The judges are back, and the homes are open for viewing! This year the judges returning to make the tough decisions are, architect and founding partner of Douglas Wallace Consultants, Hugh Wallace, award-winning architect Amanda Bone and award-winning interior designer Sara Cosgrove.

Every Tuesday from February the 14^th 2023, join the judging panel of Hugh, Amanda, and Sara as they explore 21 outstanding homes across Ireland. The series will feature homes in Cork, Mayo, Kilkenny, Dublin, Down, Wicklow, Meath, Antrim, Galway, Armagh, Derry and Kildare.

The ninth series of Home of the Year will champion creativity and showcase clever design and individuality. The series will feature homes located all over Ireland and will include re-imagined semi-detached homes, renovation projects, architectural homes, restored period homes and new builds.

Looking for individuality, functionality, and clever design, the three judges will each score the homes out of 10 and the home with the highest combined score in each programme will go through to the final in April, where the winner will be crowned.   

Home of the Year is produced by ShinAwiL for RTÉ One. | Home of the Year Series 9 is sponsored by AIB.

The series airs on Tuesdays at 8.30pm on RTÉ One starting from the 14^th February 2023.

The Judges:

Hugh Wallace MRIAI, MIDI  

Company: http://douglaswallace.com 

Hugh Wallace is a well-respected, award-winning architect and founding partner of Douglas Wallace Consultants. Hugh has a passion for creative design that engages with its audience to create conversation and comment. He believes that good architecture is essential to create social cohesion and enhance our enjoyment of our landscape, and our living environment.
Hugh loves to get a sense of a homeowner as soon as he walks into a house believing that your home is your opportunity to express your individuality. In this, his ninth year as a judge on Home of the Year, it’s still the hard work of the 21 homeowners that makes the series such a joy for him.

Amanda Bone MRIAI 

Company: www.amandabonearchitects.ie

Award winning architect Amanda Bone worked in Paris, New York and Dublin prior to establishing Amanda Bone Architects, a multi award winning architectural practice located in South Co. Dublin. The practice is involved in both domestic and commercial work. Amanda specialises in one off individual homes ranging from contemporary new builds to refurbishments of protected structures, Amanda graduated from UCD School of Architecture and is a registered Architect with the RIAI. She is accredited in Conservation at Grade III (RIAI). Amanda is also a Design Studio and Professional Practice Tutor at the Dublin School of Architecture, Technological University Dublin.
Amanda believes that our homes are so important as they provide us with a retreat which can really contribute to our well-being. She loves the element of surprise on Home of the Year and how you never know quite what to expect on the other side of the door and how, sometimes, she finds herself enjoying things, that on paper, may not have been for her. 

This is Amanda’s third year as a judge on the series.

Sara Cosgrove   

Companies: https://saracosgrove.com/  and https://groveandco.com

Sara Cosgrove is an award-winning interior designer and the founder of two design businesses, Sara Cosgrove Studio and Grove & Co. Prior to setting up her own business in 2014 she worked at a number of top design houses including Helen Green Design and Candy & Candy and was appointed the Head of Design at Harrods London. During these years she specialised in high end residential, retail and development projects.  
 
Within her own companies, Sara and her teams work on a wide range of projects globally, including residential private commissions, multi-unit developments and hospitality.  
Sara is an industry commentator and lecturer with regular contributions to the Gloss, The Irish Times and had a regular ‘ask the expert’ column in The Sunday Times Ireland.   
 
Sara finds it fascinating to get to visit 21 houses across the country and to see all the different ways in which people have expressed their passions and creativity through their homes.
 
This is Sara’s second year as a judge on the series.

Friday 3rd February, 8pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player 

What do you do with a Bulldog who won’t budge? A Retriever who won’t retrieve? Is it ever ok for your pup to chew shoes? Or what about the dog who likes walks… but only in a buggy?! 

The pandemic puppy boom brought a whole heap of canine cuteness through our doors – but with puppies come problems. Madraí, a brand new 6-part Irish language series, launching on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Friday 3rd February at 8pm is here to help!

While filming RTÉ’s hit series Peataí in 2020, vet Ellen Hegarty and behaviourist Paula Doohan heard the howls for help from the nation’s dogs (and their owners!) and decided to do something about it.

A national callout was launched last summer, inviting families who were finding it hard to cope with their canines to get expert advice from Ellen and Paula. The pair were inundated with videos and pleas for help from all over the country detailing every type of dog distress – from separation anxiety to lead-pulling; non-stop barking to furniture-chewing; food allergies to medical anomalies.

The new series explores a variety of different cases which span a range of common – and not-so-common dog issues. On a case-by-case basis, Madraí’s experts observe the behaviour, diagnose the cause of the problem, and give advice and recommendations for the dogs – and often their owners too!

In the weeks and months after Paula and Ellen work with each family, they revisit them to find out how things are working out for the owners and their pooches – and what may have changed for the better, or worse! Along the way, Paula meets Belfast’s Broony, a rescue dog with a taste for blankets and towels, who’ll soon have to adjust to the twins his owner is expecting.

