January – First broadcast of the weekday topical news magazine programmeBroadsheet onTelefís Éireann.[1]
12 January – First broadcast of the long-running religious and social documentary seriesRadharc.[1]
February – TheBBC relays commentary of theFriendship 7 space flight which sees astronautJohn Glenn become the first American to orbit the Earth.[1]
April –Telefís Éireann staff move to the Montrose studios inDonnybrook following the completion. Until then they had been in temporary accommodation inDublin city centre.[1]
12 February – Director-General McCourt announces the transfer of responsibility forSeven Days to the RTÉ News Division, a decision which leads to industrial unrest and the suspension of several members of the production team for "blacking" the programme on air. The dispute is finally resolved in March.[1]
16 March –Thomas P. Hardiman replaced Kevin McCourt as Director-General of RTÉ, and is the first Director-General to be appointed internally within the organisation.[1]
February – RTÉ opens a studio inBelfast, and subsequently becomes an important international provider of coverage relating toevents in Northern Ireland.[1]
20 July –Telefís Éireann, which normally stopped broadcasting by midnight during the 1960s, transmitted its first all-night programme when thefirst men landed on the Moon at 9.17 pm,Irish time. The moonwalk began at 3.39 the next morning and ended at 6.11. The entire broadcast was hosted live byKevin O'Kelly, working alone in front of the camera, and he won aJacob's Television Award for his performance.[3]
11 November – TheIrish government establishes a judicial tribunal to investigate the content of an edition ofSeven Days that investigated money lenders. Among the issues examined are complaints by members of theGarda Síochána (police) that they were misrepresented. In 1970 the tribunal concludes that the programme did not present sufficient evidence to support allegations that theGárdaí had failed to do enough to stop money lending.[1]
Unknown – Live relays from theOireachtas to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the firstDáil Éireann.[1]
Undated – The limit on the number of households that can be connected to high-specification aerial is abolished. Furthermore, it is agreed that RTÉ will receive a percentage of gross rental income from television aerial contractors by way of compensation for the estimated loss of advertising revenue RTÉ will experience due to competition with other television stations.[1]
Undated – The cable television companyRTÉ Relays Ltd (later Cablelink) is established.[1]
January – The controversialsecondary school dramaThe Spike goes on air. It was removed from the schedule following a nude scene in Episode 5 which sparked criticism from Irish conservatives, and has never been retransmitted.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
2 November – Ireland's second television channel,RTÉ 2 goes on air.[1] The opening night features a variety gala performance from theCork Opera House and the 1968 filmBullitt.[10]
November – The UK soapCoronation Street is aired for the first time on RTÉ 2. It had previously only been available to those who could receiveUTV orHTV Wales.
January –RTÉ establishes an internal working party to investigate the representation of women in news reporting. Their findings are published in April 1981.[1]
11 November – RTÉ Television begins airing the Irish language adult education programmeAnois 's Arís.[1]
Unknown – RTÉ is given special government permission to broadcast two television programmes that are part of a series jointly produced with theBBC titledThe Troubles. The programmes include interviews with organisations banned from the media bySection 31 of the Broadcasting Authority Act.[1]
31 October – RTÉ Television airs the dramaThe Ballroom of Romance, a drama based on the novel byWilliam Trevor. The programme is a joint production with the BBC).[1]
1–4 June – RTÉ presents live coverage ofU.S. PresidentRonald Reagan's visit to Ireland. RTÉ sends twice-daily newsfeeds to Eurovision for world distribution during the visit. The coverage includes an interview with Reagan recorded in Washington for the programmeToday Tonight and a special edition ofNewstime which is broadcast onU.S. television.[1]
The first teletext pages are shown during the afternoon on RTE2 as part of experimental tests for the forthcoming launch of RTE's teletext serviceAertel.[11]
25 June – A season 4 episode of American sitcomALF is deferred due to an extended broadcast of the football match between the Republic of Ireland and Romania atItalia '90. The episode due to air was the season's 20th; "Mr. Sandman". After a scoreless draw, the Irish side advanced, winning the penalty shootout 5 goals to 4.
21 January – RTE goes on strike. Around 1,600 staff at RTE from three unions (SIPTU, NUJ and ETU) had gone on strike over staffing levels at RTE. The dispute began on 21 January 1992 when two person camera crews were introduced without the agreement of the SIPTU union. For nearly four weeks, all live home produced programming on both RTE One and Network Two were axed, with RTE filling its schedules with already recorded home produced shows along with a large amount of imported new programming and archive programming from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, USA and Australia, along with many films. RTE News output on television was reduced to short news summaries. It ended on 17 February 1992 with a resolution reached between the unions and RTE management.[12]
28 December – TheIrish language drama serialRos na Rún is first aired on RTÉ Television as a series of 15-minute episodes.[1]
6 May –CableLink, the cable television company which is part owned by RTÉ is sold toNTL Communications for more than £535 million.[1]
Summer –Helen O'Rahilly is appointed as the first female Director of Television at RTÉ. She left in 2000 to take up a position at the BBC in London.[13][14]
1 October – Despite airing in Northern Ireland and several parts of Ireland with access to UK television networks since its television debut in 1963, the long running UK science fiction seriesDoctor Who finally airs in the Republic of Ireland for the first time ever on TG4. The series will be paired up with the 1940 filmFlash Gordon Conquers the Universe as part of the Sci-Fi blockBack to the Future. However seeing asFlash Gordon Conquers the Universe won't be broadcast for the first two weeks, a double bill ofDoctor Who will be shown instead to fill the hour slot.Spearhead from Space the very first serial of theseventh season and the first serial to starJon Pertwee as theThird Doctor will be the very firstDoctor Who serial to be shown in Ireland.
