On the eve of this weekend’s All Ireland Hurling Final between Kilkenny and Limerick, Up for the Match is back. Presenters Jacqui Hurley and Des Cahill will be joined by a panel of heroes and legends from the world of hurling on the night, as well as the true stars of the show – a live studio audience filled with 200 of the biggest GAA fans Kilkenny and Limerick has to offer.

The 90-minutes of live GAA chat on RTÉ One will be packed with lively conversation from an All-Star panel, with craic agus ceol from the Women in Harmony Collective including Una Healy, Erica Cody, Fia Moon and Soulé. The group will be joined for their performance by the Irish Youth Training Choir. The show will also feature performances from Ireland’s finest folk and ballad group The Kilkennys, all-female drumming group Pulse, and dance troupe Fusion Fighters, who will come together for a one-off special performance.

Roving reporters Anna Geary and Marty Morrissey will be on hand to capture the excitement, broadcasting live from venues in Kilkenny and Limerick as they bring the Up for the Match experience to fans celebrating in their home counties.

Jacqui Hurley said: “Up for the Match is one of those shows that is uniquely part of our GAA culture. I watched it as a fan for years & have loved being part of it these past few seasons. Getting the chance to celebrate two of the greatest hurling counties is going to be special & we have a great line-up of guests to whet the appetite for a cracker on Sunday!”

Des Cahill added: “I’m really excited to be back on Up for the Match again this year. I’ve been working on this programme for 20 years, and it’s a key part of the GAA diary. I’m looking forward to celebrating two of the best teams in the Championship with Jacqui and 200 fans on Saturday night in our new-look studio.”

Experience the atmosphere, feel the anticipation, and play your part on the eve of the All-Ireland Hurling and Football Finals.

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 Hurling 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 9:45pm on Saturday 22nd July ahead of the All-Ireland Hurling Final, and at 9:45pm on Saturday 29th July ahead of the All-Ireland Football Final.

In this brand-new Irish language series from RTÉ, the viewer is taken into the worlds of three very different people who have all felt lured by the sea since they were children. Ireland is surrounded by the ocean and many have a complex relationship to this volatile force of nature. For generations, the sea has been a source of livelihoods, legends and wonder, but the sea can also be a place of immense danger.

In Mayo, the series discovers the world beneath the ocean with search and rescue diver Conall Ó Domhnaill. One of Ireland’s most accomplished surfers, GP Dr Eoin McCarthy Deering, talks about balancing his professional career against the constant lure of the big wave. And on Cape Clear in West Cork, the series also features secondary school teacher, Niamh Ní Dhrisceoil who trained as a skipper, becoming one of Ireland’s first female ferry skippers.

Series producer Birthe Tonseth said: “With this series we really wanted to capture the force and wonder of the sea, and we were so lucky to work with some incredible people both on and off screen. Telling their stories and setting them and Ireland’s breath-taking scenery to beautiful music was such a pleasure, making this series a joy to watch.”

Conall Ó Domhnaill is a retired teacher and search and rescue diver, who has been fascinated with the sea since his childhood. Even though he grew up in Co Meath, Conall spent most summers on the beaches in Donegal, where his father hailed from. Since then, he always dreamt of scuba diving, and in his early 20s he was finally able to fulfil that childhood dream. Conall has now been diving for over 40 years. As a recreational diver he has explored most of the Irish coastline, but it is still a magical experience for him. Conall is also a highly qualified and experienced search and rescue diver with the Grainne Uaile Subaqua Club in Mayo.

