Irish Language

Irish language television output broadcast by RTÉ in 2022 encompassed a wide range of original series and formats commissioned from the independent sector and in-house teams, plus an enhanced slate of independently produced acquisitions, giving viewers a choice of output across genres, from children’s content to peak-time factual series.

In April, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta celebrated its 50th year on air and RTÉ commissioned two landmark events to bookmark the year of celebrations: a concert from Baile na hAbhann that brought together the cream of musical talent from Ireland’s Gaeltachtaí and which was broadcast live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and RTÉ.ie, and later broadcast on RTÉ One television and Ceol na nGael in which Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh looked back at the influence of the station on her own musical formation.

In-house production

RTÉ’s in-house Cláracha Gaeilge team delivered a strong and varied slate of new programming that was universally well received and increased audience share during 2022.

The 2022 season opened with a series of Cloch le Carn documentaries celebrating the lives and legacies of four leading lights of Irish public life who had passed away in the previous year: Paddy Moloney, Pat Hume, Donncha Ó Dúlaing and Des O’Malley.

RTÉ’s landmark social history series Scannal continued to attract large audiences and give fresh insight into the scandals that rocked the nation. The 2022 series looked back at the impact of and fallout from major Irish scandals, including the kidnapping of John O’Grady, the unsolved mystery of Annie McCarrick, the Thalidomide scandal, the Air India crash, and the murder of Brian Stack, the only prison officer to be murdered in Ireland during the Troubles. Both series were well-received by audiences and critics alike for their journalism and insight and performed excellently.

Athbhaile: The Cobblestone was a two-part documentary about a musical mecca in Dublin’s inner city – but also a story about family and community. This much-loved music pub and family business became the centre of media attention when thousands took to the streets of the capital to fight a planning application for a nine-storey hotel, which, if successful, would have threatened the cultural hub that proprietor Tom Mulligan had built in the pub since 1988. The series featured testimonies from both the Mulligan family and the community of musicians and Gaeilgeoirí who fought hard to protect this cultural landmark. Despite heavy competition from the World Cup on RTÉ2, the series proved a big hit with viewers and received much critical and acclaim.

In an authored documentary specially commissioned to mark 50 years of Raidió na Gaeltachta, Donegal musician and national treasure Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh explored the central role RTÉ Radió na Gaeltachta has played in the revival of traditional music and song on the island of Ireland. Ceol na nGael followed Mairéad on a journey down Ireland’s western seaboard, meeting fellow musicians and broadcasters along the way, to tell the story of how the station breathed new life into the music and song tradition in Ireland. 

The season came to a close with a special two-part series of Cloch le Carn that celebrated the lives and legacies of two giants of Irish life: journalist and humanitarian, Jim Fahy and poet and wordsmith, Brendan Kennelly.

Independent production

RTÉ worked in close collaboration with the Irish Language Broadcast Fund, the BAI and BBCNI to co-commission additional Irish-language content which proved a big hit with audiences across 2022.

Droichid na hÉireann (New Departures Media), presented by actor Lochlann Ó Mearáin, explored the history, stories, engineering and people behind some of Ireland’s best-loved bridges.

Faoi Bhláth (Abú Media), a series celebrating Ireland’s biodiversity, was broadcast on RTÉ One in February. Across 13 episodes, presenter Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh travelled through the parks, lakes, bogs and mountains of Ireland to uncover its rich array of wildflowers and explore the science and folklore associated with each one, as well as their uses in cookery, medicine and craft.

Bog Amach (Strident Media) was a six-part ILBF-supported lifestyle series, presented by Tessa Fleming and broadcast by RTÉ in June. The series followed six families as they turned their backs on the hustle and bustle of city life for a new adventure in rural Ireland, checking out homes for sale in spectacular locations from Donegal to South Kerry, via Galway.

The Man with the Moving House, (Bang Bang Teoranta) was a one-off documentary broadcast on RTÉ One in August that told the David-and-Goliath story of Breanndán Ó Beaglaíoch’s 14-year struggle with the planning authorities for permission to build a house on his own land. The story, which was the highest-rating documentary of the summer in that time slot, also reflected the broader theme of the impact of planning laws on rural Gaeltacht communities. This project was supported by the BAI.

The popular vet series Saol an Tréidlia (Strident Media) returned to RTÉ One for a second four-part series in the autumn. This time, city vet Emma and horse vet Liam were joined by Connemara-based mixed-practice vet, John and viewers got a first-hand look at every aspect of modern veterinary practice, from small-animal operations to dealing with large-animal issues on the Aran Islands and preparing thoroughbreds for international sale at Goffs.

The Life of Seán/ Saol Sheáin (Tyrone Productions) was an hour-long documentary which aired on RTÉ One in December and explored the lives of six men over the age of 60, all of whom share the name Seán. The idea was to reflect the experience of a generation of Irish men by letting each Seán tell his own story and reflect on life, love and loss and the changes, good and bad, that he has witnessed over his lifetime.

RTÉ do TG4

In addition to commissioning content for RTÉ, RTÉ Gaeilge commissions content for TG4 as part of the content-provision agreement between the broadcasters. RTÉ commissioned URC Championship sports coverage for TG4 in 2022.

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta

On Easter Sunday 1972, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta began broadcasting, a milestone in Irish broadcasting history. A radio station for the Gaeltacht and Irish language community came into being, the fruit of a civil rights movement that demanded Irish language services for that community. For the very first time, it connected those communities, recognising them officially, and in their own language. In 2022, we celebrated the contribution that the station has made over the past 50 years, enriching and strengthening the Gaeltacht and Irish language communities around the country, with their stories, songs and music being shared daily.

To mark the beginning of this year of celebration, a special concert - RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta 50 - was broadcast live on radio and visually online in April 2022 from the heart of the Gaeltacht in Conamara. Local, national and international musicians, young musicians, dancers and singers had the opportunity to share the stage with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Over 100 performers participated in a magical event with a live audience which was also later broadcast on RTÉ One television.

2022 was also the year when RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta hit the road and broadcast from the large events that had been postponed during the pandemic. An emphasis was placed on outside broadcasting and bringing ‘the radio’ to the public. The large events included Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta, Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy and Oireachtas na Gaeilge. Smaller outside broadcasts featured programmes broadcast from community centres, schools, churches and small festivals, bringing the community together to enable them to share their stories. News, current affairs, entertainment, sport and music make up the station’s schedule and featured throughout the year, having always been an important part of the identity of the station.

2023 will feature a number of events to bring down the curtain on its 50th anniversary celebrations and several exciting new drama and music series are scheduled to broadcast during the year.

RTÉ Gaeilge Online RTÉ Gaeilge on rte.ie continued to knit together the best of RTÉ radio, news and television content with interesting features and podcasts as Gaeilge, increasing its audience by 75% since 2019. A key highlight of the year was Creidim Ionat, a mentor-led campaign from Foras na Gaeilge and RTÉ, fronted by Beo ar Éigean’s presenting team. The campaign inspired the audience to use the Irish they had and become a mentor/mentee to help others with the language.