Your Public Service Media Do Mheáin Seirbhíse Poiblí

RTÉ and Twitter have announced a new content partnership in Ireland, which will bring clips and highlights from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ to the platform, amplifying the event’s digital coverage to Irish football fans.

Twitter is where football fans go to stay close to the action, and this is an opportunity for brands to place themselves at the heart of the World Cup conversation in Ireland. Throughout the tournament (November 21 – December 18) the partnership will bring 250 near-live highlights, pre-match build-up clips, and post-match analyses and moments from the RTÉ studio straight to the platform.

Through Twitter Amplify, advertisers will be able to align their ads with premium video content and utilise the most engaging moments from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, posted directly from @RTESport, enabling them to run branded pre-roll video during the world’s biggest sporting tournament.

The roar of the stadium is on Twitter, and recently revealed research from Twitter on the World Cup conversation offered new insights into the vibrant football fandom: Twitter is where highlights hit first, and people use it to stay close to the action. Nearly one third of Irish Twitter users cite watching and following sports as their primary reason for using social media, with 32% of Irish Twitter users having watched sports highlights and clips on the platform in the past week.

Globally, 62% of Twitter users find sports highlights clips appealing, and 64% of World Cup fans on Twitter say that they can find content on Twitter that isn’t available on any other platform (Twitter + GWI World Cup Study, Ireland, Q1 2022). 75% of Twitter users identify as fans of the World Cup versus 49% of Non-Twitter users (Twitter + GWI World Cup Study, Ireland, Q1 2022).

RTÉ will broadcast all 64 games of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ live across RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player with almost 200 of hours of coverage in total. Coverage includes four matches per day for the first 12 days with 16 consecutive days of live games from November 21 to December 6. The tournament reaches a climax with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Final on December 18.

Geraldine O’Leary, Commercial Director, RTÉ said, “At RTÉ Commercial we continually strive to offer new, unique opportunities to our advertisers that deliver impact and cut-through. We are therefore delighted to announce our partnership with Twitter Amplify, just as excitement for one of the world’s biggest sporting tournaments starts to build. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ will no doubt be one of the television highlights of the year, and we are excited that advertisers will be able to leverage the online conversation around this huge event. The combination of expert coverage and analysis from the RTÉ Sport team and Twitter’s advanced targeting tools, will allow advertisers to reach and engage sports fans on an even greater scale than ever before.” 

“Both Twitter and RTÉ are at the heart of so many football conversations across the country, so being able to bring moments from the biggest international sporting event to users on an even greater scale is incredibly exciting.” said Theo Luke, Senior Director, Global Content Partnerships at Twitter. “This is our first official partnership with Ireland’s national broadcaster and when it comes to sports coverage, we’ve always been impressed with the creativity of their editorial teams, the breadth of coverage dedicated to international football tournaments as well as the high calibre punditry on display. We’re really excited and looking forward to establishing a strong rapport with their commercial and sales teams. Through Twitter Amplify, advertisers will have even more opportunities to engage with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ in even more impactful ways.” 

Find out more about the partnership on the RTÉ Media Sales website here.

Dubliner Molly O’Connor announced as RTÉ news2day presenter 

This autumn, first time television presenter Molly O’Connor from Dublin is the newest addition to the news2day team. news2day is RTÉ’s news service designed specifically for children, featuring Irish and international news of interest to a young audience.

Following a call out to media and journalism graduates across the country, and a comprehensive audition process, Molly was chosen to join the team and begins broadcasting from today, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ News.

Molly O’Connor hails from the North side of Dublin. Growing up Molly was passionate about writing and her parents and teachers encouraged her to pursue a career in journalism. She studied for a BA in Communications Studies at Dublin City University before completing a Masters in Journalism at NUI Galway. In DCU, Molly always sought out journalistic opportunities and was involved in student radio and the Media Production Society. She also worked as a runner for a TV production company and worked behind the scenes at Ireland’s Got Talent and Ireland’s Fittest Family.