Secondary school teacher Niamh Ní Dhrisceoil grew up on Cape Clear in West Cork, Ireland’s most southerly island. It lies 8 miles off Baltimore and is home to 147 people who live there all year around. Niamh has been living and working as a secondary school teacher in Ballincollig on the outskirts of Cork city for the last few years, but she is drawn back to her home island almost every weekend and holiday. The sea has been a constant in her life from birth, when she was nicknamed “the Lifeboat Baby”, but like all families that live and work along the coast, the O’Driscolls have also lost loved ones to the sea…

Dr Eoin McCarthy Deering works as a locum GP all around Ireland, but his true passion in life is surfing. He is one of Ireland’s most experienced surfers and has tackled some of the biggest waves in the world. He’s represented Ireland in international competitions and has surfed spectacular waves in places like Indonesia, Iceland, California, Barbados and the Azores. Eoin has often felt the brutal force of the ocean, and he knows personally how dangerous the sea can be. A few years ago, he was surfing in Sligo with friends, when he fell off a powerful wave and was lucky to escape with his life.

This new series for RTÉ One invites viewers to immerse themselves in the beauty and power of the sea through the personal testimonies of three people for whom the sea is not just a calling but a way of life.

Mealladh na Mara begins at 7pm on Tuesday July 11th on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

As confirmed earlier today, RTÉ Director-General Kevin Bakhurst has stood down the organisation’s Executive Board, which has been replaced with a temporary interim leadership team to continue running the organisation.

The Temporary Interim Leadership Team is:

• Kevin Bakhurst, Director-General
• Eimear Cusack, Director of Human Resources
• Vivienne Flood, Head of Public Affairs*
• Mike Fives, Group Financial Controller, RTÉ*
• Adrian Lynch, Director Audiences, Channels, Marketing, and continuing as Acting Deputy DG
• Paula Mullooly, Director of Legal
• Deirdre McCarthy, Director of News & Current Affairs
• Niamh O’Connor, Deputy Director of Content*
• Conor Mullen, Head of Strategy & Commercial Compliance,RTÉ Media Sales*
• Richard Waghorn, Director of Operations and Technology

* not a member of former Executive Board

In addition, an external Corporate Governance Expert is to be recruited.

Speaking today, Kevin Bakhurst said: “In due course, there will be a new permanent leadership team. I want to underline that RTÉ, under my leadership and that of the re-constituted Interim Leadership Team, will be an organisation dedicated to working closely with you, to listening, to being open and transparent, to strictly adhering to revised and rigorous governance processes and procedures, to being accountable and to delivering a public service to be proud of. This will take time, but it will happen. It must. There is too much at stake.”

He continued: “I can confirm that RTÉ will publish the salaries of the Executive/permanent Interim Leadership Team along with the earnings of RTÉ’s 10 highest paid presenters in our annual report every year, starting with Annual Report 2023.”

Notes:

KEVIN BAKHURST

Kevin began his media career with the BBC, where his roles included editing the BBC Ten O’Clock news. He was controller of the BBC News Channel and was Deputy Head of the BBC Newsroom from 2010-2012. In 2012, Kevin Bakhurst moved to Ireland where he was appointed Managing Director of News and Current affairs at RTÉ. He remained in that position until 2016, and also served as Deputy Director General. Later, he returned to the UK where he was appointed Group Director, Broadcasting and Online content at the communications regulator Ofcom. His responsibilities there included the regulation of broadcast, online and content policy and he also led Ofcom’s online safety team.

EIMEAR CUSACK

Eimear Cusack joined RTÉ in April 2017. Eimear brought with her a broad range of experience at senior levels across a range of organisations and, having led many transformation projects, brings significant experience in the area of Human Resources. Most recently Eimear has worked as UK and Ireland Head of Human Resources with Ericsson.

ADRIAN LYNCH

Adrian Lynch was previously Channel Controller for RTÉ One and RTÉ2 and in that capacity, launched ambitious new schedules for the services. Adrian has been with RTÉ since the end of 2014 and is formerly Managing Director of one of Ireland’s most successful independent television production companies, Animo Television. As Channel Controller of RTÉ One and RTÉ2, Adrian delivered a range of landmark public service programming across all genres.