Ellen meets Cabríní and her trio of Chihuahuas, all competing for the title of ‘Madra Top Model’ as they overcome their eating issues. Meanwhile Paula helps owner Siobhán get a grip of Fred, a dog who loves his walks so much he’s pulled his owner into oncoming traffic. With its cast of loveable canine rogues and easy-to-follow tips and strategies to cope with a range of pooch problems, Madraí is the paws-itively perfect series to get tongues (and tails) wagging this Spring!

Tune in to the new series of Madraí on Friday 3rd February, 8.00pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. 

To Whom It Concerns, on this Friday night’s Late Late Show…
 
Ireland’s bid for glory at Eurovision 2023 will take centre stage this Friday night in a very special Late Late Show Eurosong Special, where Ireland’s six hopefuls will battle it out to represent Ireland in Liverpool this May at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.
 
Viewers at home will have the opportunity to cast their vote for their favourite song and help to decide who will represent Ireland at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The winner of Friday night’s Eurosong will then perform at the Eurovision Song Contest, in front of an audience of 160 million people around the world. 
 
The winner will be chosen by the combined votes awarded by, the Public Vote, an International Jury and a National Jury.

The six Eurosong competing acts are ADGY (Too Good for your Love), CONNOLLY (Midnight Summer Night), Wild Youth (We are One), Leila Jane (Wild), K Muni & ND, Kofi Appiah and Nevlonne Dampare (Down in the Rain), Public Image Limited (Hawaii) who are all hoping to impress viewers and jurors alike with their offerings and make it onto the stage in Liverpool. The six songs were selected from hundreds of entries received by RTÉ. 
 
Host of The Late Late Show Eurosong Special, Ryan Tubridy said: “This Friday is going to have a big, bright and sparkly line up of acts. Big stars, big numbers and big expectations because this could well be Ireland’s chance to reclaim their title as Eurovision winners. So, I would say get ready to party and join us for what should be quite the extravaganza.”
 
Last Autumn RTÉ issued a callout on The Late Late Show for artists and songwriters with the talent and ambition to compete and succeed in this highly competitive environment. The final six songs will be performed live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Friday evening. 
 
Eurovision stalwart, commentator Marty Whelan will capture all the backstage action throughout the show as our Green Room correspondent, and Ryan will be joined in studio by an expert Eurovision panel.
 
The chosen winner on Friday night will go on to represent Ireland at the competition in Liverpool in May.
 
Liverpool will host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine, and the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place in the Liverpool Arena next to the River Mersey on Saturday, May 13th, with Semi-Finals on Tuesday 9th and Thursday 11th. Ireland will compete in the first half of the first semi-final in Liverpool on May 9^th.

RTÉ, Screen Ireland, South Wind Blows and Harvest Films Present: The Dance
Network Premiere Thursday 2nd February on RTÉ One 10:15pm

Next Thursday, a network premiere of The Dance will air on RTÉ One. The Dance is an observational feature documentary by director Pat Collins and follows the staging of acclaimed choreographer and theatre maker, Michael Keegan-Dolan’s MÁM from the first day of rehearsal to the opening night performance at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2019. 

Following the success of his acclaimed re-imagining of the world-famous ballet, Swan Lake/Loch na hEala (2016), Michael Keegan-Dolan and Teaċ Daṁsa have created another mythic yet timely production that acknowledges how life’s polarities can on occasion come together and find resolution.

Acclaimed director Pat Collins’ (Song of Granite, Silence) documentary The Dance, gives viewers a unique insight into Michael Keegan-Dolan’s creative process.

The documentary was filmed in 2019 and features the virtuoso concertina player Cormac Begley, who has since won Best Folk Instrumentalist 2022 at the RTÉ Folk Awards and Irish Times Album of the Year 2022, with his second solo album ‘B’. The documentary also features the European musical collective ‘s t a r g a z e’ and twelve international dancers who travelled to the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland.  

It’s an immersive and meditative film, fully observational and always in full flow. There is an emphasis on unity and open communication shown in the film, everyone involved in MÁM was seen as equally important to the process of creating it and was given the space to express themselves both creatively and emotionally.

As Keegan-Dolan says “… each rehearsal is about discovery, revelation and connection – and these moments of discovery are a revelation to everyone present.”

Michael Keegan-Dolan is considered one of the most innovative modern dance choreographers and theatre makers working today. His ground-breaking productions have won numerous international awards. He rose to acclaim as the artistic director of Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre (1997-2015), creating three Olivier Award-nominated productions: Giselle (2003), The Bull (2005) and The Rite of Spring (2009). The Bull received a UK Critic’s Circle Award in 2008 and his show Rian, won a Bessie Award (New York Dance and Performance Award) in 2013 for Best Production. His last production with his new company Teac Damsa, Swan Lake / Loch na hEala, won the UK Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Best Production 2018. Premiered at the 2016 Dublin Theatre Festival, Swan Lake toured the world including to Sadler’s Wells London, Stuttgart, Wellington, Sydney, Seoul, Toronto and Moscow.

