The leaders of the two main political parties face each other for the first time in a televised debate prior to a general election.
For the first time on Irish television, the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the day, Garret FitzGerald of Fine Gael, and the leader of the opposition party Fianna Fáil, Charles Haughey, debate live on television.
On the night of the debate, the interest resembled that given to prizefighters before they enter the ring. The press were there in force to cover the arrival of FitzGerald and Haughey at the RTÉ television studios in Donnybrook.
In a 'Today Tonight' special two days before the election, the prospective Taoisigh debate the election issues live on air. Presenter Barry Cowan outlines the background to the election using RTÉ news archive footage and introduces the debate to be chaired by Brian Farrell.
Title: |
First Televised Leaders' Debate |
Clip Duration: |
00:06:30 |
Material Type: |
Video |
Clip Title: |
First Televised Leaders' Debate |
Series Title: |
Today Tonight |
Information: |
A 'Today Tonight' special plays host to the first televised leaders debate when broadcast on 16 February 1982. 'Today Tonight' was a RTÉ current affairs programme with up-to-the-minute coverage of events at home and abroad. 'Today Tonight' was first broadcast on Monday, 6 October, 1980 and ran for 12 years until 1992. Edited by Joe Mulholland, the original presenters included Barry Cowan, Brian Farrell and Olivia O'Leary. 'Today Tonight' aired from Monday to Thursday on RTÉ 1. |
Local Keywords: |
General Election 1982, Garret Fitzgerald, Charles Haughey, Fine Gael, Jim Kenny, John Bruton, RTÉ, Fianna Fáil, Dáil Éireann |
Coverage: |
Ireland |
Topic: |
Politics and Economics |
Contributor(s): |
Barry Cowan (Presenter) |
Publisher: |
RTÉ |
First Broadcast Channel: |
RTÉ One |
Broadcast Date: |
16/02/1982 |
Production Year: |
1982 |
Country of Production: |
IRELAND |
Original Identifier: |
DX20/00418 |
IPR Restrictions: |
Rights Reserved - Free Access |
Rights, Terms and Conditions: |
Copyright RTÉ. This material may not be replicated in any form or manner without the prior express permission of RTÉ. Any form of reproduction in print, television, video, multimedia, web site or other electronic media or any form of dissemination for commercial or non-commercial use must be licensed by the RTÉ Libraries and Archives. If you wish to licence video or audio clips, still images or text, or would like further guidance please contact us. RTÉ Libraries and Archives are committed to respecting the copyright of others and have attempted to source and credit the copyright owners of all material used here. RTÉ would like to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified here so that the necessary corrections can be made. If you feel your copyright has not been respected please contact us. |
Item Type: |
part/extract |
Colour: |
Colour |
Sound: |
Mono |
Aspect Ratio: |
4:3 |
Language: |
English (eng) |
Original Language: |
English (eng) |
