RTÉ Celebrating all things Irish this St. Patrick’s Weekend

This St. Patrick’s weekend, RTÉ invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Celebrating our unique identity and heritage RTÉ One, RTÉ2, RTÉ Player, RTÉ Radio and RTÉ Online have a mix of Irish storytelling, documentary and music to entertain our island. Whatever makes you wear the shamrock with pride, RTÉ has something special for you this St. Patrick’s weekend.

The Late Late Show will kick off St Patrick’s weekend on RTÉ with Patrick Kielty hosting a celebration of Irish legends and heroes. Patrick will welcome the Republic of Ireland squad that qualified for the Italia 90 World Cup, coming together on Irish television for the first time in 35 years.

Earlier on RTÉ One at 8pm, Catherine Fulvio embarks on a soulful journey along Northern Ireland’s Saint Patrick’s Way on RTÉ One at 8pm titled Catherine Fulvio’s St Patrick’s Way. Catherine will take viewers along The Pilgrim Walk, a 132-kilometer trail through Armagh and onward to the beautiful coastal landscape of County Down.

On Friday night, Nationwide focus on song, dance and the Irish language. Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh presents as the team are in Donegal meeting enthusiastic lovers of Irish dancing who gather to meet with friends and share their passion for dance. Meanwhile in Belfast, reporter Niall Martin visits a part of the city where locals are learning Irish.

On Sunday night on RTÉ One, Kayleigh Trappe, Rhys McClenaghan, Danny O’Carroll and Jack Woolley along with their pro-dance partners will be competing for the glitterball in the final of Dancing with the Stars, hosted by Jennifer Zamparelli and Doireann Garrihy. Each couple will dance two routines on the night as they battle it out for the winning title.

Hugh Wallace visits Rathmullan, County Donegal to oversee the restoration of a former seaside guesthouse in The Great House Revival.

The national St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns to the streets of Dublin on Monday, March 17th at 12:15 on RTÉ One. In this year’s broadcast presented by Sarah McInerney, Dáithí O’Sé, Emer O’Neill and Thomas Crosse the parade will capture the sense of adventure that this year’s theme Eachtraí seeks to celebrate.

RTÉ will also bring coverage of St. Patrick’s Day parades from around the country across its services including a special extended RTÉ Six One News programme. 

Later on St. Patrick’s Day, in a challenge to the conventional narrative, Patrick – A Slave to Ireland is an epic documentary which places British-born Saint Patrick in his European context. The documentary shows how Ireland’s patron saint was part of a radical Christian movement that converted not only the Irish at the edge of the earth, but also large swathes of Europe, to Christianity. Narrated by Ciarán Hinds and Ian Hart, this documentary reveals how the Irish church St. Patrick founded became a catalyst in reseeding classical learning, science and philosophy throughout Europe.

Movie fans have their choice of sporting action with Invictus on Saturday night on RTÉ2 at 10:15pm, with those looking for some laughs with a mysterious twist, the St. Patrick’s Bank Holiday Monday movie See How They Run has Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and rookie Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) investigate a murder at a West End theatre on RTÉ One at 9:30pm.

St. Patrick’s Weekend Sport 

A packed weekend of free-to-air St Patrick’s weekend sport kicks off in Treviso on Friday night (RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player) when Ireland take on Italy in the U20s Six Nations. Saturday sees the Ireland men aim to win an improbable third Six Nations Championship in-a-row with a win over Italy in Rome (RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player) while Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 will have full commentary on the game from Michael Corcoran. RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player will also have live coverage of France v Scotland on Saturday evening.

Saturday also sees live Allianz League action with coverage of Kerry v Armagh on Saturday GAA Live from Tralee on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 will have commentaries and reports across the weekend and Allianz League Sunday on Sunday night (RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player) will round up all of the weekend’s action.

St Patrick’s weekend rounds off on Monday evening on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player when Against The Head will look back at a breathtaking Guinness Six Nations Championship. RTÉ Sport Online will have live blogs, previews and reports on all the major events over the Bank Holiday weekend as well as highlights of the action on RTÉ social media platforms, RTÉ website and RTÉ News app.

RTÉ Radio 

On RTÉ Radio 1 on St. Patrick’s Day, join Marty Morrissey from 9am where he’ll be doing a whiparound of how people are celebrating St Patrick’s Day in the country and beyond. Hannah Quinn Mulligan will be trying to get her annual potato harvest into the ground in Potato Planting on St. Patrick’s Day at 11am. Mik Pyro and his band join Louise Duffy at 12 noon for a very special Studio 8 session. Olé – The Story of “Put ‘Em Under Pressure” broadcasts at 2pm; join presenter Will Leahy together with Larry Mullen, Moya Brennan, Ray Houghton and more as they re-live the origin, recording and massive success of this iconic football song. Later on RTÉ Radio 1, if you’re looking for music to get you going, this week’s Gig on One at 6pm is a recording from The Scratch live in The National Stadium as part of Tradfest 2025.

On RTÉ 2FM, the new weekend schedule will kick off from 7am, further details to be released tomorrow morning. Meanwhile on RTÉ lyric fm The Lyric Feature on Sunday 16th at 6pm, Louis de Paor goes back to where he spent his childhood some forty years since he last lived in Cork, recalling family and places that he knew, and some of the Cork writers who would influence his work. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta will begin St. Patrick’s Day delving into the archive with Naomh Pádraig – Caint agus Seanchas, listeners will be treated to stories and folklore about Saint Patrick from 9:15am. Fans of drama will enjoy a dramatic intepretation of the short story Lá Fhéile Pádraig from the book ‘An Grá agus an Ghruaim’ by Seosamh Mac Grianna, performed by the Aisteoirí Ghaoth Dobhair drama group, at 1:30pm.