Pat Collins is a film maker from West Cork in Ireland who has made 30 films over the last 25 years. In 2012, the Irish Film Institute curated a mid-career retrospective of his work to date. His latest feature documentary Henry Glassie Fieldwork-premiered at TIFF in 2019 and was released in New Wave films in the UK. He has directed the feature films Song of Granite and Silence and made films on the writer John McGahern, the poets Michael Hartnett and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, the Connemara based writer and cartographer Tim Robinson, the Iranian film maker Abbas Kiarostami (co-directed with Fergus Daly), and two political feature essay films ‘What We Leave in Our Wake’ (2009) and ‘Living in a Coded Land’(2014). He also makes short experimental films including ‘Pilgrim’, ‘What Remains’, ‘Twilight’ and the forthcoming ‘All There is, is light’.

MÁM went on to be reviewed rapturously in The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Observer and The Irish Times. As well as Dublin it has been performed in theatres in London, Australia and New Zealand.

The Dance airs Thursday, 2nd February on RTÉ One at 10.15pm

Two trad mad Déise brothers, Macdara and Pax Ó Faoláin, as well as two talented Armagh sisters, Annie and Méabh Smyth, are amongst the fourteen finalists who will compete for the Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal in Cork on Friday 3 February.  Peadar Ó Riada will present the event live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta from the Rochestown Park Hotel.

Pax Ó Faoláin is a musician, singer and producer.  He is also a composer, and is currently involved in various schemes to preserve the work of several important traditional musicians.  He is a member of the group Nuadán, and does a lot of production work for TV and festivals.  He is based between Cork and An Rinn.  Macdara is a multi-instrumentalist, playing fiddle, mandolin and bouzouki.  He works as a luthier, creating beautiful, handcrafted instruments in his studio in An Rinn.  He previously competed in the Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal final in 2019, and recently completed an honours degree in the Cork School of Music.  He is also a member of the group Nuadán.   Both brothers took part in the Tyrone productions show Slí na mBeaglaoich broadcast on TG4 in 2022. 

Annie and Méabh Smyth are from a musical family from Ballymacnab in Co. Armagh steeped in the South Ulster and Donegal fiddle tradition.  The sisters both started on fiddle around age seven in the Armagh Pipers Club.   Méabh is a distinguished soloist, and was the inaugural Ed Reavy Fiddle Player of the Year as well as being crowned the 2021 Fiddler of London. She is a barrister, and previously qualified for the Seán Ó Riada Gold medal Final in 2019.   As well as being a gifted fiddler, her sister Annie also plays banjo and whistle, and qualified as a finalist for the Fiddler of London 2022.  She also recently participated in the Ed Reavy Fiddle Weekend and the Birmingham TradFest.  Annie is currently studying Marketing Innovation and Technology in DCU.

The Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal competition is a prestigious traditional music competition that focuses on a different instrument every year over a four-year cycle, and this year it is for fiddle.  The competition attracted the highest ever number of entries this year since its inception in 2010.  There are five US musicians in the final on 3 February, the highest ever number of finalists from abroad, as well as fiddlers from across the island of Ireland.    

The judges for this year’s competition are esteemed traditional musicians Connie O’Connell, Éamon McGivney and Ciarán Ó Maonaigh.  The winner of the competition will take home the bespoke gold medal, as well as €2500.  Tickets to the event can be bought on the door for €10, and it will be broadcast live on RTÉ RnaG and streamed live.   

Competition organiser Peadar Ó Riada said: “We are very happy with the development of the competition over the last 13 years and its place in the international world of traditional Irish Music.  Radio makes the world grow smaller, and the competition has attracted entrants from across the world through the Cuireadh chun Ceoil programme.  The calibre of this year’s entrants is as high as it’s ever been and we believe the competition is setting a standard, and this is due in great part to the quality of its adjudicators over the years.   We hope that trad audiences will tune in on the night, and we’ll also have the live stream as we do every year.”

The full list of finalists are Adam Cole-Mullen from Boston, Alice Bradley from Maryland, Andrew Caden from Maryland, Joe de Georgeo from Minnesota, Ty Kelliher from Connecticut, Caoimhe Flannery from Rockchapel Co. Cork, Megan Nic Fhionnghaile from Gaoth Dobhair in Donegal, Annie Smyth from Ballymacnab in Armagh, Jason McGuinness from Dromore West in Sligo, Macdara Ó Faoláin from An Rinn in Waterford, Méabh Smyth from Armagh, Pax Ó Faoláin from An Rinn in Waterford, Sinéad Nic Cionnaith from Augher in Co. Tyrone, and Úna McGlinchey from Omagh, Co. Tyrone. 

The final will be broadcast at 7 pm on Friday 3 February on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

The competition is sponsored by RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Iontaobhas Fódhla, Gael Linn, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, IMRO and the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork.

Jacqui Hurley will present The Sunday Game, with The Saturday Game highlights programme fronted by Damian Lawlor

RTÉ Sport announces new GAA pundits Joe Canning, Peter Canavan, Paul Flynn, Lee Keegan, & David Tubridy, Enda McGinley and the return of Tomas O’ Sé

RTÉ Sport have announced Jacqui Hurley will be taking the helm at The Sunday Game for the upcoming GAA Championship season, with Damian Lawlor bringing all of the action and analysis from The Saturday Game to viewers at home on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Joanne Cantwell continues to present The Saturday Game Live and The Sunday Game Live.