31 December – RTÉ presentsMillennium Eve: Celebrate 2000, coverage of the turn of the millennium from 31 December 1999 into 1 January 2000. The programme is part of the international strand2000 Today to celebrate the occasion.
January – RTÉ announces plans to launch a channel with the working title ofRTÉ International, designed to offer programmes from RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, and TG4.[19]
1 April – The RTÉIrish language channel, TG4, becomes a separate entity. Previously it had been operated as a subsidiary of RTÉ under the name Telefís na Gaeilge.[20]
12 June –RTÉ News Now is launched as an online service.
27 July – For the first time, the annualReek SundayMass on the summit ofCroagh Patrick is broadcast live worldwide by RTÉ. It is celebrated by BishopMichael Neary, who speaks of consumer values that he feels are seducing society.[21]
2 November – RTÉ postpones the planned launch of RTÉ Entertainment, citing financial circumstances. The broadcaster had written to Eamon Ryan during October claiming that it would be "unwise" for it to continue with the plan. RTÉ said it intended to honour the commitment in the2007 Broadcasting Act and hoped to launch the station by the end of 2009. A spokeswoman for Eamon Ryan says the decision to postpone the launch of the channel is "a reflection of the financial realities in Ireland and worldwide". She adds that the minister is committed to the idea of "RTÉ International" and that it could be a "brilliant product" similar toBBC World News.[22]
December – RTÉ News moves out of its usual Studio Three in RTÉ Studios in Donnybrook, Dublin,[23] and relocates to a temporary studio while work is carried out Studio Three for a relaunch. The new look is unveiled on theOne O'Clock News programme on Monday 9 February 2009.[24]
21 September – RTÉ Television relaunchedThe Angelus broadcast beforeRTÉ News: Six One, featuring seven different editions, with seven respective people for each one.[25][26]
29 October – RTÉ News Now launches as a free-to-air channel on Saorview.
November – RTÉ News Now'siPhone app wins Best Media app, Best Apple App and the Grand Prix awards at 'The Appy's 2010 with The Carphone Warehouse'.[29]
TV50, a series of special events throughout 2012, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the launch of RTÉ Television, then known asTelefís Éireann, on 31 December 1961.[32]
17 January – RTÉ agrees to scrap its advertising "share deal" scheme from July following an investigation by theCompetition Authority. Rival broadcasterTV3 had argued the practice, in which RTÉ offered a discount to any advertiser which committed a percentage of its budget for television advertising to them was anti-competitive.[33]
17 March – Debut of RTÉ's #HowToBeIrish, a programme made entirely of clips sent in by viewers explaining what being Irish means to them.[34]
6 April – RTÉ breaks with theGood Friday tradition of not sounding theAngelus bells by broadcasting them as usual on television. They are also heard for the first time onHoly Saturday, a move contrary toCatholic practice which is for them to be silenced to mark the period between theCrucifixion andResurrection of Jesus. RTÉ argues that the daily prayer belongs to everyone rather than a single faith.[35]
2 May – RTÉ reaches an agreement withEquity and the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters' Guild to allow them to make their soapFair City available onRTÉ Player andRTÉ One + 1.[36]
24 July – RTÉ subsidiary companyRTÉ Transmission Network Ltd (RTÉ NL) is to be rebranded, and located away from the Donnybrook campus as part of an ongoing restructuring at the broadcaster.[39]
22 October – RTÉ Director of News and Current Affairs Kevin Bakhurst rules out a breakfast television programme for the broadcaster on cost grounds.[40]
2 April – RTÉ Two announces the launch of The RTÉ Two New Voices Award, in conjunction with the National Student Media Awards, which will give students an opportunity to compete for a summer work placement at the station.[42]
11 September – RTÉ Two reveals its new schedule, and confirms a rebranding back to its original name of 'RTÉ 2'.[44]
22 September – RTÉ2's rebranding takes effect. New programming includes a revamped news programme,News Feed, presented byCarla O'Brien.[45]
5 November – RTÉ announce the axing of their morning news programme,Morning Edition, which the broadcaster says will not return to the schedules in the New Year.[46]
4 March – RTÉ launches RTÉ Player International, an online service making the broadcaster's content available to international viewers.[47]
30 May – RTÉ announces plans for a €20,000 revamp of its dailyAngelus slot, and will invite film makers to suggest new ideas for the 6.00pm broadcast.[48]
4 September – Sky and RTÉ announce the signing of an agreement that will make more of RTÉ's content available on Sky's platform. It will also enable the addition ofRTÉ One + 1 and RTÉ News Now to the Sky lineup.[49]
19 October – RTÉ announces that it will revamp its dailyAngelus slot, introducing a new set of short films featuring ordinary Irish people pausing to reflect during the Angelus. There will also be aPeople's Angelus on Fridays where viewers will be invited to submit their own footage. RTÉ says the new look Angelus will give people "of all faiths and none some quiet space in a hectic day-to-day world".[50]
5 November – RTÉ announcesRTÉ 1916, a series of programmes and events to mark the centenary of theEaster Uprising, which will feature drama, documentaries and street events about the events of 1916.[51]
RTÉ announces plans to move children's programming to independent producers. It states this is not a cut to programming, however young people's content sees the funding drop by 25%
26 June –RTÉ Does Comic Relief is held. The event is broadcast live on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player for over four hours with over €5 million raised for charities.[54]
22 June –RTÉ admits that they under-reported paying its top presenterRyan Tubridy €345,000 more than publicly declared between 2017 and 2022
26 June – Outgoing Director General, Dee Forbes, is suspended following the revelations, she then resigns from her position.
7 July – Director of Strategy Rory Coveney resigns from his position with immediate effect following a meeting with the incoming Director General Kevin Bakhurst.[58]
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