Molly has a wide range of hobbies including playing piano, guitar and sudoku as well as walking her dogs Barney and Elmo. She’s a longtime fan of news2day and is looking forward to starting as presenter on the programme. She said: “I can’t wait to visit the lovely schools! I’m beyond excited to meet everyone and to hear the next generation’s views on news topics and what they think needs to be done to improve the world.” 

Molly joins news2day presenter Reem El-Hassany from Limerick. Reem has been with news2day since September 2021.

news2day is broadcast Monday-Friday at 4.20pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ News. 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. Watch Reem and Molly on RTÉ news2day here:  www.rte.ie/news2day and follow them on twitter at @news2dayRTE

WATCH our promo here.

Filmed in Connemara, North Sea Connection is a contemporary thriller set within an isolated and traditional rural Irish fishing community. The drama tells the story of the Kenny family, Aidan Kenny (Kerr Logan), his sister Ciara Kenny (Lydia McGuinness) and their mother Moira Kenny (Sinead Cusack).

In the six-part series, the Kenny family start out as relatively ‘clean’, involved in low key illicit smuggling activity but having taken one misstep, the Kenny’s are trapped and given no option but to learn how to be bad people – fast. As the series progresses, Ciara’s resilient canniness, pragmatism and ambition propel her into morally compromising territory. How far will she go?

North Sea Connection is about the extreme and violent situations that will challenge the family, divide them and establish their new role in hock to a group of vicious people. Darkly humorous and ultimately heroic, the story is about survival first, then growth and finally empowerment.

Actor Lydia McGuinness described her preparation for the role: “Playing a character like Ciara Kenny was such a gift, she’s pretty unique in the world of crime drama. The first thing I did when I heard I secured the role was book a trip on a fishing boat in Connemara, which subsequently was the boat that would be used in the show! The second was getting in touch with Ashley Mullenger, ‘The Female Fisherman’. Those moves were key in unlocking the essence of this character.” 

North Sea Connection airs Sunday nights at 9.30pm on RTÉ One and is available to watch back on RTÉ player.  

RTÉ are currently looking to recruit our next Managing Director of News and Current Affairs.

Full details are available here.

In summary:

Reporting to the Director General, and as a member of the RTÉ Executive Board, the Managing Director of News and Current Affairs is a key leader of the organisation. As one of the most high-profile positions in Irish media, the successful candidate will be an exceptional leader with proven editorial judgement, coupled with a passion for public service media storytelling and programme making.

RTÉ operates in a highly competitive global media market, where technology is rapidly transforming the way audiences demand and consume content. Whilst RTÉ’s public service mission remains constant, the way in which it delivers on this mandate must respond to advancements and changes within the global media industry. The successful appointee will play a leading role in continuing RTÉ’s journey of transformation in responding to ongoing change.

The Managing Director of News and Current Affairs will have a background in broadcasting nationally or internationally across multiple platforms. They will be skilled at collaborating with and influencing across a broad stakeholder base and enjoy developing and sustaining relationships. They will be people-focused and inspire their team, cultivating talent within and attracting talent to RTÉ.

Live Irish Friday nights are back with a jig as Lord of the Dance Michael Flatley, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, Pat Spillane, Tolü Mackay lead a stellar line-up for this week’s series return of The Late Late Show 

To Whom it Concerns, Friday nights are back as host Ryan Tubridy returns for his 14th year at the helm of the world’s longest-running live chat show this Friday 2^nd September, 9:35 pm. 
 
Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley will join Ryan this Friday to talk about his debut feature film Blackbird, which he has written, directed and stars in. Michael will talk about how his mother encouraged him to pursue acting and his excitement at finally seeing his movie hit the big screen.  
 
Ryan will chat with Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu live in studio about dominating this year’s villa, why Davide is her type on paper, whether she might find herself heading back to the villa in a different role and how she found herself representing Ireland at an international beauty contest.  
 