This season sees the addition of new, fresh off-the-pitch knowledgeable players to RTÉ Sport’s panel of experts in the form of GAA stalwarts including Galway’s Joe Canning, Tyrone’s Peter Canavan, Dublin’s Paul Flynn, and Mayo’s Lee Keegan, Clare’s David Tubridy, Tyrone’s Enda McGinley and the return of Kerry’s Tomás Ó’Sé.

The new pundits will be joining a line-up of ongoing panellists for RTÉ’s unparalleled offerings of highlights, analysis, and debate for the duration of the GAA Championship season.

Returning to provide analysis will be Dónal Óg Cusack, Liam Sheedy, Anthony Daly, Brendan Cummins, Ursula Jacob, Jackie Tyrell, Shane Dowling, John Mullane, Shane McGrath, Brian Carroll, Michael Duignan, Elaine Aylward, Colm Gooch Cooper, Sean Cavanagh, Cora Staunton, Eamonn Fitzmaurice, Noelle Healy, Ciaran Whelan, Eamon O’Hara, Conleith Gilligan and John Casey.

RTÉ has expanded its media rights providing comprehensive GAA Championship coverage across RTÉ television, radio, and online services for the next five seasons, guaranteeing quality free-to-air coverage to audiences in Ireland across 12 months of the year from 2023 to 2027 inclusive.

RTÉ will continue to show 31 championship games across the island of Ireland on RTÉ television and RTÉ Player, as well as the Joe McDonagh Cup final, and both Tailteann Cup semi-finals and final for the next five years. RTÉ’s ongoing commitment to camogie will see at least nine live matches per year televised. Increased free-to-air Allianz National League games, which commences next Saturday, 28th January, as well as continued coverage of the AIB Club Championships will feature on Saturday nights, ensuring year-round live GAA coverage across all platforms on RTÉ.

The Sunday Game presenter, Jacqui Hurley said: “Working on The Sunday Game was a childhood dream of mine. It’s an absolute privilege to take on such an iconic role and follow in the footsteps of some incredible broadcasters. I look forward to the challenge and can’t wait to get started.”

The Saturday Game presenter, Damian Lawlor said: “The new GAA fixture calendar has meant more intercounty games than ever within a condensed period. This has given RTÉ Sport an opportunity to introduce The Saturday Game. Along with our production team, I will do everything I can to ensure the programme develops into an unmissable, flagship show that delivers the best insight and analysis for our viewers.”

Declan McBennett, RTÉ Group Head of Sport, said: “This season marks a reigniting of The Sunday Game with fresh off the pitch panellists alongside seasoned experts, in moves that are consistent with the evolution of The Sunday Game throughout the years. New presenters Jacqui, Damian and the new panellists are hugely experienced and perfectly placed to bring all of the excitement and analysis of the GAA Championship to our audience later this year.”

On air since 1979, The Sunday Game is shown every Sunday night during Championship season on RTÉ2.

President Higgins reveals his thoughts on homework! 

news2day, RTÉ’s news service designed specifically for children, celebrates its 20th birthday today (Friday 20 January 2023) with an exclusive interview with President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins.

To mark the show’s two decades on air, students from St Kevin’s National School, Littleton, County Tipperary put questions from RTÉ news2day viewers to President Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin and the President revealed his thoughts on homework!

In a wide-ranging interview with RTÉ news2day – which you can watch in full here – the children asked the President “What was your favourite sport when you were in school?”, “When you were nine years old what did you want to be?” and “When did you decide you wanted to be President?”  

When asked what his opinion of homework President Higgins said: “I think myself really that the time at home and the time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things.” 

The students also asked the President about his dogs, his official trips abroad, his favourite subject in school, differences between now and when he was a child and his favourite book. The President also spoke to the children about his love of handball and the importance of friendship in their lives. RTÉ news2day will broadcast some of the President’s interview as part of this afternoon’s birthday celebrations at 4.20pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ News channel and the full interview will be available later today on the RTÉ Player.

In a message to the children of Ireland and the viewers of RTÉ news2day, President Michael D. Higgins gave this advice: “To stay curious about everything and I think it’s important to make sure you don’t miss the joy of sharing information. And I think an important thing is friendship and to make sure that there’s no one left without friendship and that people belong. And we will all do individual things… but I think friendships that you make will in fact always be great memories and that is so important. And also have the courage to stand your own ground and let other children be allowed the space of standing their ground too because none of us are the same. We’re all unique but at the same time we have a lot going for us.”  

President Higgins also encouraged the children of Ireland to speak the Irish language. He encouraged them to speak Irish in a fun way and to feel free to use whatever bits of the language that they have.

As part of this afternoon’s birthday celebrations, presenters Reem El-Hassany and Molly O’Connor will also be joined by RTÉ news2day alumni. Presenters from the past 20 years will make a return to the much-loved news programme for its birthday celebrations. Watch the 20th birthday special at 4.20pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.

news2day is RTÉ’s news service designed specifically for children, featuring Irish and international news of interest to a young audience. It is broadcast Monday-Friday at 4.20pm on RTÉ2, the RTÉ News channel and available to stream on the RTÉ Player. In addition to young viewers tuning in at home, it is also watched online in many classrooms throughout the country and used as a teaching tool.

