On This Week: Irish Moments from History (1st - 7th February)
Welcome to On This Week, where we delve into the standout stories from the years gone by, featuring standout news stories, major sporting events, and pop culture highlights that helped shape Irish life.
Here's your dose of Irish nostalgia from 1st - 7th February.
This Week In Irish News
1987: When Satellite TV made its way to Ireland
Irish people now had a greater choice of TV channels than ever before with the arrival of Satellite TV in the form of Super Channel and Sky Channel. Both brought a mix of European and British shows across different genres, with younger people citing pop videos as a major draw.
Super Channel continued until 1993, when it was acquired and renamed NBC Europe. Sky Channel became its own television network showing sports, movies, and news.
2024: Leitrim leads the way in volunteering
The Census 2022 findings showed that more than 700,000 people, about 14% of the population, regularly engage in helping or voluntary work.
The data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) found that Leitrim had the highest rate of volunteers (18%) on Census night in April 2022
The largest number of volunteers were involved in a sporting organisation, at almost 290,000 or 6% of the population.
The next most common areas where people volunteered were in their community or via a social or charitable organisation.
This Week In Irish Sports
2016: Exciting end to both Intermediate and Junior Club Championship finals
Croke Park hosted two rousing finals in the All-Ireland Club Championships in 2016.
In the Intermediate final, Moy won the title with a battling performance against Michael Glaveys, winning 1-10 to 0-07. Strong performances from the Cavanagh brothers, Sean and Colm, made the difference.
In the Junior Club Championship, Ardmore of Waterford needed extra time to overcome St Mogue’s Fethard of Wexford 3-11 to 0-18.
The sides finished 2-08 to 0-14 in normal time, but Ardmore were ahead at half-time in extra-time, before John Gartland’s second goal sealed the win.
2024: Sarah Healy breaks Irish indoor 3000m record for first time
Sarah Healy set a new Irish indoor 3000m record of 8:36.06 after finishing second at the World Indoor Tour Meet in Metz, France.
She was 7 seconds faster than the previous record, set by Mary Cullen (8:43:74) in 2009.
Healy would also break the Irish record for the 1500m later that year before breaking both records again in 2025.
This Week In Irish Entertainment
1990: Singer Niamh Kavanagh makes her TV debut
Singer Niamh Kavanagh appeared on Irish television screens for the first time with the group Off The Record.
She was 20 years old when she appeared on Kenny Live after recording their first single in London, with Pat Kenny stating his belief that "she’s going to be big’.
2017: An end of an era for Republic Of Telly
After 15 seasons, it was announced that Republic of Telly would no longer continue, leaving a huge impact on the Irish comedy scene.
The show was first broadcast in 2009 and helped launch the careers of well-known comedy performers such as Jennifer Zamparelli, Dermot Whelan, Bernard O'Shea and Joanne McNally.
It saw numerous sketches go viral, including the Rubberbandit’s 'Horse Outside', 'You know you’re Irish when…' and 'Things you could say in the 80s'.
Its success even saw spin-off shows, including Bridget & Eamon, which began life as a series of sketches on the show.
This Week In Irish Culture
1985: Record number of entries for the All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championships
Over 5,000 dancers battled it out over five days of competition in the All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championships.
The Oireachtas Rince na hÉireann took place in Ennis, Co Clare, and saw a record number of entries competing in multiple categories organised by gender, age and dance type.
What was Number 1 in Ireland This Week?
1985: I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner
I Want to Know What Love Is’ remains one of Foreigner's best-known songs, and has been covered by artists like Mariah Carey.
1990: ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ by Sinead O’Connor
Sinead O’Connor’s iconic cover spent six weeks in the number one spot and became the second-best-selling single in the UK and third-best in the US that year.
2010: ‘Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)’ by Jedward featuring Vanilla Ice
After appearing as finalists on The X Factor, the brothers’ debut single reached number one in Ireland and number two in the UK.
Irish Celebrities Celebrating Birthdays This Week
Orla Gartland (31)
Singer, songwriter and musician who won best Song Musically and Lyrically at the Ivor Novello Awards
Dara Ó Briain (54)
Comedian, and TV presenter best known for Mock the Week, The Panel.
Denise O'Sullivan (32)
Irish international footballer who plays for Liverpool
Other Irish Trivia From This Week
1984: The couple creating a miniature version of 18th century Dublin
Artistic couple Denis and Marie Carroll spend their free time creating miniature scenes of Dublin life from the 18th century.
Denis Carroll makes the figures and the furniture, while Marie Carroll researches the styles and hand stitches the clothing. The figures are made from a wire skeleton and each one can take up to a week to complete.