After 30 years on our summer television screens, Pat Spillane has called it a day as a Sunday Game analyst. He will speak with Ryan about his decision, what he plans to do next and that emotional tribute to his father that captured the hearts of the nation. 
 
Plus, we will have music from Tolü Mackay for a very special performance of Mercy Mercy Me including music from The RTÉ Concert Orchestra and a few other surprises on the night that is not to be missed. 
 
Ryan said: “I am absolutely delighted to be back in the hot seat this Friday night and we are back with a bang! Friday night promises a great, fun and fascinating array of guests. Where else would you want to be? Put the kettle on, or pour yourself a glass. It’s Friday, it’s The Late Late Show and we’re open for business!”

This upcoming season from RTÉ celebrates Irish culture, creativity and Irish talent, with Irish drama, unique Irish stories, and Irish talent taking centre stage.

Irish talent will be to the fore with over 40 hours of new Irish drama including series 2 of internationally acclaimed Kin, as well as brand-new series North Sea Connection, SisterS, The Dry, Clean Sweep, and the return of Smother.

Rising stars and new talent will hit screens in new comedy No Worries if Not, and a new series of Storyland aimed at developing new writing and directing talent will bring audiences new perspectives in four short dramas.

A range of brand-new documentaries and series will share unique Irish stories exploring Irish life and culture, from our rich history to the stories that matter today, and a continued increase in Irish language output.

A comprehensive range of local, national and international free-to-air sport will showcase our national teams, national games and athletes in action, while our youngest citizens can look forward to an innovative range of original Irish content on topics as diverse as promoting mental health to learning sign language, with world-class Irish animation and original Irish drama.

Drama
RTÉ continues to be the home of quality Irish drama with over 40 hours of brand-new Irish drama this new season. From dark comedies and family dramas to Nordic-Irish thrillers, RTÉ is working with a number of national and international partners to deliver more drama to Irish audiences, to nurture new Irish talent and showcase it on international screens.

The Kinsella clan make an eagerly anticipated return for a second series of the internationally acclaimed Kin starring Claire Dunne, Aidan Gillen, and Charlie Cox, with production currently underway in Dublin. The new season will see the Kinsellas as top dogs in Dublin, with killing Eamon Cunningham having created as many problems as it solved. New comedy-drama The Dry, set in Dublin, written by Nancy Harris, and starring Roisin Gallagher, Moe Dunford, and Oscar-nominee Ciaran Hinds, tells a sometimes poignant and often hilarious tale of familial values and the lure of returning home. North Sea Connection is a contemporary thriller set within an isolated and traditional rural Irish fishing community in Connemara, starring Lydia McGuinness, Sinead Cusack, Kerr Logan and Alida Morberg.

New thriller Clean Sweep sees Charlene McKenna star in the lead role as a housewife married to a Garda detective who kills her former partner in crime when he threatens to expose her dark past. Smother with Dervla Kirwan is back for a third series set against the stunning vistas of county Clare, while new series SisterS is a dark comedy-drama about two women who discover they are half-sisters and embark on a road trip across Ireland. Ireland’s favourite drama Fair City continues to entertain viewers four nights a week.

RTÉ Player will feature plenty of fresh box sets of top drama titles including Irish drama Dublin Murders. Viewers can also enjoy a range of Irish drama such as, Smother, Love/Hate, The South Westerlies, Pure Mule, Striking Out and Acceptable Risk.

This year Storyland comes to RTÉ television for the first time with brand-new single dramas. Contemporary whodunnit Storyland: Balor Hall by Rioghnach Ni Grioghair, an imaginative story about substance abuse and self-harm in Storyland:Mustard by Eva O’Connor, and Storyland:Every Five Miles by Sinead Collop, which tells a powerful story about people trafficking in Ireland. There were an unprecedented number of Storyland applications this year, with RTÉ working with Screen Ireland in partnerships and collaborations to grow the Irish drama sector together.