Pictured above, left to right:  Leah Hartigan, Jack Delaney, Gemma Dempsey, Michael O’Reilly  from 5^th  and 6th class, St. Kevin’s National School, Littleton, Co. Tipperary with President of Ireland Michael D Higgins.

Watch all games live across RTÉ and Virgin Media Television from Friday 3rd February  

Coverage includes Ireland Men’s, Women’s and U-20s campaigns 

RTÉ and Virgin Media Television today announced details of its joint ‘Guinness Six Nations’ coverage, ensuring Irish sports fans get to watch every game of the world’s greatest rugby tournament live and free to air.

Kicking off on Friday 3rd February, this year’s Guinness Six Nations coverage will include all fixtures from Ireland Men’s, Women’s and U-20s tournaments. The partnership will see all games equally aired across both broadcasters again this year, for what promises to be an explosive Championship.

The 2023 edition of the Guinness Six Nations Championship will open with Ireland v Wales on Virgin Media One, followed by England v Scotland on RTÉ2. Ireland will then take on current champions France on Saturday 11th February. The TikTok Women’s Six Nations will begin on Sunday 26th March with Wales v Ireland.

Speaking at this morning’s launch at the Aviva Stadium, presenters Jacqui Hurley and Joe Molloy were joined on stage by members of their broadcast teams this year including pundits, RTÉ’s Jamie Heaslip & Hannah Tyrrell and Rob Kearney, Fiona Hayes (Virgin Media Television).

RTÉ announced today that Irish international and Munster player Simon Zebo will be joining their punditry team.

Commenting, Head of RTÉ Sport, Declan McBennett said: “With this being a great year for rugby, there is added excitement about this year’s Six Nations which RTÉ is once again bringing to sports fans all over the country free-to-air along with Virgin Media Ireland as part of our historic partnership which we launched last year. It’s going to be a huge year for Irish rugby and we’re really looking forward to it.” 

Mick McCaffrey, Virgin Media Television’s Head of News and Sport said: “We are delighted to continue our successful partnership with RTÉ across the Men’s, Women’s and Under 20’s Six Nations tournaments. The fantastic viewing figure across all three competitions last year shows there is a huge interest in Irish rugby and all games will be available for fans to watch free to air. With the Men’s team looking to continue the momentum of their victories in the recent Autumn Internationals the stage is set for a really exciting tournament.” 

RTÉ’s comprehensive Six Nations Rugby coverage of all matches across the three tournaments includes exclusive free-to-air matches on RTÉ2, RTÉ Radio and RTÉ Player, while RTÉ.ie/Sport will have minute-by-minute match coverage alongside news, analysis and interviews and on @RTErugby. Against The Head returns with the latest news and discussions on Monday nights on RTÉ2 and RTÉ sport will bring fans closer to all things Six Nations on The RTÉ Rugby Podcast. RTÉ News will have the latest coverage around the Six Nations, including updates on the RTÉ News  app.

Virgin Media Television will broadcast live and exclusive coverage across Virgin Media One, Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Player. Coverage will be live every weekend with weekly studio highlights, starting on Sunday at 8pm on Virgin Media Two. The weekly VMTV Rugby Podcast will keep you up to date with all things Six Nations. There will also be updates across Virgin Media News bulletins and on the @VMSportIE Twitter page. If you miss any of the action Virgin Media More will have extended highlights of all the matches from the weekend throughout the week.

Guinness Six Nations Men’s Rugby coverage on RTÉ and Virgin Media Television is sponsored by Vodafone.

RTÉ 2FM has revealed its prestigious 2FM Rising list for 2023, announced live on air with Tracy Clifford this afternoon. Chosen by a panel of experts, the eagerly anticipated list consists of ten music acts tipped for success who are guaranteed to have listeners enthralled with their work.

The ten artists are: 49th & Main, Aonair, April, Jen Payne, KhahiKid, Negro Impacto, Ryan Mack, Still Blue, Sweetlemondae, & Winnie Ama.

Alumni from RTÉ 2FM Rising in recent years include world class artists like Fontaines DC, Denise Chaila. Dermot Kennedy, Jafairs, Lyra, Pillow Queens, Wild Youth, JC Stewart, The Murder Capital, For Those I Love, Monjola, Gemma Dunleavy, and Plantain Papi.

Rising Week will take place from January 16th – 20th across RTÉ 2FM, and will see the ten chosen acts – which 2FM will champion during the year – promoted extensively across the station. It will also broadcast exclusive new music and interviews with these up and coming artists.

Director of Music, RTÉ 2FM Adam Fogarty said: “2FM is extremely excited to announce our Rising list for 2023. Rising is an important initiative for us at the station in our support of Irish music and artists. It is something we are incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about. 

“2FM already has a great track record with our Rising lists each year and we look to continue that this year. We believe our Rising list for 2023 is a great example of how strong and diverse the Irish music scene is right now and we feel our listeners will be as excited as we are about the quality of talent coming through and the incredible music they are making.We look forward to supporting our Rising acts and the many other great Irish acts across our platforms in 2023.”

2FM Rising is in association with IMRO and each of this years ten acts will also receive a €1,000 bursary from IMRO. 2FM Rising, in association with IMRO, is an artist development initiative providing airplay, promotional and content opportunities for its chosen participants.

