This season affirms the reasons for RTÉ Radio 1’s status as the country’s most-listened-to radio station. 2011/12 sees RTÉ Radio 1 welcome to the fold a number of new programmes from some of Ireland’s foremost broadcasting heavyweights to complete an already rock-solid schedule.
RTÉ Lifestyle and Entertainment
Just one year on from the inaugural programme and The John Murray Show has cemented its reputation as the nation's favourite way to start the work-day. John will return for the new season with a winning formula of entertainment, lively conversation and invigorating debate. The John Murray Show Walking Club will see the team take in a slice of Irish life as they hike across the country meeting listeners and broadcasting from the four corners of the country. September will also see the programme begin RTÉ Radio 1's coverage of the very first series of Masterchef Ireland.
Just one year on from the inaugural programme and The John Murray Show has cemented its reputation as the nation's favourite way to start the work-day. John will return for the new season with a winning formula of entertainment, lively conversation and invigorating debate. The John Murray Show Walking Club will see the team take in a slice of Irish life as they hike across the country meeting listeners and broadcasting from the four corners of the country. September will also see the programme begin RTÉ Radio 1's coverage of the very first series of Masterchef Ireland.
This autumn will see Mooney take the show on the road again as Derek and the team continue to bring their ever-popular Mooney On Tour to theatres across the country. The programme will also team up with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra again to bring a brand new Mooney Tunes to live audiences.
Green Tea, RTÉ Radio 1's hit comedy series, is back this season with a vengeance! With satirist Oliver Callan at the helm, Green Tea shines a hilarious light on Ireland and highlights the oddities and absurdities of our unique island. If you thought recent events were beyond satire, think again.
Weekend entertainment on RTÉ Radio 1 will continue to sparkle as Miriam O'Callaghan discovers the connections between some of the most intriguing duos from the world of stage, screen and commerce in a new season of Miriam Meets. And Marian Richardson will be recapping the week's highlights as she returns with Playback.
RTÉ News & Current Affairs
Punctuating the day with News, Weather and Sport, RTÉ Radio 1's news and current affairs output sets the gold standard in Irish broadcasting. Morning Ireland, News at One, This Week and World Report all return, capturing the breaking stories and offering the best in news and analysis. And with the most highly evolved web-presence in Irish broadcasting, RTÉ Radio 1's news services are available globally, anytime, anywhere.
RTÉ Documentary on One
After a dazzlingly successful year, Documentary on One returns with a brand-new stable of incredible stories for the new season. In The Sinking of the St. Patrick, Shane Dunphy goes in search of the truth behind the sinking of the 'St. Patrick', a cross-channel ferry on the Rosslare-Fishguard route targeted by the German Air Force during the Second World War; From Tehran to Thomond sees two Iranians reuniting and finding love in Limerick after meeting in a Pakistani refugee camp and then spending ten years apart; The Sheeprustler tells the true story of Patrick Devine, who was shot dead as he ate at his rural farmhouse in the Sperrin mountains in Derry supposedly after he stole one sheep too many. Just a taste of the diverse documentaries on offer that will keep you in the car listening long after you've switched off the engine.
Drama on One
The new season of drama on RTÉ Radio 1 is guaranteed to ignite the theatrical flame within our listeners. After the Fall is the second of John Boorman's perceptive satires on the state of modern Ireland, which will follow on from last year's The Hit List, which starred Brendan Gleeson, Stephen Rea and Angeline Ball.
In September, as part of Mental Health Week, Drama on One will feature Information for the User by Aidan Matthews.
October will see RTÉ Radio's drama department record four new plays in association with The Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival along with a specially-commissioned collaboration with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for RTÉ Big Music Week.
November welcomes the Re-Imagine Season, whilst December sees the shortening days coincide with Drama on One's Short Form Season of new work.
RTÉ Factual
RTÉ Radio 1 has long been a leading light in factual programming and the new season is no exception. The new season sees returning series of stalwart programming such as Drivetime with Mary Wilson, The Business with George Lee, Countrywide, Bowman, Seascapes and the agenda-setting Liveline with Joe Duffy.