RTÉ Radio 1 continues to support the development and discovery of writing talent through Drama on One which this year includes Bloody Writers by Charlie McCarthy, and Primroses le Colm Mac Con Iomaire.

Factual
RTÉ’s factual series and documentaries this season will tell unique Irish stories documenting how we as nation now live, have lived in the past, and will live into the future, celebrating our culture and heritage and chronicling our ever changing society across all platforms.

The War at Home captures the experiences and emotions of Ukrainians travelling to Ireland and the Irish response to the crisis, while a DIY SOS Ukraine Special features Baz Ashmawy and his team of volunteers as they work against the clock to provide temporary housing for families fleeing the war-torn country.

Stardust examines the Stardust disaster in the context of fresh evidence being presented to the inquest. Arthur Gourounlian and Brian Dowling document their surrogacy journey in Brian and Arthur’s Very Modern Family.Saipan-Rebel Without a Ball asks how far the Irish team could have gone had Roy Keane stayed, while hurling stalwart Davy Fitz puts another group of teenagers through the mill for the greater good in Davy’s Toughest Team.

Our natural history and landscapes are explored as underwater cameraman Ken O’Sullivan delves into the North Atlantic, while The Island is a three-part series celebrating our natural histories and presented by Liz Bonnin.

Build Your Own is a new series following the trials and tribulations of homeowners from across Ireland, while Maggie Smith is back with more Cheap Irish Homes. Room to Improve returns, and Dermot Bannon travels to Spain and Scotland for more Dermot Bannon’s Incredible Homes. In Takeaway Titans, Carl Mullan and James Kavanagh are on the hunt for Ireland’s greatest chipper.

As the Decade of Centenaries comes to a close, this season also contains a diverse array of specialist content on the Irish Civil War and revolutionary Ireland available across television, radio and online. Highlights include The Irish Civil War, a three-part documentary series narrated by Brendan Gleeson and written and directed by Ruán Magan. Two Tribes presented by Sean O’Rourke follows the diverging paths taken by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the post-civil war landscape. In Communism, Sex, and All That Jazz, Katie Hannon delves into the national archives to discover what we as a nation did once we achieved Statehood. A Deal with the Devil sees Michael Portillo tell the story of the Civil War from the perspective of the British government.

Entertainment, Music & Comedy
This new season will also deliver a fresh slate of entertainment, music and comedy that brings us together and celebrates our talent.

The brand-new comedy series No Worries if Not! brings a host of viral comedy stars including Justine Stafford, Emma Doran, and Michael Fry to RTÉ2. The Ultimate Irish Playlist, presented by 2FM’s Tracy Clifford, will count down the songs that define Irish music and culture as voted on by over 100,000 2FM listeners. New genre-bending show Mise FRESHIN’ will creatively combine various strands of Irish music, while Season 2 of The 2 Johnnies Do America takes the lads to Nashville and the home of country music. In Réaltaí na Gaeltachta, 5 well-known Irish people go back to the Gaeltacht to relive bunk beds, curfews and the no Béarla rule.

RTÉ continues to bring the country together on Friday nights for the very best in live entertainment, music and chat with the return of The Late Late Show for its 61^st season, with Ryan Tubridy at the helm. The Tommy Tiernan Show and Angela Scanlon’s Ask Me Anything will provide Saturday night entertainment as winter draws in. Dancing with the Stars series 6 will see a new line-up of brave soldiers take to the dancefloor in early 2023, and as Nicky Byrne heads on tour with Westlife, RTÉ will be announcing a brand-new co-presenter. Ireland’s Fittest Family returns with a brand-new coach in the form of current Dancing with the Stars champ Nina Carberry. Will Nina’s winning streak continue? Competitive streaks are sure to present themselves inwith Ultimate Hell Week: The Professionals putting a new line-up of well-known recruits through their paces, and there are still plenty of singletons looking for love in the ever-popular First Dates Ireland.