IMRO’s Keith Johnson, Director of Marketing & Membership at IMRO,  said: “IMRO is delighted to continue its association with RTÉ 2FM Rising. Irish songwriters continue to push creative boundaries at home and on the international stage and the RTÉ 2FM Rising initiative will provide an invaluable showcase and support platform for all of the participating acts throughout 2023.”

About the 2023 2FM Rising Artists

 49th & Main
Hailing from Kilkenny, 49^th & Main are an indie-pop duo consisting of producer Ben O’Sullivan and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Paddy King. The pair first met in school and began working on music together, with O’Sullivan dabbling with acoustics and how to record King’s guitar.  They both decided to join a group of friends moving to Canada for the summer in 2019, they decided to take with them some recording equipment on the off chance they’d get some time to experiment. Little did they know that by the time they returned home, they’d have the bones of their debut project. 
 
Learning music from a young age, King began writing his own music at 15 and busking on his hometown’s busy cobbled streets. In university he became interested in house-music, electronica and more alternative modes of creativity, and developed an urge to give different genres a go. O’Sullivan had taken to video editing, before slowly transitioning to music production when he was introduced by a friend to FL Studio. Self-taught, O’Sullivan was inspired by American artist/songwriter Jon Bellion’s ‘Making of’ videos to try his hand at creating electronic pop beats.  By the time college rolled around, O’Sullivan had been producing for almost a decade and was looking for fresh ways to be creative. When King approached him to move to Canada for a summer, it struck him as the perfect opportunity to try something new. 

In Vancouver (just off 49^th & Main Street), the two wrote and produced music, “for the craic” when “all of sudden we had two songs we really liked and decided we wanted people to hear them”. On the eve of a worldwide lockdown, 49^th & Main introduced themselves to the world with the rap-infused Party Alone, in collaboration with former classmate TraviS. Soon followed by their debut project Neon Palm Trees which jumped between genres effortlessly as the pair blended dual influences without fear of insult. What followed, however, was beyond even the wildest of expectations. In April 2020, 49^th & Main released ‘Catching Eyes’, a lo-fi banger which has gone on to generate over 13 million streams on Spotify and propel the duo to new heights. 49^th & Main have released collaborations with artists such as Sarah Carton, Khakikid, Landis and Chameleon. They have attracted global attention across the industry, joining Red Light Management’s exciting global roster. Excitingly, the band recently announced that they have signed a global record deal with independent label Counter Records.

Aonair

Aonair’s sound combines lush electronic production with dreamy reverbs, huge drum sounds and soaring vocal melodies to create a dreamy but powerful sound. Influences include The War On Drugs, Tears for Fears, Julie Cruise and The Blue Nile.

During the COVID pandemic, Aonair began working on a collection of songs between studios in Dublin and his grandparent’s house in the picturesque seaside Donegal village of Rathmullen. The results of this are big and bold, synth-drenched upbeat indie-pop tracks with an 80’s edge. Off the back of a super busy summer appearing at Electric Picnic, Kaleidoscope, All Together Now, Stendhal and more, Aonair released the new EP Loveheart Birthmark in Oct 2022 to high acclaim.

“Fantastic” Gemma Bradley, BBC
“An artist to keep an eye on” Indie Buddie
“Unabashedly bright synth-pop” Nialler9
“Obsessed since he released it” BBC Across The Line
“Simply brilliant….have been listening to this all day” Ed Smith Today FM
“Dreamy and beautifully written electro-pop” Hot Press
 
April

In 2022, everything changed for April. Hitting play on the artist’s forthcoming mixtape STARLANE, named after her recording studio’s local DLR station, threads of dance music and high-octane pop both weave their way into her boldest, brightest release yet. April drew on a set of influences ranging from the left-field indie-pop of The 1975 and The Japanese House, to the threads of UK Garage and drum’n’bass, that pulsed through her countless nights out in London clubs. STARLANE’s lead single 54321 is co-written with indie singer-songwriter Matt Maltese, and produced by Danny Casio (Joy Crookes, Griff).

Rewinding back to her upbringing, April grew up in a loud, busy household in Kilcullen Co Kildare, the oldest of seven kids. When she wasn’t sneaking into abandoned houses and exploring nearby rivers, you’d find her hidden away at home, writing songs about heartbreak she didn’t understand yet, and her dreams of pursuing music. She often felt nagging doubts that as an aspiring Irish musician, there was no place for her in the spotlight. Moving to Dublin aged eighteen was the huge catalyst that kickstarted April’s own journey. “When I first started releasing music in 2018, it was a really special time; I was listening to artists like Kojaque, Biig Piig and Soft Boy Records… I was obsessed with it”.

Now based in London, April is signed to Atlantic and fresh from a tour supporting Claud across Europe, STARLANE isn’t only the beginning of a personal chapter. It marks a moment of newfound clarity, and an artist just getting started.

Jen Payne

Kildare based DJ and producer Jen Payne is pinned as ‘one to watch’ and is breaking down boundaries with her track Pon De Replay soaring up the charts on Beatport making her the first UK & Éire female artist to deliver a solo Tech House top 10 on Beatport. Jen’s releases have been playlisted on Capital Dance and supported on KISS, David Penn and MistaJam and more. 2022 was a huge year for Jen and there are plenty more dance floor heaters to come from the studio!
 
