RTÉ Documentaries

RTÉ Documentaries 1970

1

Documentaries that were produced for or aired on the RTÉ television stations in the Republic of Ireland.

1970

Futureville Ireland

Futureville Ireland 2024

1

An ambitious new 3-part series that offers a vision of a new Irish City for 2050. Presented by Carla O’Brien and Dr. Lorraine Mancey.

2024

Callan Kicks The Years

Callan Kicks The Years 2021

1

Callan Kicks the Years is a six-part TV series unlike any comedy ever made in Ireland, romping through the 100 years since the 1921 Treaty using sketches and satirical documentary. The series will kick Dev’s grim legacy, the 60s showbands versus feminism era, the twin 80s crazes of Haughey and moving statues, Jackie’s Army, the Bertie Boom through to the Hangover of recession, in a way only comedy can. The most controversial periods of Irish history stripped down for a kicking? There may be calls to Liveline. Talk to Joe.

2021

Ballymagash

Ballymagash 1970

1

Ballymagash is a satirical Irish television programme that aired on RTÉ One for one series in 1983. Presented by Frank Hall and featuring many of the cast members from the earlier Hall's Pictorial Weekly, the show was set in the fictional town of Ballymagash and cast a satirical eye on some of the "local" stories and personalities.

1970

Marry Me

Marry Me 1970

1

Marry Me is an Irish television series broadcast on RTÉ One on Sunday evenings at 20:30. A creation of Midas Productions and presented by Pamela Flood, each week she assists in turning an individual's dream marriage proposal, be it in a public or an intimate location, into reality, without the knowledge of their partner. The first series began filming in November 2007 broadcast in 2008 contained eight episodes. Viewing figures for the second edition were 450,000, placing 12th in the national television viewership figures of that week. A second series is in the making.

1970

Would You Believe

Would You Believe 1970

1

Would You Believe is an Irish religious television series broadcast on RTÉ One. It currently airs on Sunday nights at 22:40. A new series of 12 films began airing on September 21, 2008.

1970

The Restaurant

The Restaurant 1970

1

The Restaurant is a successful Irish reality television programme broadcast on RTÉ One. The seventh series began on 16 November 2008, running on Sundays at 20:30. In each episode a celebrity head chef takes on the culinary challenge of producing a top class, three-course meal with two value-for-money wines. This is then served to the restaurant's customers and the resident critics, Tom Doorley and Paolo Tullio, who are joined each week by a guest critic. The chef's identity remains a secret to those being served their food until the end of the show when all has been eaten. The critics give the meal a star rating of between one and five, which is then pulled from an envelope after the head chef joins the critics' table. The Restaurant is voiced over by Seán Moncrieff and the restaurant is manned by John Healy, Maitre'D; the kitchen staff, chefs David Workowich, Stephen McAllister and Louise Lennox and food researcher, Stephen Quin, and waiting staff, waitress, Elaine Normile and waiters, Lee Bradshaw and Vivian Reynolds. Following on from the success of the television show, RTÉ published The Restaurant - The Magazine, which includes images and recipes from the series. The format is sold internationally by Vision Independent Productions under the title The Secret Chef. It has had 3 seasons in Italy.

1970

Growing Up Gay

Growing Up Gay 1970

1.00

Growing Up Gay was a groundbreaking two-part documentary series broadcast on RTÉ One, which began on Monday 19 April 2010 at 9.35pm. It explored the experiences of the first generation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people growing up in an Ireland where it was legal to be themselves. Filmed over 18 months, it was made by Crossing the Line Films with the ongoing support and advice of Ireland's national organisation for Lesbian, Gay, Biseuxal and Trans young people, BeLonG To. It featured LGBT school-goers, Muslims, and young people facing persecution in their hometowns across Ireland. RTÉ courted controversy by recommending that the documentary be suitable for viewing by "mature audiences" only, despite its stars all being teenagers. There was also a delay in the appearance of the second episode on RTÉ player. Growing Up Gay was nominated for "Event of the Year" at the GALAs.

1970

Firefighters

Firefighters 2012

1

Dublin Fire Brigade and ambulance services receive around 133,000 calls a year. Whatever the emergency, whenever it happens, the firefighters are first to respond, putting themselves in danger to save lives. And it’s not just fighting fires. Every member of Dublin Fire and Rescue is a trained paramedic, and whether it’s ambulance services, rapid river rescues, marine emergency response or high line rescues that are called for, they're equipped and trained to give people in need of rescue the best chance of survival. Using state of the art technology including vehicle and helmet mounted cameras this series will bring viewers deep into the heart of the fire scene with the firefighters themselves to witness and experience a level of danger, drama and emotion never before seen on Irish television.