Callan’s Kicks returns for a 20th series on RTÉ Radio 1, as Ireland heads for blackouts and big bills in the ‘post-Garth Brooks Boom’ and to close 2022 Callan Kicks the Year with his annual TV news review.

Sport
The new season on RTÉ will also deliver a comprehensive range of local, national and international sport live and free-to-air. All 64 games from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar will be live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. In total RTÉ will have almost 200 hours of coverage culminating in the FIFA World Cup Final on December 18 and RTÉ’s unrivalled team of presenters, panellists and commentators will bring Irish viewers every minute live.

As the nation winds-down from the excitement and thrills of the GAA Championships, RTÉ will have live AIB GAA Club Championship action throughout the autumn, while the Allianz National Leagues return in the new year, ensuring GAA is served to audiences end to end throughout the year.

The second season of the United Rugby Championship kicks-off on the weekend of September 16 in partnership with TG4, while The Six Nations returns in early February in partnership Virgin Media.

The Republic of Ireland Men’s, Women’s and U21 soccer teams will all play crucial games live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player in the coming months. The Men play Armenia and Scotland in The UEFA Nations League; the Women play Finland and Slovakia in September with a place in a FIFA World Cup 2023 play-off at stake; also in September the Men’s U21s face Israel in a play-off with a place at the 2023 UEFA European Under-21s Championship up for grabs.

The Men’s and Women’s FAI Cup Finals will be live on RTÉ2 in November. Racing continues including the winter highlight – the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. RTÉ2 will show the Men’s and Women’s Rugby 7s World Cup Finals live from Cape Town in South Africa from 9-11 September.

RTÉ Radio will have live commentary, reports, features and results all through the new season on RTÉ Radio 1’s Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport and on RTÉ 2FM’s Game On with RTÉ Sport online keeping fans up-to-speed on all the latest sports news, views and features.

Arts and Culture
The upcoming season in Arts and Culture offers a vibrant mix of content featuring performances, creative collaborations and documentaries that celebrate our artists and explore our rich culture.

RTÉ’s centrepiece on Culture Night 2022 will be an hour-long live broadcast from Lough Borra featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and special guests, which will be broadcast on RTÉ One. A Note for Nature, will explore the country’s most fragile landscapes through music  and spoken word, showcasing the wildlife that has managed to survive in these locations- featuring RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Christy Moore, Kíla, Clare Sands & Susan O’Neill, Alannah Thornburgh, Niamh Regan, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Iarla Ó Lionáird, This is How We Fly, Myles O’Reilly & Wilzee and Tolü Makay.

Tommy Tiernan’s Epic West takes a contemplative, personal look at the west of Ireland – its culture and landscape, and in Untameable, award-winning author Colm Tóibín seeks to re-open the bog-inspired works of Heaney and other artists. 100 years on from the formation of the Irish State’, we look back at our first decade as a new state, with Lady Gregory: Ireland’s First Social Influencer, an around Ireland road trip with Miriam Margolyes and Lynn Ruane and Francis Bacon: The Outsider, a new diary revealing an unrecorded chapter in the legendary painter’s life presented by U2’s Adam Clayton. RTÉ One will also broadcast a programme featuring the six books and authors shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book of the Year award 2022.

Irish Language
RTÉ continues to grow the range of its Irish Language offering, with an exciting new season of documentaries and series as Gaeilge for peak-time audiences on RTÉ One. Scannal this season examines topics including the unsolved case of the shooting of Brian Stack, and the Hillsborough disaster, An Ré Réabhlóide is a landmark documentary, commissioned as part of the Decade of Centenaries, in which GAA legend Gráinne McElwain explores how the GAA helped to bridge, and sometimes heal, the bitter divisions created by the Civil War 100 years ago. In Ceol na nGael, a new documentary to mark the 50th anniversary of Raidió na Gaeltachta, Altan’s Mairéad Ní Mhaoinigh explores the role the station has played in the story of modern traditional music in Ireland.