KhahiKid

KhakiKid has had a whirlwind of a start to his career – exploding onto the scene just over two years ago, drawing in fans instantly with his alt-style and distinctive tone. Growing up in a large family in Crumlin, Dublin, there was never a quiet moment. Huss had to grow up a lot quicker than most and poured his heart into writing lyrics in his teen years and teaching himself to produce from his bedroom, influenced by the evolution of Mac Miller and the authenticity of Tyler, The Creator.

His debut EP Elevator Music, along with new single and video Babybrown, featuring previous singles Woodstock, Sports & Tattoos and Shlumped Up, has racked up over 2 million streams.  Elevator Music cements KhakiKid as an undeniably fresh presence in the burgeoning Irish rap scene, capturing the essence of summer in his unique sonic world. Speaking about the EP, KhakiKid says, “I see Elevator Music as the opening Soundtrack to a movie that’s being written in real time. I love the idea of listeners first stepping into the lift and not knowing what floor or world they’ll be taken to, because I’m in the exact same position as them.” With this EP KhakiKid is just getting started and is marked as one of the most exciting new artists to watch. 
 
Negro Impacto

Negro Impacto are a Dundalk duo comprising of vocalist and songwriter Chi Chi and producer, multi-instrumentalist Laurence (aka StrangeLove). After meeting in a Dublin skatepark and realising that they were neighbours back in Dundalk, a beautiful friendship formed between Chi Chi and Laurence. In 2021 they decided to join forces to create Negro Impacto and in such a short space of time the pair quickly gained attention as major ones to watch in the Irish music scene. thanks to their unique alternative neo-soul sound and youthful energy.

Everything about Negro Impacto is effortless, from their catchy, experience driven song writing, to their lo-fi music videos and crowd interactions while on stage. At the moment, the group identifies mostly with Alternative Neo Soul with elements of RnB, rock and funk. However, the duo have no interest in confining themselves to a single genre, which is apparent in their eclectic mix of influences and plans for making music. Their sound has been compared to The Internet and you can hear elements of inspiration from Erykah Badu and WILLOW (Smith) in Chi Chi’s smooth vocals. In terms of production, multi-instrumentalist Laurence quotes DJ Harrison and Arthur Verocai as a definite influence on his style. Negro Impacto have played at showcases with District Magazine, Nialler 9, Music Town and opened for a range of artists such as Aby Coulibaly, The Mary Wallopers, Naked Animals, Toshin and Your Cuz Marcus. In the summer of 2022, they had a busy schedule playing their first festival season at Forbidden Fruit, Body & Soul, All Together Now and Another Love Story.
 
Ryan Mack

When the world turned upside down in March 2020, Irish singer-songwriter Ryan Mack decided to retreat to his bedroom and do what he knew best, write songs. Slowly teasing those songs online, it has been quite the journey for the young songwriter, as he now has over 130 million Spotify streams and has just finished an 18 date European Tour with American superstars AJR.
 
His first success was a co-write with TikTok star, long-time friend and collaborator, Robert Grace. Their song Fake Fine, released by Grace – a top 10 radio hit in Ireland. topped the domestic Spotify viral chart and was number 1 on Shazam.  Solo success would quickly follow for Ryan with his viral hit Broke, achieving over 1 million streams in less than two months and radio plays across the world.  Word spread, and with globally renowned artists like Charlie Puth, Megan Trainor and Andy Grammer showering him with praise online, it wasn’t long before he was even getting tipped by digital authority Taylor Lorenz of the The New York Times.

His follow up release in early 2021 She Wins, I Lose saw Ryan featured on Billboard.com, playlisted on SIRIUSXM in the U.S, and went top 20 on Irish radio.  He would follow that up with Perfect On Me, a straight up pop banger that would see him get his very first play on BBC Radio 1, featuring on Molly King’s show Best New Pop.

In July 2021 he released Overwhelmed, his re-working of California punk band Royal & The Serpents track of the same name. A viral sensation, it now has over 80 million streams and Ryan now has a global audience of over 2.5 million fans.   Further 2021 releases followed with Guess That’s Love and Sad Fuck, before Only Human, Ryan’s next big global hit dropped in 2022.A massively popular song it again saw Ryan feature on BBC Radio 1’s, Best New Pop as well as global new music website Ones To Watch and get his own episode with Travis Mills on Apple Music.

Further releases have included Sweet Tooth and the radio hit Wish You the Worst. Ryan recently celebrated his first 100 million Spotify streams and embarked on his debut European tour.
 
Still Blue (Pictured above)

Still Blue are an Indie Pop band based in Dublin, Ireland. The band is led by vocalist/songwriter Nicole Lyons, with Rúairí Forde on lead guitar and drums by Greg Kearns.

Having formed at the beginning of the pandemic, Still Blue have released four tunes, accumulating in over 100k streams on Spotify. The band have played in many music venues across Ireland including a sold-out headline show in The Workman’s Club Cellar, Output Belfast and closing the We’ve Only Just Begun Festival in Whelans.