DEIRDRE MCCARTHY

Deirdre McCarthy was appointed Managing Director, RTÉ News & Current Affairs in December 2022 following a public competition, and was the first women appointed to this position. Deirdre has been Managing Editor of Regions and Radio News programmes as well as politics and business coverage, where she shaped and expanded the organisation’s political and regional news coverage and strategy, particularly enhancing digital output. She steered the growth of the flagship radio news programmes (Morning Ireland, News at One and This Week) and strengthened and delivered excellence in broadcasting in all three award winning programmes.

CONOR MULLEN

Conor Mullen has worked in sales and marketing for over thirty years and has most recently worked in the mobile and media sectors. He joined RTÉ in 2005 and has held a number of positions across the commercial area in RTÉ. A graduate of Trinity College, he previously worked for Independent Newspapers, Vodafone and Xerox.

PAULA MULLOOLY

Paula was appointed Director of Legal in 2019. She is a highly experienced specialist media lawyer with 25 years’ experience in media, broadcasting and privacy law. She has advised and represented a broad range of media clients in her career, both domestic and international, and has lectured on media law. She was appointed by the government as a member of the Working Group on Defamation Reform which, in 2003, provided a report recommending reforms and which presented draft legislation. She also served on the Compliance Committee of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland from 2010 to 2018, and as Chair of the Censorship of Publications Appeals Board from 2004 to 2012.

NIAMH O’CONNOR

A former member of the RTÉ Editorial Standards Board, Niamh has been central to the origination and delivery of some of RTÉ’s most significant initiatives, including the 1916 commemorative programming and Keeping Ireland Alive. She has extensive experience in the field of investigative programme making. As Genre Head for Factual Programmes, she managed a range of editorially complex and sensitive documentaries.

VIVIENNE FLOOD

As Head of Public Affairs, Vivienne Flood has taken a lead role in the design and implementation of the organisation’s public affairs strategy including advocacy, public policy, stakeholder engagement and RTÉ’s corporate social initiatives and accreditation.

MIKE FIVES

Mike joined RTÉ in May 2022 as the Group Financial Controller.  Prior to this he worked as Head of Finance for Virgin Media Television. He began his career in PWC where he trained as a Chartered accountant.  He also held senior finance positions in both the telecommunications and FMCG sectors.

RICHARD WAGHORN

Richard Waghorn joined RTÉ in February 2012 as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Prior to this role he had been CTO with the South African Broadcasting Corporation and was responsible for leading the broadcaster’s migration from analogue to digital terrestrial television. Richard completed an MBA at Henley Management College in Reading, England, and holds a First Class honours degree in Public Media and Geography from the University of Leeds. Before moving to SABC he spent over 10 years with the BBC as Controller of Distribution. Here he led the preparations for the UK’s digital switchover, as well as serving as the project manager for the launch of Freeview, the UK’s successful Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform. He was also a board director of Freesat, the free-to-air satellite television platform, from its inception in 2008.

Please see below an email sent by Director-General of RTÉ, Kevin Bakhurst to RTÉ Staff this morning.

Dear colleagues,

it is a real honour to join RTÉ today as Director-General, albeit in what is a very difficult time for the organisation collectively, and for each and every one of you individually.

Like you, I have been appalled by recent events and the impact it has had on the public perception of RTÉ, the impact on the trust the public places in us, and the impact it has had on you all. I look forward to working with Siún Ní Raghallaigh and the RTÉ Board as we collectively set out to rebuild trust in RTÉ, inside and outside, starting from today.

I know that all of you are deeply upset and angry. RTÉ is full of talented and hard-working people who remain committed to delivering a vital public service to our audiences, and you have been let down by RTÉ management. I have heard many of your concerns already and I will continue to listen to what you have to say.

I plan to be a visible and available Director-General. I am currently scheduling in meetings with teams across the organisation so that I get to meet as many of you as possible throughout this week and next. I hope to make it to Galway next week to meet with colleagues, including those in RTÉ Raidío na Gaeltachta and Nuacht RTÉ, and I’ll also meet with TG4 while I’m there. I’ll be in RTÉ Cork on Wednesday-week, meeting colleagues there. I’ll arrange a visit to our Limerick studios soon and to our regional offices.  Engaging with you, wherever you are, will be important to me throughout my time as Director-General.