A new Irish-language documentary series, Mealladh na Mara, explores ordinary people’s extraordinary relationships with the sea. In Madraí, a crack team of vets and animal behavioural specialists help stressed-out owners sort out their problem pooches.

Young Peoples’ programmes on RTÉjr and RTÉ2 RTÉjr solidifies its place as the home of Irish animation with brand new series such as Ray of Sunshine, Atom Town, Happy the Hoglet, Kiva Can do, Fia’s Fairies & Wee Littles in a stellar line-up of home-grown animation.  Don’t miss out on World Mental Health Day, October 10th, where we launch our series of 5 animated shorts based on the theme of mental health awareness for kids of all ages. Launching on National Lámh day, the 19th October, our new live action series Dizzy Deliveries featuring Joe the Delivery man and Ozzy his robot side-kick is RTÉ’s first ever Lámh series for children. Lámh is a manual sign language used by kids and adults with intellectual disability and communication needs in Ireland.

News and Current Affairs
The most recent Reuters Digital News Report (Ireland) 2021 revealed RTÉ as the most trusted news source for Irish consumers, with 78% of respondents saying they trusted the service. This season, RTÉ will continue to deliver trusted news, and to challenge on behalf of our audience in RTÉ’s ongoing current affairs and investigative work. RTÉ News has stepped up its commitment to trusted journalism and has become certified with the global Journalism Trust Initiative Mark. Developed by Reporters Without Borders, it aims to promote trustworthy journalism and news sources, with the process including an external audit involving an independent evaluation by a licensed certification body.This season, RTÉ Investigates will also reveal several new in-depth documentaries and reports.

RTÉ One will be home to brand new eight-part current affairs panel series Monday Night Live this autumn, dealing with the major issues affecting people right across the country, including the cost-of-living crisis, the housing shortage, childcare, and climate change; with more details announced this September.

Dee Forbes, Director General, RTÉ, said: “Today, RTÉ’s new season launch is a celebration of Irish culture, Irish stories,  and Irish creativity, while reflecting our vital role  in creating a shared space for important discussion and debate, for supporting Irish talent, for celebration, for telling national stories and marking national moments. With 40 hours of original Irish drama, this is RTÉ’s biggest drama slate to date and brings exciting new talent to our screens; live broadcasting remains central to our schedules and this is really to the fore in our selection of top class free-to-air live sport showcasing our national teams, national games and our athletes, and including all 64 games from the FIFA World Cup 2022; our strong offering of factual programmes tells uniquely Irish stories which consider many facets of Irish life and culture, while our schedule of arts and culture programming connects audiences with some of the great artists and musicians we have here in Ireland.

Dee Forbes continued, “Anchoring our daily live schedules on television, radio and online we have trusted news and current affairs, analysis and discussion, as well as ground-breaking investigative and specialist reporting, which, as we proved during the pandemic, are RTÉ’s key contribution to the democratic functioning of Irish society and the increasingly important fight against misinformation and disinformation.  On top of that we also have world class natural history, original Irish content dedicated to our younger audiences, new series showcasing our comedic talent, wonderful Irish animation series, more content in the Irish language, and so much more. Through hard work, collaboration, creativity, innovation and an eye on the future, I believe we have developed a season of programming and content that is fitting of Ireland’s national broadcaster and which I hope will engage audiences of all ages in the weeks and months ahead.”

For the first time since 2019, the RTÉ Rose of Tralee International Festival will be back on screens on Monday 22 August. Earlier today host Dáithí Ó Sé introduced all 33 International Roses for the first time ahead of this year’s 2022 Rose of Tralee broadcast on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. This year will mark Dáithí’s eleventh year presenting the show and he and the 2022 International Roses were in celebratory form today at Sandymount Beach, Dublin before their journey to Tralee.
 
