An Domhnach seo, beidh Cluiche Ceannais Peile na hÉireann á thaispeáint i nGaeilge ar RTÉ News Channel agus an RTÉ Player. Seo an chéad uair go mbeidh RTÉ ag craoladh beo i nGaeilge ón taobh line don chluiche ceannais peile. 

Evanne Ní Chuilinn a bheidh i mbun láithreoireachta le anailís ó Marc Ó Sé agus Gary Brennan. Is iad Garry Mac Donncha agus Dara Ó Cinnéide a bheidh i mbun tráchtaireachta beo ó Pháirc an Chrócaigh agus is é Damien Ó Donaill a bheas mar thuairisceoir.  

As classic rivals, Dublin and Kerry prepare to meet in Croke Park for the first time since 2019 in the All-Ireland Football Final this weekend, and Up for the Match is back to celebrate the perfect Gaelic football storm!

Presenters Jacqui Hurley and Des Cahill will be joined by a panel of football legends as well as a live studio audience featuring some of the biggest football fans Dublin and Kerry has to offer.

The fast-paced 90 minutes of live GAA chat on RTÉ One will be jam-packed with conversation from an All-Star panel, as well a selection of performances throughout the evening. Viewers can warm up for the big game with Ireland’s premier cheerleading group, Twisters Elite Cheer Club, plus a performance from 7-time All-Ireland champion on harp and banjo, Lisa Canny.
There will be a special show finale in the form of an exclusive performance in honour of the late Aslan singer, Christy Dignam. A traditional Irish arrangement of Crazy World created by Lisa Canny will feature a joint initiative of Music Generation in Louth and the Oriel Centre in Dundalk – Nós Nua Orchestra, and special guest Kiera Dignam.

This week, Anna Geary and Marty Morrissey are back on the road to capture the excitement, live from venues in Dublin and Kerry as they bring the Up for the Match experience to fans celebrating in their home counties.
 
Jacqui Hurley said: “Dublin v Kerry is one of the greatest sporting rivalries on the pitch, but off it there’s a great rivalry in storytelling & having the craic too, so I’m really looking forward to Saturday night. It’ll be the perfect start to the All-Ireland weekend ahead of what might be one of the best ever matches between the counties!”
 
Des Cahill added: “An All-Ireland Football final between Dublin and Kerry is perhaps my favourite pairing. As a Dub who has spent time working in the Kingdom, I know the football scene in both counties well. After all the fun we had during last week’s Up for the Match, I’m looking forward to getting back into studio with Jacqui, our panellists and musicians, but most of all our live audience of die-hard GAA fans.”

As well as some surprises for the live studio audience, viewers at home will have a chance to win the final two tickets for Sunday’s All-Ireland Football Final in Croke Park. In addition to the two premium tickets, the lucky winner will be transported to and from the game, receive an overnight hotel stay in Dublin and get €2000 cash.

Up for the Match will broadcast live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player at 9:30pm on Saturday 29^th July ahead of the All-Ireland Football Final.

Ireland vs Canada sets new record as highest watched women’s team sporting event in Irish television history

• Over 550,000 TV viewers watch on RTÉ2 with 68.9% audience share
• Second highest live event so far this year on RTÉ Player with 234,883 streams

Live coverage of the Republic of Ireland’s FIFA Women’s World Cup second group match saw an average of 550,600 television viewers watch the game on RTÉ2, equating to 68.9% share of viewers watching television, and 234,883 live streams on RTÉ Player. Ireland’s matches at the FIFA Women’s World Cup vs Australia and Canada have provided the top two live events of the year-to-date on RTÉ Player.

Yesterday afternoon the Republic of Ireland team played in their second group game in their first time at the FIFA Women’s World Cup against Canada in Perth with hundreds of thousands watching from all around the world.

The streaming numbers and TV ratings from Wednesday’s game demonstrate the continuing support for the women’s national team as live audiences for women’s sport hit an all-time high. Over half a million viewers watched on RTÉ2 as Katie McCabe scored Ireland’s first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup goal in the 4th minute of the first half.

On RTÉ Player there has been over 750,000 streams of all FIFA Women’s World Cup games in the first 7 days with the numbers continuing to grow. On RTÉ.ie the live blog with minute-by-minute updates from the match received over 430,000 views.

RTÉ presenters Evanne Ní Chuilinn, Peter Collins, Clare MacNamara and Marie Crowe will continue to bring viewers the latest world-class analysis and live coverage including Ireland’s final group match against Nigeria, next Monday July 31st at 11am. All coverage of the tournament will air across RTÉ2, RTÉ Player, 2FM, RTÉ.ie and RTÉ News channel.  

Having been there every step of the way through a thrilling qualifying campaign, RTÉ will proudly continue its support of Vera Pauw’s team by bringing fans all the action from Down Under free-to-air this summer.

Daithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas team up to host this year’s Rose of Tralee 

62nd Rose of Tralee International Festival runs from August 18-22 

RTÉ today (Thursday) announced that Kathryn Thomas will join Dáithí Ó Sé as co-host for the Rose of Tralee 2023. The pair will make history as the first ever joint presenters of RTÉ’s coverage of the Festival, broadcasting live from the Kerry Sports Academy at the Munster Technological University (MTU) on August 21st and 22nd on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

32 Roses will represent the Irish diaspora worldwide this year from Rose Centres across Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond.

This year will mark Dáithí’s 12th year presenting the show, and new presenter Kathryn can’t wait to join him onstage and meet this year’s International Roses.

Kathryn said: “I’m honoured and so excited to join Daithí and the team as co-host of this year’s Rose of Tralee. The Festival has such an incredible legacy in Ireland and all around the world – no better way to celebrate such incredible women. I’ve grown up watching it each year, so it’s very special to get the opportunity to present alongside Daithí. I can’t wait to get started. Tralee here we come!” 

Daithí said: “I’m over the moon to be back presenting the Rose of Tralee for another year, and to welcome my wonderful new co-host Kathryn to the Rose of Tralee family! Kathryn and I have known and worked with each other for over two decades, so no doubt that there’s plenty of craic in store. We can’t wait to meet this year’s incredible 32 Roses, and make our way to Tralee. Seo linn!” 

The Rose of Tralee will be available to watch for free, live and on-demand by audiences in Ireland and around the world on RTÉ Player. Features, archive footage, behind-the-scenes content and more will also be available across RTÉ.ie and RTÉ social media platforms over the coming weeks.

Anthony O’Gara, Executive Chairman of the Rose of Tralee International Festival, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Kathryn to the Rose Family. We’ve had many ‘firsts’ over the years, and joint presenters for Rose Selection will bring another level of excitement to the proceedings. 

Kathryn is in the very best of company with our esteemed colleague Daithí, who is a great ambassador for the Festival, and we look forward to seeing what they both have in store for this year’s show.” 

The Rose of Tralee International Festival returns for its 62nd festival from August 18th – 22nd. 

Following the passing of Sinéad O’Connor, RTÉ will pay tribute to the singer-songwriter across all platforms over the course of the weekend.
 
Television:

• Sinéad O’Connor – Live at Vicar Street on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Saturday Night. For this hour long special, recorded live in Vicar Street in 2002, Sinéad was joined by her remarkable band for this inspirational and uplifting performance. The programme includes performances of iconic tracks including Molly Malone, My Lagan Love, Nothing Compares 2 U and Fire On Babylon.
• Up For The Match on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Saturday night will be remembering Sinéad.
• The following content is also available to stream now on the RTÉ Player:

The Meaning of Life with Gay Byrne (Originally broadcast in 2009)

Singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor talks about the impact that her religious upbringing had on her life and the evolution of her spiritual beliefs.
Watch here

For One Night Only – Sinéad O’Connor (Originally broadcast in 2012)

Sinéad O’Connor brings Gay Byrne on a musical journey that spans the length of her varied career. She talks openly about her struggles with depression, religion, where her love of music comes from, her relationship with her mother, how her outspoken nature has gotten her into trouble and her hopes for the future.
Watch here

The Tommy Tiernan Show (Originally broadcast in 2020)

Tommy meets John Bishop, Sinéad O’Connor and Marty Morrissey and Lyra performs her song ‘Mother’.
Watch here
 
Radio:

• RTÉ Radio 1, 2FM and RTÉ Lyric FM will be delving into the archives for previous interviews with and performances by Sinéad over the years.
• Programmes including Mystery Train on RTÉ Lyric FM, Tús Áite on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, The Ray D’Arcy Show and The Brendan O’Connor Show on RTÉ Radio 1 will also pay tribute to Sinéad over the course of the weekend

Online:

• RTÉ.ie will host a curated archive of some of Sinéad’s performances and interviews throughout the years, looking back at her remarkable contribution to Irish life and music. This page can be accessed through the home page of RTÉ.ie or by clicking here.
• Sinéad made her television debut on The Late Late Show with Gay Byrne in 1988, in the 35 years since, she appeared on the programme on several occasions. In 2019 she spoke about reverting to Islam and her relationship with wearing a hijab (watch here), she performed a cover of The Pogues’ classic, Rainy Night in Soho (watch here), and closed the show with an iconic performance of Nothing Compares 2 U (watch here). Her final appearance on The Late Late Show was in 2020 when she spoke about caring for others (watch here).

Sinéad O’Connor – Live at Vicar Street on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player at 11:15pm on Saturday 29^th July.

Directed by acclaimed Irish filmmaker, Alan Gilsenan, The Seven Ages of Noël Browne draws on previously unseen and newly discovered footage from four interviews recorded in 1997.