2012

The All Ireland Talent Show

The All Ireland Talent Show 1970

1

The All Ireland Talent Show is a Raidió Teilifís Éireann television series which was billed as Ireland's biggest-ever talent contest. It was first announced in November 2008 and the first series commenced broadcasting on 4 January 2009, completing on 15 March 2009. Modelled on Britain's Got Talent, it is produced by Tyrone Productions. Airing on RTÉ One, it was hosted by Daybreak features editor and Irish media personality Gráinne Seoige. Five judges take part and each regional judge, with the assistance of two other personalities who then disappear from the show, select five acts to be put forward to the live studio heats. In the second season this was changed to eight acts. Louis Walsh was approached to act as a judge before series one but refused to commit. On the opening night of series one, The All Ireland Talent Show had over 500,000 viewers, with Ireland only having a population of over 4 million people.. The opening is similar to the Got Talent series. The twenty-five finalists in series one competed for a first prize of €50,000, which was eventually won by the Mulkerrin Brothers of the Aran Islands.

1970

The Daily Show

The Daily Show 1970

1

The Daily Show is a lifestyle magazine show which aired on the RTÉ One television channel in Ireland, and which debuted as part of RTÉ's autumn/winter season 2010. It followed Four Live (Irish TV series), presented by Maura Derrane. Presented by Dáithí Ó Sé and Claire Byrne, The Daily Show began on Monday 20 September 2010. It ended on 2 March 2012 due to budget cutbacks at RTÉ.

1970

Missing: Beyond The Vanishing Triangle

Missing: Beyond The Vanishing Triangle 2023

7.00

A two-part true-crime series looking at some of the most notorious cases of women who disappeared within a so-called Vanishing Triangle throughout the 1990’s.

2023

Ireland's Smartest

Ireland's Smartest 2023

1

General knowledge quiz hosted by Claire Byrne in which contestants face a series of rounds, with winners of the heats progressing in the tournament structure. Each show features three contestants, who face a series of rounds before one is elimnated, with the final pair facing a quickfire decider to determine who goes through to the next stage.

2023

Ireland's Historic Gardens

Ireland's Historic Gardens 2021

1

This documentary examines the history of Ireland’s country house gardens over the last 400 years - during which time garden design has reflected political and social changes taking place within the country.

2021

Donal's Road Trip

Donal's Road Trip 2022

1

Donal Skehan sets off on a food-filled road trip around Ireland, ticking off some culinary hotspots on his foodie bucket list.

2022

The Riordans

The Riordans 1970

7.00

The Riordans was the second Irish soap opera made by Raidio Telefís Éireann. It ran from 1965 to 1979 and was set in the fictional townland of Leestown in County Kilkenny. Its use of Outside Broadcast Units and its filming of its episodes on location rather than in studio, broke the mould of broadcasting in the soap opera genre, and inspired the creation of its British equivalent, Emmerdale Farm by Yorkshire Television in 1972.

1970

Blood of the Irish

Blood of the Irish 1970

1

Blood of the Irish is a two-part documentary miniseries broadcast on RTÉ One and presented by the professional gardener Diarmuid Gavin. It commenced airing on 5 January 2009 and completed broadcasting seven days later. In the documentary, Gavin sought 'the truth' about Irish genealogy. Genetic research into a selection of Irish DNA and its origins was undertaken for the programme at Trinity College, Dublin and EthnoAncestry. They revealed some previously unheard ideas. An attempt was also made to extract ancient DNA from some of the oldest human remains that have to date been located within the boundaries of Ireland.

1970

The Late Late Toy Show

The Late Late Toy Show 1970

1

The Late Late Toy Show—also known as The Toy Show— is an annual iconic and influential Irish national institution, an edition of the world's longest-running chat show, The Late Late Show broadcast on RTÉ One in Ireland each Friday evening. The Toy Show, as it is referred to, is broadcast in late November or early December each year. It has been an annual event since at least the 1970s. The show is regularly the most watched programme of the year on Irish television, with viewership figures rising steadily in recent years. The show, which consists of an adult-only studio audience dressed in traditional Christmas attire, does not accept advertisements which promote toys for its commercial breaks but, whilst new gadget-type toys regularly break down during the live show, being featured on the programme itself has been said to have a major boost to sales of a product over the following number of weeks in the build-up to the Christmas period.

1970

Marty's Big Picture Show

Marty's Big Picture Show 2023

1

Marty Morrissey and Liz Gillis uncover the work of Ireland’s photographers. Focusing on a different archive, they travel the country, uncovering the stories behind the pictures.

2023