The Rose of Tralee International Festival will also celebrate its sixty-first year and interviews with the 33 International Roses will be broadcast live from the Kerry Sports Academy in Tralee, Co Kerry, for the very first time, at 8pm on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 August on RTÉ One with a break for the Nine News.
 
Speaking at the event, Host Dáithí Ó Sé said:
 
“I am really excited that the Rose of Tralee International Festival returns this year, I think we all really missed it. I do feel like it’s another sign of things getting back to normal. I am looking forward to meeting the incredible 33 International Roses.
 
“I also cannot wait to go back to Tralee to see everyone take to the streets on Saturday night and presenting the shows on Monday and Tuesday where we will have a few surprises up our sleeves as well when it comes to the party pieces.”
 
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.
 
The 33 International Roses represent the Irish diaspora worldwide including, centres in Ireland, Britain, United States, Canada, Australia and the Middle East.
 
For up-to-date news on what’s happening at the Rose of Tralee, go
to www.rte.ie/entertainment, where RTÉ.ie will host a dedicated section to the 61^st Rose of Tralee International Festival. For a serious dose of Festival style along with health and fitness features with the Roses, visit www.rte.ie/lifestyle. Follow the events as they unfold on RTÉ.ie and on RTÉ’s Entertainment and Lifestyle Facebook and Twitter pages.
 
This year James Patrice will return as the backstage Rose Reporter and you can follow his antics across RTÉ One’s social platforms. You will find exclusive behind the scenes content on www.instagram.com/rteone, https://www.tiktok.com/@rteone?lang=en, https://www.f acebook.com/RTEOne and www.twitter.com/rteone, as well as on @rte, @rteplayer and @rtearchives on Twitter. The official hashtag is #roseoftralee

Notes:
 
*Helen Geary Waterford Rose did not attend on the day to complete examinations.
 ** Rose of Tralee Presenter History
• Dáithí O Sé 2010 – 2022 (11 years to date)
• Ray D’ Arcy 2005 – 2009 (5 years)
 • Ryan Tubridy 2003 and 2004 (2 years)
• Marty Whelan 1997 – 2002 (6 years)
• Derek Davis 1995 and 1996 (2 years)
• Kathleen Watkins 1977 (1 year)
• Gay Byrne 1974 – 1994 (20 years)
• Kevin Hilton, Joe Lynch, Terry Wogan, Brendan O’Reilly, Michael Twomey were early
presenters. Although there had been highlights prior to that, Joe Lynch presented the first live broadcast by RTÉ in 1967.

RTÉ has today unveiled content to mark the 100^th anniversary of the death of Michael Collins that will be available on television, radio and online.

Asking difficult questions and using contemporary scientific analysis, former State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy fronts Cold Case Collins, a television docu-drama that re-opens the case of the assassination of Michael Collins broadcasting on RTÉ One on Wednesday 24th August at 9:35PM. His killing is one of the most contested events in Irish history, igniting acrimonious arguments that have endured ever since. In this formatted one-off, Cold Case Collins imagines the investigation that never happened, with an interrogation room set to uncover what happened in Béal na Bláth on August 22^nd, 1922.

The former State Pathologist, Professor Marie Cassidy will chair a 21st century cold case comprising forensic scientists, criminal investigators, military strategists, archaeologists, archivists and historians. As viewers, we eavesdrop on the experts as they sift and filter through the evidence old and new, looking for answers to the questions that have ignited bar brawls for decades.

To mark the centenary of the assassination of Collins, RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland will broadcast from the Munster Arms Hotel, Bandon on Friday August 19th, formerly Lee’s Hotel, where Michael Collins was photographed alive for the last time, 30 minutes before he was killed in the ambush at Béal na Bláth. This special Morning Ireland will have an extended broadcast on the RTÉ digital news channel.