The up-and-coming Irish Indie band show off their skills by recording, producing & mixing their own music. The band are influenced by the Indie sounds of The 1975 and Arctic Monkeys, with intimate lyrics inspired by the writings of Phoebe Bridgers and Julia Jacklin. Music isn’t their only endeavour, as they have accumulated over 16 thousand views on their music videos! Still Blue are set for big things to come for 2023 with an EP on the way.
 
Sweetlemondae

23-year-old MC, Sweetlemondae started releasing music on Soundcloud and Youtube at the age of 15. Her first festival appearances at Body&Soul Festival and Electric Picnic saw Sweetlemondae commanding stage presence and profound lyrics as she raps passionately about relatable topics that captivate her audience. She was also chosen as one of the 50 artists selected for the biggest Ireland showcase Ireland Music Week in 2022.  
Sweetlemondae gets her MC sound and style inspiration from a variety of artists, including 070 Shake, Little Simz, Coi Leray, and IAMDDB.

In 2022 she teamed up with the Diffusion Lab team and to mark this partnership, her latest single Never Gonna Be was released on DFL and saw Sweetlemondae rise into Ireland’s Top 10 radio charts. 
 
Winnie Ama

Winnie Ama is part of a new breed of electronic artists blending conscious lyrics, soulful alternative RnB vocals with dance, house and pop rhythms. The Belfast born and raised Northern-Irish-Ghanaian artist has had success with multiple MusicWeek UK Club Chart top 10’s and support from, RTÉ 2FM, FM104, BBC Radio Ulster, with BBC Introducing Gemma Bradley referencing her fresh writing style and distinctive voice. Winnie Ama’s writing style is inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and Amy Winehouse. She switched from writing poetry and stories to writing music and studied jazz vocals before making her commercial music debut in 2019, writing 3 songs in collaboration with Francis Groove that made the top 10 in MusicWeek’s UK Urban/Black Club Chart – Can’t Wait #1, I Swear #7 and Born to Win #6. She also appeared in Photo Vogue in 2019. Her solo debut What Are We was in MusicWeek’s Black Club Chart for 6 weeks, peaking at number 11. In 2022 she was the resident artist for the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival -Belfast, One Night Records – London and Bert’s Jazz Bar – Belfast. Winnie Ama is also a lead data analyst for the Why Not Her? movement which campaigns for gender equality in the music industry and she mentors other artists. In 2022 she had a series of singles followed by an EP. She kicked off the year with electronic pop track Here I Go produced with Sim0n Le Saint on 25 Feb 2022 and a pop house collaborative track with two New York Producers Genpop and Lonny – Awe of You released on 25 March 2022. Awe of You spent 3 weeks in the Amazing Radio UK chart at number 9. She opened Macy Gray’s Cork show and performed at Latitude, Fervor and We’ve Only Just Begun festivals across the UK, Ireland and France.

‘’Ama is a model modern artist. Flitting effortlessly between vintage jazz vibes to sparkling neo-soul, she and her band took the city by storm’’ BELFAST MEDIA
“An artist in gracious control.” BELFAST TELEGRAPH
‘What Are We’ surely has to be one of the most luscious tracks of the year….the laidback vocals caress your soul into a velvety cocoon’’ YEO MAGAZINE

RTÉ has confirmed today (16 January 2023) that it has secured extensive broadcast rights to the Olympic Games up to and including 2032, across all its platforms, including television, radio and digital as part of an agreement with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Warner Bros Discovery. 
 
As a member of the EBU, RTÉ has successfully secured free-to-air television and digital broadcast rights for Los Angeles 2028, Brisbane 2032 and the Olympic Winter Games in 2026 and 2030. RTÉ Sport will broadcast more than 200 hours of coverage of each of the summer editions of the Olympics and 100 hours of the Olympic Winter Games on free-to-air television together with extensive coverage online and on radio. RTÉ has already secured the broadcast rights to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 next summer through Warner Bros Discovery.
 
RTÉ has been the broadcast rights holder for Irish coverage since the first Olympic television coverage in Ireland in 1964 during the Tokyo Olympic Games, with RTÉ being one of only 40 countries worldwide to show the event. Brisbane 2032 will be the eighteenth Olympic Games to be broadcast on Irish television.
 
Dee Forbes, Director General,  RTÉ, said: “We are delighted to secure rights to the next four Olympic Games ensuring that Irish audiences have free to air access to this major international sporting event until 2032.The Olympics always captures the Irish public’s hearts and minds as we gather to support our athletes on the international stage and feel pride in their many hugely successful performances and achievements.  We hope that these achievements will continue to grow as we look forward to continuing our comprehensive coverage in Paris 2024 and beyond, supporting Team Ireland and sharing the moments that will inspire future generations”.
 
EBU Director General Noel Curran said: “We are delighted to have secured the Olympic Games rights on behalf of RTÉ and our family of public service media Members. This deal demonstrates the continued strength of public service broadcasters on the global stage of sport. Sport should be for everyone, and we need public service media to bring all audiences together to enjoy the big national moments, inspire the next generation of athletes and grow fanbases for new and emerging sports.
 
“By working together, public service broadcasters have the potential to bring the Games to over 1 billion people across the continent free-to-air. No other media brand can guarantee so much multi-platform exposure to so many people. And that’s why I’m delighted to welcome this partnership which will ensure the Games are available to the widest possible audience across Europe.”