Change will be essential if we are to rebuild trust in public service broadcasting in Ireland and in RTÉ. While there will be much to share with you in the coming weeks and months, here are four changes I want to share with you today:

Interim Leadership Team

I am standing down the Executive Board today. It will be replaced with a temporary interim leadership team to continue running the organisation. In due course, there will be a new permanent leadership team. I want to underline that RTÉ, under my leadership and that of the re-constituted Interim Leadership Team, will be an organisation dedicated to working closely with you, to listening, to being open and transparent, to strictly adhering to revised and rigorous governance processes and procedures, to being accountable and to delivering a public service to be proud of. This will take time, but it will happen. It must. There is too much at stake. I will share details of the Interim Leadership Team later today. In advance of that, I can confirm that RTÉ will publish the salaries of the Executive/permanent Interim Leadership Team along with the earnings of RTÉ’s 10 highest paid presenters in our annual report every year, starting with Annual Report 2023.

As you will no doubt have heard yesterday evening, Rory Coveney has resigned from RTÉ. I want to express my sincere thanks to Rory for his significant contribution to public service media during his time in RTÉ. I wish him the very best for the future.

Financial Review

While RTÉ has robust processes and rigorous oversight of finances in many parts of the organisation, issues which have arisen relating to the barter accounts and a number of associated transactions, payment of fees to certain contractors, negotiations with agents and the processes around certain decisions have highlighted gaps in our processes and procedures which have caused us considerable harm. From today, all significant decisions will be agreed by the whole of the Interim Leadership Team and a record of discussions leading to these decisions will be compiled. There can be no repeat of the siloed and at times secretive decision-making that have been at the root of the shameful events of the past weeks. As custodians of public money, our financial integrity must be on a par with our editorial integrity.

Register of Interests 

As part of my commitment to increased openness and transparency, we are expediting the establishment of a Register of Interests for staff and contractors, in consultation with the TUG. I have asked RTÉ’s Freedom of Information Officer to take the lead in a scoping out this important process and to look at RTÉ’s legal obligations as well as the operation of registers and declarations of interest in the civil service and in broadcasters internationally. In addition, Acting Interim Director General, Adrian Lynch has written to all relevant line managers in RTÉ seeking clarification on any potential breaches of RTÉ’s journalism and content guidelines and meetings are underway in this regard. This is long overdue and as new cases come to light which continue damage trust in RTÉ, I’m sure you will recognise the urgency and importance of this process.

Cultural Change 

For the above to happen, the culture in RTÉ needs change, from top to bottom. RTÉ needs to quickly and meaningfully evolve into an organisation that is focused on its people and the public we serve. So, from today, and notwithstanding processes already underway and reviews announced by Minister Martin, I will work with Eimear Cusack and HR to co-ordinate a review of roles and grades, pay, and gender equality; I will look at how, what and when we communicate more fully with you, and how we involve you in the decisions we make. Included in this will be the development of a staff consultation group to meet regularly with me and other members of the Leadership Group and a comprehensive employee survey. I understand that these will raise questions, so I will share further details with you on both of these and more soon.

Inevitably, I will be sharing much of this and other thoughts in my various conversations with media throughout the week, starting from today. I intend to be open with and available to our media, in RTÉ and elsewhere. It is important that audiences and licence fee payers see the change we will bring and that we are accountable for it.

I will also be engaging with a broad range of external stakeholders; the independent sector in particular makes a valued contribution to RTÉ’s output, and decisions about RTÉ have wider impacts within the media sector overall.

Thank you.

I would like to thank all of you for the way you have maintained high quality and rigorous content and coverage during the last few weeks. I am aware that this hasn’t been easy – but once again the underlying credibility of RTÉ has rested on your work and commitment.