Detailing what we know of his death, Nationwide on 17th of  August [RTÉ One Television] will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Michael Collins who, despite dying at the age of 32, helped alter the course of modern Irish history. Donal Byrne looks at Collins’s early life and influences and hears how he became a master political strategist and organiser.

On Monday 22^nd August, Nationwide marks another pivotal date in Irish history: the 100th anniversary of An Garda Síochána. Born out of revolution and war, An Garda Síochána has evolved from being a force that, for many years, dealt with little very serious crime to an organisation that has had to adjust to dealing with organised crime and the complexities of modern Irish life.

Online, RTE.ie/history will continue to host a wide range of content relevant to this period. One of the most significant upcoming sections will feature the death of Michael Collins replete with interactive maps that trace the story of Collins’s last journey and assassination. This project is the product of a partnership between RTÉ History, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and The Atlas of the Irish Revolution edited by John Crowley, Donal Ó Drisceoil, Mike Murphy and John Borgonovo and published by the Cork University Press. A spread of essays, written by expert historians from Ireland and elsewhere, have long provided readers with accessible resources.

A catalogue of history-based drama and documentary is available on RTÉ Player, among it the award-winning Bloody Sunday, 1920, The Irish Revolution and 74 Days: The Hunger Strike of Terence MacSwiney. All future Decade of Centenaries programming will also be available live and on-demand on RTÉ Player.

Notes:

Morning Ireland Munster Arms Hotel – On RTÉ Radio 1 and our digital news channel from 7am to 9am, with an extended programme available on digital only to 9:30am. Guests include historians Professor Diarmaid Ferriter and Dr. Gabriel Doherty.

Cold Case Collins – RTÉ and independent production company Loosehorse shed new light on one of Irish history’s darkest corners. Key partners in the Cold Case Collins project include the Technical Bureau of An Garda Síochána, Forensic Science Ireland, the Irish Defence Forces and the National Museum of Ireland. Helen Collins, a descendant of the Collins family, has also actively contributed to the programme. The team behind Cold Case Collins has an exceptional track record in this genre, re-invigorating the telling of history for television through a number of award-winning, innovative ‘twisty-history’ concepts. Supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s Sound and Vision fund, this one-off is scheduled to broadcast on Wednesday August 24^th at 9:35PM on RTÉ One.

RTÉ Player – Discover a catalogue of historical drama and documentaries on RTÉ Player. ‘Rebellion’ and ‘Resistance’ are two recent history-themed dramas while the documentaries ‘Bloody Sunday, 1920’, ‘The Irish Revolution’ and ‘74 Days: The Hunger Strike of Terence MacSwiney’, are also now available on RTÉ Player. Factual docs like ‘Border Lives’ and ‘Ireland’s Rising’, as well as the series of reflections on the revolutionary period in Ireland, led by Uachtarán na hÉireann, Michael D. Higgins – Machnamh 100 – are also available to stream. All upcoming Decade of Centenaries programming will be available live and on-demand on RTÉ Player.

Nationwide – To mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Michael Collins, on 17^th August Nationwide looks back at the life of a man who, despite dying at the age of just 32, helped alter the course of modern Irish history. Donal Byrne has been looking at Collins’s early life and influences and hears how he became a master political strategist and organiser.  He looks at some of the mythology surrounding Collins and also hears how the circumstances of his death during an ambush in West Cork remain a matter of intrigue to this day.

This year [2022], An Garda Síochána will hold a major public event to mark the 100th anniversary of its foundation. Born out of revolution and war, An Garda Siochana has evolved from being a force that, for many years, dealt with little very serious crime to an organisation that has had to adjust to dealing with organised crime and all of the complexities of modern Irish life.

On August 22^nd Donal Byrne meets some of the women and men who serve in the force today – a force that has had its culture and diversity revolutionised in recent years.