RTÉ
RTÉ announces selection box of treats and favourites in Christmas line-up
RTÉ has unveiled its festive line-up with a wide range of brand new home-produced programming across television, radio and online. From the best in Irish comedy to big music specials, live sport and arts documentaries, along with brand new Irish drama, there is bumper selection of programming to keep everyone entertained this Christmas and New Year across RTÉ.
On television on RTÉ One it’s a Mrs Brown’s Boys bonanza as Brendan O’Carroll’s smash hit show returns for two new Christmas specials, airing on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, plus Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie is the big movie on Christmas Night. There’s a touch of nostalgia on Well Holy God It’s Glenroe as cast and crew fondly remember the national Sunday night drama ritual, while on a brand new four-part quiz show, Play it By Year, Mike Murphy challenges contestants with trivia from past decades. The Tommy Tiernan Show sees one of Ireland’s favourite comedians take the ingredients of his recent 2FM radio show and bring it to television in this one-off special.
Music fans are in for a treat with brand new programming featuring some of Ireland’s favourite artists. On Christmas Eve, Mary Kennedy meets President and Mrs. Higgins as they bring Carols from Áras an Uachtaráin with musicians including Imelda May, John Sheahan and Mick Flannery. Christy Moore joins the Higher Hopes homeless choirs in Dublin and Waterford to record a two track EP for release this Christmas. Join Daniel O’Donnell and Friends on St Stephen’s night as they celebrate Christmas with a night of music and craic at Powerscourt House in Wicklow. On 30 December, The Nathan Carter Show sees the star perform his biggest hits and duets in a one-hour special with musicians including Mary Black and Paddy Casey. And there’s new documentaries with footage from the RTÉ archives Luke Kelly: Prince of Dublin and Fab! The Night the Beatles Came To Dublin.
Darragh Maloney will be presenting the RTÉ Sport Awards on 19 December which will celebrate this year’s sporting heroes and look back on the dramatic and memorable sporting moments of 2015.
On Christmas Day, Francis and John Brennan are back to undertake a special Christmas project on At Your Service, while on Christmas Eve, Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel gears up to celebrate its 191st Christmas in The Shelbourne at Christmas.
Fair City fans can look forward to an hour long special of their favourite soap on Christmas day. Debbie’s wayward son Emmet arrives home and causes more trouble for the O’Briens. The Dillons get an unexpected surprise when Neasa arrives home for Christmas, Paul pulls out all the stops to give the Brennans a Christmas they will never forget while Eillie takes ill and ends up in hospital giving Heather the opportunity to bask in the reflected attention.
Film fans can look forward to premieres including Gravity, which will air on Christmas Eve, Christmas day premieres Oz The Great and The Powerful and Brave, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on St Stephen’s Day along with Captain Philips and Lincoln.
Ring in the New Year with Kathryn Thomas and 2FM’s Keith Walsh on New Year’s Eve Live as they soak up the atmosphere from the VIP Lounge at the New Year’s Festival Dublin Three Countdown Concert featuring The Coronas along with special guests Fatboy Slim and Ryan Sheridan. Plus the RTÉ News Review 2015 looks back on the stories that made the year.
In the early New Year, drama fans can look forward to Rebellion, a five-part serial staring Charlie Murphy, Brian Gleeson and Sarah Greene and set over three weeks in Easter 1916 which charts the violent birth of modern Ireland. Operation Transformation will see five new leaders take on the challenge to lose weight, get fit and transform their lives, and The Voice of Ireland returns for a fifth series with coaches Bressie, Rachel Stevens, Una Foden, and Kian Egan all hoping that they’ll be the one to find the next Voice of Ireland.
RTÉ2 has a host of exciting comedy, music and sports this festive season starting with The Al Porter Show on Christmas Eve which promises an evening of all singing, all dancing and a lot of laughs while U2 will be taking centre stage on Christmas Day with their rescheduled U2 iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE concert recorded live in Paris. St. Stephen’s Day sees Ireland’s favourite Queen Panti Bliss looking through the highs and lows of 2015 in Panti Does 2015. Other highlights over the festive period include all the racing highlights from the racing from Leopardstown, comedy from Republic of Telly, Sketch! and Apres Match Of The Day – Best Bits; and concerts from Kodaline and Ed Sheeran. And on the cusp of the centenary of 1916 is The Rubberbandits’ Guide to 1916 as the boys crash through Irish history from Brian Boru, through the Famine and right up to Irish independence. Plus there is a huge selection of family movies and classics through the festive period from ET to One Direction: This is Us.
This Christmas on RTÉjr there is a sensational selection of festive family fun for all our viewers including a very special Twigín Christmas Panto!, along with old classics, new favourites and sprinkled with short films of our viewers at Christmas time.