Today with Pat Kenny will be returning to delve behind the headlines and deliver the very latest to you every weekday. This autumn will also see Today with Pat Kenny play host to RTÉ Radio 1's coverage of the exciting new multi-platform series, Local Heroes, in which entrepreneur and business mentor Feargal Quinn and a team of experts will work with the citizens and businesses of one Irish town to discover the untapped power which can be harnessed when a community pulls together to revitalise its own economy.
Late Debate, Ireland's foremost evening current-affairs programme, will return with highly-acclaimed broadcaster Claire Byrne. Claire expertly steered the programme through Election 2011 and will arrive fresh to Late Debate from her summer stint on The Marian Finucane Show.
The History Show returns to the airwaves for the new season and RTÉ Radio 1 is proud to announce noted author, historian and lecturer Diarmaid Ferriter as the programme's new presenter. Currently Professor of Modern Irish History at University College Dublin, Ferriter has penned several books including the acclaimed Éamon de Valera biography, Judging Dev.
In addition, RTÉ Radio 1 will be introducing some exciting new programming designed to inform and engage listeners. Saturdays will feature a brand new series presented by Charlie Bird. Tune in as one of Ireland's most accomplished journalists follow the big stories around the county to report on the issues as they happen, where they happen. Giving listeners across Ireland a say in what's happening in their regions; expect a strong, live audience-led programme.
On Friday evenings this autumn, Eileen Dunne will present a brand-new series on RTÉ Radio 1, The God Slot. Presented by one of Ireland's foremost newscasters, The God Slot will cover news stories and events, feature round-table discussions and one-to-one interviews, discuss books and films and present informed comment on issues of a religious or spiritual nature in a lively, accessible and up-beat style.
A brand-new three-part series, Fall of an Empire, comes to RTÉ Radio 1 this autumn. Twenty years after the fall of the Soviet Union, veteran Irish journalist Seamus Martin returns to Moscow, where he covered the historic collapse of the USSR, to talk to those who were at the heart of it and to see how they judge Russia today.
RTÉ Music
RTÉ Radio 1 is tuning up for a great new season of music.
After a successful first series in the Risin' Time chair, Shay Byrne will be returning to RTÉ Radio 1 to do what he does best: wake up the nation with favourite tunes, news, traffic, business news and weather updates, all delivered in his own unique style. The Ronan Collins Show, The John Creedon Show, Ceili House, The South Wind Blows, Country Time, The Rolling Wave, Failte Isteach and Roots Freeway will continue to showcase the very best in contemporary Irish and international music, with roots, folk, country music, bluegrass, rock, jazz, cajun and hardcore mountain music taking pride of place alongside Radio 1's weekly showcased Album of the Week. Meanwhile, Donal Broughan's Weekend on One and Cathal Murray's Sunday Rise will ease listeners into the weekend with a mix of music and studio interviews on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
RTÉ Sport
Sport @ Seven returns to 7.00pm after an extended summer run, while Saturday Sport with Des Cahill and Joanne Cantwell, alongside Sunday Sport with Con Murphy and Gary Moran, capture all the latest sporting news at the weekends.
RTÉ Arts
RTÉ Radio 1 is tuning up for a great new season of music.
Arena returns to the air for another season of music, arts and culture with Sean Rocks. Expect insightful reviews, exciting interviews and a host of live programmes from the country's most eclectic festivals.
Sunday Miscellany will continue to showcase some of Ireland's most exciting new literary talent alongside work from the country's most accomplished writers, featuring regular programmes from the nation's top literature festivals.
Meanwhile, The Book on One will continue to offer much needed texture and tone for anyone in need of inspiration, reflection and considered entertainment. Arts Tonight with Vincent Woods returns on Monday nights with its incisive discussions on arts matters.
The PJ O'Connor and Francis McManus Awards will also return in the new season, as will the Michael Littleton Memorial Lecture.