Nighthawks

Nighthawks 1970

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Nighthawks was an Irish television series broadcast on Network 2. It was hosted by Shay Healy. It was part of the major re-brand of RTÉ Two as Network 2 in 1988. The programme, which began broadcasting in the late 1980s, was a three times-weekly, late-night series. Nighthawks was produced for its first two seasons by David Blake-Knox. In its third season the series producer was Anne Enright, later to become a Booker Prize-winning novelist. In its final season, it was produced by Briain Mac Lochlainn. The Irish Film and Television Awards-nominated director Charlie McCarthy and producers David McKenna and Philip Kampf also worked on the programme. The show's signature tune was composed by Ronan Johnston. It also featured several contributory sketches from Nuala Kelly, Joe Taylor, and Orla McGovern. An early star of the series was Northern Irish comedian Kevin McAleer, who specialised in rambling but amusing monologues to camera. The Irish actor/comedian-turned British television presenter Graham Norton also appeared on Nighthawks early in his career. Nighthawks was produced by RTÉ Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The programme was documented in the first episode of the 2008 RTÉ television series reviewing Irish comedy, Boom! Boom! The Explosion of Irish Comedy. The Irish folk and contemporary singer Mary Black has remarked on her website on the programme's 1989 connection to her song "No Frontiers". When RTÉ Radio issued new rate cards covering the period from 20 December 1999 until 4 June 2000, it used the term "Nighthawks" to refer to the fourteen spot nighttime packages it was making available on RTÉ 2fm.

1970

In the Name of the Fada

In the Name of the Fada 2008

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In the Name of the Fada was a show that aired on RTÉ from 13 March to 17 April 2008, documenting Irish-American comedian Des Bishop and his pursuit of fluency in the Irish language. The show was a 6-part mini-series in which Bishop spends a year living in Tír an Fhia, which is one of many Gaeltacht regions in Ireland. Bishop aims to be able to perform a stand-up comedy act as Gaeilge by the end of the stay. The theme tune is Floating by Jape.

2008

Après Match

Après Match 1970

8.00

Après Match is an Irish comedy show normally screened after competitive Irish soccer matches on RTÉ. It is performed by Barry Murphy, Risteárd Cooper and Gary Cooke. It grew out of Barry Murphy and Risteárd Cooper's Frank's Euro Ting sketches which first enlivened RTÉ's coverage of Euro '96 for which Rep. of Ireland had failed to qualify. "Après Match" proper was born when Gary Cooke joined the duo and soon became a fixture following each of Ireland's qualifying games for the 1998 World Cup. The show mocks famous, mostly Irish, soccerstars and pundits including Bill O'Herlihy, Eamon Dunphy, Johnny Giles, Liam Brady, Frank Stapleton, Colm Murray, and Graeme Souness, as well as pundits from the British channels, including Richard Keys, Andy Gray, Jamie Redknapp, Gary Lineker and Alan Hansen.

1970

Bosco

Bosco 1970

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Bosco was an Irish children's television programme produced during the late 1970s and 1980s. It was produced by the Lambert Puppet Theatre. Designed by Jan Mitchell, Bosco was voiced by Jonathan Ryan initially, in the pilot series that was broadcast, with four presenters per show, in 1978. When the show went into full-time production in 1980, with two presenters per show, Miriam Lambert took over. From the 1981 season onwards, Paula Lambert took over. A shared cultural experience for children in Ireland at the time, it ran for 386 episodes, ending production in 1987. The show however was continually repeated before The Den daily until 1996, when it was replaced by The Morbegs before officially ending in 1998.

1970

Goat Girl

Goat Girl 2026

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Gigi, a 13–year-old girl just happens to have been raised by mountain goats. But now that she's a teenager, her Nanny and Billy think it's time that Gigi spread her wings (her… horns?), so this year she will attend a boarding school and, for the first time in her life, spend time around actual people.

2026

Don't Feed the Gondolas

Don't Feed the Gondolas 1970

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Don't Feed the Gondolas is an Irish comedy panel show, that ran for four series on Network 2 between 1997 and 2001. The show was hosted by Seán Moncrieff and the longest-serving panellists were Brendan O'Connor and Dara Ó Briain. The name of the show is attributed to a remark made by a Wicklow County Councillor, Jimmy Miley, during a meeting regarding Blessington Lake. When the meeting proposed putting a gondola on the lake, he remarked: "That's all very well, but who's going to feed it?" A running gag of the show, whereby the host Seán Moncrieff would make prank calls under the alias 'Monica Loolly' and claim to be from a small town in Galway named Ahascragh.

1970

Marketplace

Marketplace 1970

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Marketplace is an RTÉ Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis of political, business and financial matters. It was first broadcast on 3 October 1987 and was presented at various times by Patrick Kinsella, Gavin Duffy, Gary Agnew, Miriam O'Callaghan, Ingrid Miley and George Lee. Marketplace was broadcast for the last time on 3 April 1996.