RTÉ Radio 1 is out and about broadcasting live with The Ryan Tubridy Show from The Shelbourne Hotel and Dublin Airport, The Ray D’Arcy Show from the Cliff Townhouse Hotel and Joe Duffy with his traditional Christmas Eve on Grafton Street. There are arts, music and cultural festive specials ranging from Cathal Murray’s Christmas Special featuring poetry from actor Cillian Murphy, to John Kelly’s Christmas Express, to a reflection on the life and work of WB Yeats with Beautiful Lofty Things. The Leap of Faith Christmas Special hears from those who support the homeless and lonely and asks what we can do to help while this year’s Michael Littleton Lecture entitled Migration: The Global Challenge of our Times will be delivered by UN Special Envoy on Migration, Peter Sutherland. In the same thread, Hilde and the Refugees tells the remarkable story of Hilde Schramm, daughter of Hitler’s architect Albert Speer, who has opened her home in Berlin to Syrian refugees. There’ll also be full coverage of the racing and rugby Pro12 interprovincial derbies as well as Sunday Sport’s Review of the Year programme.
Christmas on RTÉ2fm kicks off this Thursday as the station supports the ISPCC with The 2fm Christmas Appeal for ISPCC: a 12 hour broadcast live from Grafton Street in aid of the children’s charity. And on 23 December, the hottest show in town, The 2fm Xmas Ball live from 3Arena, will feature Hozier, Walking On Cars and Gavin James.
On RTÉ lyric fm highlights include Liz Nolan’s Classic Drive broadcasts live in the company of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and a selection of concerts including Bach’s Cantatas, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (l-IV) and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Opera while RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta will air a five part mini-series about acclaimed Donegal author Seosamh Mac Grianna plus programmes about former county football manager Jim McGuinness, and the knitting industry in Donegal.
If you were you lucky enough to receive a state-of-the-art digital radio for Christmas this year, check out RTÉ Digital Radio’s range of stations to cater for all tastes. If you don’t have a digital radio, don’t worry, you can listen online at rte.ie/digitalradio.
Please see information on the full line-up of programming across television, radio and online in the notes to editors below.
Press queries:
Television: Anne-Louise Foley, Senior Press Officer, RTÉ TV, (01) 208 3298, foleya@rte.ie
Radio: Sheena Madden, Press Officer, RTÉ Radio, (01) 208 2452, sheena.madden@rte.ie
Full line-up:
>>>RTÉ One
Mrs Brown’s Boys – Christmas Specials 2015 (Christmas Eve, 9pm and New Year’s Eve, 10.15pm) Brendan O’Carroll’s multi-award-winning comedy phenomenon returns to RTÉ ONE with two hilarious Christmas Specials for 2015. Agnes Brown is determined to have a safe and peaceful Christmas at home this year. But with Mark and Betty rowing over the reappearance of his first love Bubbles, with carol singers haunting Agnes’ every waking hour, and with Buster installing a new Christmas tree with a very unusual safety feature, how will Agnes survive?
Well Holy God It’s Glenroe (27 December at 9.30pm) The cast and crew of Glenroe look back at how Wesley Burrowes’ rural Irish series became our favourite Sunday night ritual. Mary McEvoy, Emmet Bergin, Geraldine Plunkett and Mario Rosenstock revisit their much-loved characters, while Joe Lynch and Mick Lally, and their famous onscreen partnership of Dinny and Miley Byrne, are also remembered.
Higher Hopes (Wednesday 23 December at 9.35pm) In 2014 conductor David Brophy set out to change the lives of people affected by homelessness through singing. Now, in the one-off follow-up documentary David discovers that inspired by their achievements in the choir, a newfound sense of self-esteem in its members has helped them challenge the problems in their own lives. As the choir grows in numbers and gains greater recognition, Irish music legend Christy Moore joins them to record a two track EP for release this Christmas, including their own inspiring new version of Fairytale of New York.
Play It By Year (starts 27 December at 7pm and runs across four consecutive nights) Play It By Year is a gameshow that delves into the RTÉ archives and quizzes the contestants on their knowledge and memory of the 80’s, 90’s, Noughties and Now. Hosted by Mike Murphy Play It By Year will be looking at the celebrities, politics, sporting moments, quirky events and bizarre happenings of the last 35 years. The four part series will run on four consecutive nights over the Christmas period.
The Tommy Tiernan Show (27 December 10.35pm) Last summer, Tommy hosted his own radio chat show on RTÉ 2FM where neither the host nor the audience knew the identity of the guest until they walked out on stage. The Tommy Tiernan Show takes the ingredients of the radio show and brings the comedian back to RTE to host his own television show.