These are the major announcements for today. More will follow in the days and weeks ahead and I will keep you all closely informed. I hope to see as many of you around in the days to come and I’m happy to hear your thoughts and answer your questions.

In the end, words aren’t enough on their own, and it is now time for action and change. I am absolutely determined to introduce that change and reform which will help us draw a line under this shameful period in RTÉ’s history and to start rebuilding trust in public service broadcasting, hour by hour and day by day. I believe that together we will. We must.

Ní neart go cur le chéile.

Thank you,
Kevin

KEVIN BAKHURST
Director-General

Rory Coveney has announced that he is to step down from his role as RTÉ’s Director of Strategy with immediate effect.

Rory Coveney says: “I met with Kevin over the past few days and told him I believed the tough job ahead of him would be made somewhat easier if he had a fresh lead team. I’ve tendered my resignation immediately to give him the space to do that. Having worked with Kevin before, I’ve absolute faith in him. He’s the right person to rebuild the national broadcaster. I wish him the very best.”

Kevin Bakhurst, Director-General, RTÉ, says: “I want to express my sincere thanks to Rory for his significant contribution to public service media during his time in RTÉ. As Strategic Adviser to the Director General, and latterly as Director of Strategy, Rory steered the organisation through a period of unprecedented change in media, while overseeing RTÉ’s complex strategy and public affairs units. His diligence, energy and insight were hugely appreciated by many across the organisation. I wish him the very best for the future”

Rory has been with RTÉ since 2007 in a variety of roles. Prior to joining RTÉ, Rory worked for Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs. Rory is a graduate of UCC where he gained a BA in history. He also holds an MA in Interactive Media from TU Dublin.

Watch our new promo: RTÉ Supporting the Arts | What’s on – YouTube

Every year RTÉ supports over 150 arts, cultural, community and related events all over Ireland. With dedicated promotion on RTÉ’s television, radio and digital services, and extensive support across RTÉ’s social channels, the RTÉ Supporting the Arts scheme is a lifeline to Ireland’s creative and cultural sectors.

This July, RTÉ is delighted to support:

BELFAST Belfast TradFest | www.belfasttraditionalmusic.com

CORK Rita Duffy: Persistent Illusions | https://crawfordartgallery.ie/

CORK West Cork Literary Festival | www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie

DONEGAL Earagail Arts Festival (pictured) | www.eaf.ie

DUBLIN RHA 200 | www.rhagallery.ie

DUBLIN The Garden Party; www.tseac.ie

DUBLIN Lavinia Fontana: Trailblazer, Rule Breaker; https://www.nationalgallery.ie/art-and-artists/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/lavinia-fontana-trailblazer-rule-breaker

DUBLIN The Holy Hour | https://moli.ie/the-holy-hour/

DUBLIN PhotoIreland Festival 2023: R/evolutions | https://2023.photoireland.org/

DUBLIN Dublin HandelFest | www.dublinhandelfest.com

DUBLIN Fun Home | https://www.gatetheatre.ie/production/fun-home/

GALWAY Galway International Arts Festival | www.giaf.ie

GALWAY Galway Film Fleadh; www.galwayfilmfleadh.com

LOUTH & MEATH Boyne Music Festival | https://boynemusicfestival.com/

MAYO Murmur of Bees | www.museum.ie

NATIONWIDE ‘In the Midst of Plenty’ Nationwide Tour of Ireland | www.inthemidstofplenty.com

NATIONWIDE Minding Creative Minds at the IFTAs | https://mindingcreativeminds.ie/

SLIGO Sligo Jazz Project international jazz festival and summer school; www.sligojazz.ie

TIPPERARY Clonmel Junction Arts Festival | https://www.junctionfestival.com

WATERFORD Anne Collier Exhibition 2023 | https://lismorecastlearts.ie/whats-on/anne-collier

For more, see www.rte.ie/culture