1970

The Sunday Game

The Sunday Game 1970

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The Sunday Game is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ Two every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ Two’s longest-running shows, having been on air since 1979, one year after the channel first began broadcasting. The programme celebrated its 30th season in 2008.

1970

The Fame Game

The Fame Game 1970

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The Fame Game was a television programme broadcast in Ireland on RTÉ Two. It ran for four seasons from 2001 and was presented by Caroline Morahan. She was selected to present the show from an open audition at the Royal Dublin Society in the reality TV series The Selection Box. After being presented with the contract to host The Fame Game, Morahan had only two weeks to prepare for that role. The premise of the show was that starstruck celebrity-worshipping fans were sent, usually to exotic locations, to track down their idols. It was produced by Adare Productions, they had had similar success with a weekly item on their TG4 series RíRá, where the fans tried to get the celebrities to speak a cúpla focal as Gaelige.

1970

Your Bad Self

Your Bad Self 1970

7.00

Your Bad Self is an Irish sketch comedy show which originally aired on RTÉ Two on December 26, 2008 at 21:40 before being developed into a series which aired in 2010.

1970

Fergus's Wedding

Fergus's Wedding 2002

7.00

Fergus and Penny are planning their wedding. While mother and the local priest are helping with the preparations for a traditional good Irish wedding, the young couple are never averse to having a quickie with whoever is available.

2002

Quizone

Quizone 2008

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Three teams of five children between 8-10 years of age enter the Quizone game in every episode. The teams, each from a different town, compete in mental and physical challenges to earn the highest possible score. The teams must research answers to difficult trivia questions under time pressure while their chosen runners race against each other in the Quizone obstacle course under the watchful eye of referee Jamie Darling. Game On!

2008

Maeve Higgins' Fancy Vittles

Maeve Higgins' Fancy Vittles 1970

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Maeve Higgins' Fancy Vittles is a television series written and performed by the comedian Maeve Higgins and her sister, Lilly. The series is set and filmed in Lilly's homely, country kitchen and each episode involves the sisters preparing food dishes or "vittles" for a themed party. Throughout each episode Maeve shares her ideas and humorous anecdotes which are dramatized in short sketches. Maeve talks directly to the camera. The show also contains lots of archive footage of Ireland in the past and features short clips of stop motion animation.

1970

The Last Broadcast

The Last Broadcast 2020

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The Last Broadcast is a music television show broadcast on RTÉ television in Ireland, usually on a weekday night. It is presented by Dave Fanning. It features live performances, interviews and music videos and whilst these are being shown, relevant facts and news are scrolled along the screen. It initially aired on Friday nights from 23:30 until 01:00 and was ninety minutes in length and the title comes from the album of the same name by Doves. In recent times the show has featured live performances from, amongst others, Kraftwerk, Nirvana, Chemical Brothers and The Charlatans as well as legendary acts such as The Pogues, Peter Gabriel, Free and The Cure. Irish acts featured in the programme have included U2 and a live acoustic performance from Pugwash. A special from Electric Picnic in 2006 was described by Hot Press as "entertaining". The show has also featured animations by the Eyebrowy team, who have previously appeared at the Electric Picnic and in Hot Press.

2020

Wanderlust

Wanderlust 2001

1

Travel cum dating show in which contestants were introduced to prospective partners through the internet. The contestants then travelled to meet this prospective partner in their home country.

2001

Takeaway Titans

Takeaway Titans 2022

1

Takeaway Titans is the show that seeks out the best takeaway talent and puts them to the test to see who comes out on top.

2022

Monday Night Soccer

Monday Night Soccer 1970

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Monday Night Soccer was RTÉ's main soccer (football) television programme. It was shown on RTÉ Two on Monday evenings during the Irish football season, showing highlights of recent matches in Irish football's top division, the League of Ireland Premier Division.

1970

J1 – Summer in the Sun

J1 – Summer in the Sun 1970

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J1 – Summer in the Sun is an upcoming RTÉ documentary television programme, documenting the experiences of eighteen students working in the United States. The students range from ages 18–23 and are divided into three "gangs": the Chicago Gang, the Hawaii Gang and the San Diego Gang. Billed as a sort of Irish version of MTV’s Laguna Beach, the series was filmed from 27 May – 1 September, as one of the first series in Ireland to be shot on the new Solid State EX-1 camera. The series will be broadcast on RTÉ Two each Monday at 21:30.

1970

Bernard's Working Comics

Bernard's Working Comics 2021

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Comedian Bernard O’Shea convinces witty workers with ordinary day jobs to step out of their workplace and onto the stage to perform stand up comedy.

2021