In 1997, shortly before his death, Dr Noël Browne gave a passionate and wide-ranging interview to producer and screen writer James Black. The footage, captured in his Connemara home, was originally research for a screenplay which James Black hoped to make. 25 years later, James Black’s widow, Nula Suchet offered the unedited footage to Yellow Asylum Films for this documentary which has been made with the participation and support of Browne’s two daughters, Ruth and Susan.

The intimate 80-minute documentary is an exploration of the dramatic life of Dr Noël Browne – a socialist challenger of consensus, radical Minister for Health, author of the Mother and Child Scheme, and nemesis of Archbishop John Charles McQuaid.

Alan Gilsenan, director of The Seven Ages of Noël Browne, said: “Noël Browne was that very rare thing – a genuinely radical and revolutionary politician who lived by his lights and was, in many respects, a man far ahead of his time. He has been dismissed in some circles as a bit of a crank, too awkward for his own good, but I think history will reflect more generously on his remarkable contribution to Irish life. Many years ago, when we made a controversial film about Ireland called The Road to God Knows Where, Browne wrote a generous and inspiring letter to me. In some ways, this new film is my belated reply.”

A Yellow Asylum Films Production for Oireachtas TV in association with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.

Watch The Seven Ages of Noël Browne at 9:35pm on Monday July 31^st on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

OVER ONE MILLION WATCH ON RTÉ AS LIMERICK SEAL HISTORIC 4-IN-A-ROW ALL IRELAND TITLE

MOST WATCHED HURLING FINAL SINCE 2019

Limerick’s enthralling win over Kilkenny in yesterday’s All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final in Croke Park was watched by over a million viewers in Ireland. An average of 830,000 were tuned into The Sunday Game Live on RTÉ2 with an additional 9,000 viewers on RTÉ2+1.The RTÉ2 audience represented a share of 71% of those watching TV at the time. Television coverage peaked at 936,000 at 4.46pm and overall reached 1,125,000 viewers.

There were 193,000 streams on RTÉ Player, up from 109,000 for last year’s decider while the 830,000 average on RTÉ2 was the highest audience since 2019. 77% of Adults 15-34 watching TV at the time were tuned to RTÉ2’s live coverage. Last night’s highlights and review of the Hurling year on the Sunday Game drew an average audience of 177,000 with a share of 21%.

Commenting on yesterday’s figures, RTÉ Group Head of Sport, Declan McBennett, said “The dynamic nature of the final deserved to be enjoyed by the nation as a whole. Kilkenny’s first half intensity and Limerick’s second half display of power and skill was testimony to the high standards that we now take for granted. For a million plus people to enjoy the spectacle as well as those in attendance and those listening on radio is a fitting climax to the inter county hurling season.“

This coming weekend sees bumper RTÉ GAA coverage continuing with the All-Ireland Football Final meeting of old rivals Dublin and defending champions Kerry. Joanne Cantwell will have all the live action on the Sunday Game Live from 2.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player with Jacqui Hurley presenting the Sunday Game that evening from 9.30pm, also on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.

On Saturday night Jacqui will be joined by Des Cahill for Up For The Match as they set the scene for Sunday’s big game. Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 will have live commentaries, reports and reaction from Croke Park, as will Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, while RTÉ.ie/sport will keep fans up to date with all the action.

Photo credit: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Over half a million TV viewers watch on RTÉ2 with 77% audience share

Biggest live event of the year so far with 360,000 streams on RTÉ Player  

Live coverage of the Republic of Ireland’s Women’s World Cup opening match saw an average of 511,000 television viewers watch the game on RTÉ2, equating to 77% share of viewers watching television, and 360,000 live streams on RTÉ Player. Yesterday morning the Republic of Ireland team kicked off their FIFA Women’s World Cup debut against Australia to a sell-out crowd in the Accor Stadium in Sydney with hundreds of thousands watching from all around the world.

The streaming numbers and TV ratings from Thursday’s opening game demonstrate the growing support for the women’s national team as live audiences for women’s sport hit an all-time high. The first of the Republic of Ireland’s three group games is the second highest streamed live sporting match on the RTÉ Player, with the FIFA Men’s World Cup final in November 2022 having generated 490,000 streams.

RTÉ presenters Evanne Ní Chuilin, Peter Collins, Clare MacNamara and Marie Crowe will continue to bring viewers the latest thrilling analysis and live coverage including Ireland’s next group match against Canada, next Wednesday July 26^th at 1pm. All coverage of the tournament will air across RTÉ2, 2FM, RTÉ Player, RTÉ.ie and RTÉ News channel.  

Having been there every step of the way through a thrilling qualifying campaign, RTÉ will proudly continue its support of Vera Pauw’s team by bringing fans all the action from Down Under free-to-air this summer.