One television series ''Pops ...

Shirley Temple Bar Declan Buckley is an Irish television personality and drag queen from Dublin, Ireland, going by the persona Shirley Temple Bar. This name is a play on both Shirley Temple and a cultural area of Dublin city called Temple Bar. He also writes a we ...

Donncha Ó Dúlaing Donncha Ó Dúlaing (15 March 1933 – 4 September 2021) was an Irish broadcaster who was known country-wide and among the Irish around the world for his cultural and traditional music programmes. Career Ó Dúlaing was born in County Cork. His ...

and

George Murphy George Lloyd Murphy (July 4, 1902 – May 3, 1992) was an American dancer, actor, and politician. Murphy was a song-and-dance leading man in many big-budget Hollywood musicals from 1930 to 1952. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild fro ...

) locked into a residence for a week, over RTÉ's

longwave In radio, longwave, long wave or long-wave, and commonly abbreviated LW, refers to parts of the radio spectrum with wavelengths longer than what was originally called the medium-wave broadcasting band. The term is historic, dating from the e ...

Atlantic 252 Atlantic 252 was an Irish longwave radio station broadcasting across Ireland and Great Britain on 252 kHz (1190 metres) from its 1988 purpose-built transmission site at Clarkstown radio transmitter, County Meath, which provided service to Atlan ...

radio station, with nightly highlights of

RTÉ Two (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 ...

. A nightly TV highlight show was narrated by broadcaster

. It was decided not hold a telethon in either 2005 or 2006 due to the

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

in Ireland and the change of

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. It was decided the following event in 2007 would be moved from late spring or early summer to autumn.

2007 event

The 2007 event took place on Friday 26 October, broadcasting live on

from 19:00 with the opening segment being presented by

. Following the Nine O'Clock News,

Ryan Tubridy Ryan Tubridy (born 28 May 1973), nicknamed 'Tubs ' is an Irish broadcaster. He presents ''The Ryan Tubridy Show'' and '' The Late Late Show''. Tubridy previously presented RTÉ 2fm breakfast radio show ''The Full Irish'', which at its end was ...

hosted the telethon, with Laura Woods in charge of a telephone auction, and

Kathryn Thomas Kathryn Thomas (born 20 January 1979) is an Irish television presenter. Early life Thomas attended the national school on the Green Road, Carlow and began her secondary school years in St Leo's College, Carlow. In her second year, she transiti ...

reporting from the

call centre. Clint Velour and the Camembert Quartet provided the musical entertainment for the night with guest singers including Dana,

Caroline Morahan Caroline Morahan is an Irish actress and television host. In 2010, she was chosen as the face of Littlewoods Ireland. Early life Caroline Morahan graduated from Dublin City University with a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies, earni ...

Brian Ormond Brian Ormond (born 8 August 1979) is an Irish television presenter, businessman and reality TV star. Early career ''Popstars'' In 2001 Ormond auditioned for the Irish version of ''Popstars (Irish TV series), Popstars,'' the television programme w ...

and

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 ...

. After midnight

Charlie Bird Charles Bird (born 9 September 1949)In his semi-autobiography ''This Is Charlie Bird'', he states he has two birth certificates, one saying he was born 4 September 1949, the other 9 September 1949. He chooses to celebrate his birthday on 9 Sept ...

did Jason Byrne's ''

Anonymous Anonymous may refer to: * Anonymity, the state of an individual's identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown ** Anonymous work, a work of art or literature that has an unnamed or unknown creator or author * Anonym ...

'' as "Charles Black" where he fooled colleagues

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 producer ...

Eileen Dunne Eileen Dunne (born 28 April 1958) is a retired Irish journalist, newsreader and presenter with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Ireland's national radio and television station, where she presented the main television news programmes ''Six One ...

and

Colm Murray Colm Murray (22 March 1952 – 30 July 2013) was an Irish broadcaster, newsreader, and sports journalist, best remembered for his reports on horse racing. Employed by RTÉ from 1978 until his death in 2013 after a three-year battle with motor neu ...

and politicians

Willie O'Dea Willie O'Dea ( ; born 1 November 1952) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency since 2011, and previously from 1982 to 2011 for the Limerick East constituency. He has served as Min ...

Mary O'Rourke Mary O'Rourke (; born 31 May 1937) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Leader of the Seanad and Leader of Fianna Fáil in the Seanad from 2002 to 2007, Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2002, Minister for Public ...

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...

and David Norris. However

Sharon Ní Bheoláin Sharon Ní Bheoláin (, approximately ; born Boland on 15 February 1971) is an Irish journalist, newsreader and presenter with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Ireland's national public service radio and television broadcaster, for which she ...

and George Lee recognised him instantly.

Lucy Kennedy Lucy Kennedy ( ga, Lusaí Ní Chinnéide; born 21 April 1976) is an Irish television and radio presenter. Kennedy first came to public attention from co-hosting ''The Podge and Rodge Show'' on RTÉ Two. She has also presented dating show ''The ...

, magician

Keith Barry Keith Patrick Barry (born 2 October 1976) is an Irish mentalist, hypnotist, magician and activist for the elderly. Early life Born in Williamstown, Waterford, Ireland, Keith's interest in magic began at the age of 5 with a Paul Daniel's mag ...

, comedian

Karl Spain Karl Spain (born 20 October 1971) is an Irish comedian from Limerick. He is from the Corbally area of the city and was educated at CBS Sexton Street. In 2000, Spain won the RTÉ award for Best New Act. Spain appeared at the Montreal '' Just fo ...

, boxer

Bernard Dunne Bernard Dunne (born 6 February 1980) is an Irish former professional boxer and a former WBA (Regular), and European Super Bantamweight champion. On Saturday 21 March 2009, Dunne defeated Ricardo Cordoba in the 11th round to become the WBA (Reg ...

, Kristina Grimes of ''

The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...

'' and sports broadcaster Eamon Horan also took part in the event. Grimes won the game, which Paddy Power bookmakers had sponsored for €30,000. The final total raised by the telethon, as reported at the end of the programme, was €7,550,333. Following the economic crash in 2009 no further Telethons were held, and the charity was wound down in 2016.

References

External links

*
archived
{{DEFAULTSORT:People in Need Trust Charities based in the Republic of Ireland Irish television specials 1980s establishments in Ireland 2016 disestablishments in Ireland RTÉ Television Telethons 1989 in Irish television 1990 in Irish television 1992 in Irish television 1994 in Irish television 1996 in Irish television 1998 in Irish television 2000 in Irish television 2004 in Irish television 2007 in Irish television

History

1989 event

1990 event

1992 event

1994 event

1996 event

1998 event

2000 event

2004 event

2007 event

See also

References

External links