Carols from Áras an Uachtaráin (Christmas Eve, 6.15pm) President Michael D & Mrs Sabina Higgins welcome into their home a star-studded and eclectic mixture of guests, to celebrate Christmas, including presenter Mary Kennedy, Imelda May, Iarla Ó Lianáird, John Sheahan, Mick Flannery, The Voice UK runner-up Lucy O’Byrne and Dutch special guest star Gert van der Vijver, aka The Sand Magician. They are joined by children from Rutland Street National School, Dublin and Carlow’s Aspiro Choir, plus The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, under the baton of Gavin Maloney.
Religious services On Christmas Eve Midnight Mass comes from the beautiful Redemptorist church of St Joseph, in Dundalk, Co. Louth while Christmas Day sees Mass from the same church and a special Service for Christmas with the staff and pupils of Methodist College, Belfast as well as Urbi et Orbi, the Pope’s annual Christmas blessing, and a Christmas Message from the Archbishops of Armagh.
At Your Service (Christmas Day 7.35pm) Ireland’s top hoteliers Francis and John Brennan are back to undertake a special Christmas project with one of Cork’s oldest caring organisations, Penny Dinners, a soup kitchen providing hot meals to homeless people in the centre of the city.
Fab! The Night the Beatles Came To Dublin (27 December at 8pm) The Beatles came to Dublin for 2 concerts on Nov 7th 1963 and the teenagers of the country went crazy. Using extensive archive and news reports of that time, these diehard fans share their stories from that glorious moment of madness in this heart warming documentary.
Luke Kelly: Prince of Dublin (29 December at 9.30pm) Utilising RTE’s Library alongside rare material from The Dubliners private archive collection, a selection of today’s music stars, including Imelda May, Glen Hansard and Kodaline’s Jason Boland consider the quintessential Dubliner’s celebrated life, his colourful times and untimely death. Other contributors include brother Paddy Kelly, fellow Dubliner John Sheahan, songwriter/producer Phil Coulter and friend Paddy Reilly.
The Nathan Carter Show (30 December 9.30pm) In this hour long Christmas special, recorded in Dublin’s Mansion House, Nathan Carter performs his biggest hits in front of an audience of super fans. He also duets with some special guests including Mary Black, The Dubliner’s John Sheahan and Paddy Casey.
Daniel O’Donnell and Friends (St Stephen’s Day, 9.20pm) Ireland’s Best Loved Entertainer – Daniel O’Donnell fresh from the UK’s biggest entertainment show, Strictly Come Dancing, celebrates a night of music and craic on home turf. Joining Daniel in Powerscourt House Wicklow are performers from all musical genres with some very special duets.
The Shelbourne at Christmas (24 December at 7.15pm) As Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel gears up to celebrate its 191st Christmas, we find out just how much effort it takes to get through the hotel’s busiest month. This is Christmas on a grand scale, with designer cocktails, thousands of turkey dinners and the festive afternoon teas booked out until 2016.
A Simply Delicious Christmas with Darina Allen and Rory O’Connell (22 December at 8pm & 23 December at 7.30pm) Such was the success of last year’s A Simply Delicious Christmas that Rory and Darina are back – and this year, with two Christmas programmes. Once again, they bring 30 years of teaching experience to bear, and a style and substance that are unique to Ballymaloe, plus of course some sibling rivalry.
Neven’s Christmas Special (7 December 7.30pm) Neven is preparing a thoroughly traditional Christmas this year, but with imaginative ways of cooking the ham, turkey and lamb. He shares his Aunt Maureen’s famous recipe for Christmas pudding, which has been served in the restaurant, and given to thousands of people as a present over the years.
Sinatra 100: An All-Star GRAMMY Concert (31 December, 12.15am) A special celebrating Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday. Performers for the tribute include Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Adam Levine, Carrie Underwood, and Usher.
The Best of the Imelda May Show (31 December at 7.30pm) To liven up your festive season make a date with Imelda May for music and craic. There’ll be exclusive performances from the Hot House Flowers, Ham SandwicH and Soak along with plenty of chat from the likes of Bob Geldof. Imelda will give a magical rendition of the 60’s classic Bang Bang and perform a very special duet with Lulu.
Sports Quiz of the Year (New Year’s Eve, 6.30pm) Sports broadcaster Jacqui Hurley will be celebrating the year in sport as she’s joined by some of Ireland’s sporting A-listers from the world of Rugby, GAA,and Horse racing to name but a few! She’ll be taking a look back at 2015 and testing the sporting knowledge of six well known faces including team captains Ruby Walsh and Shane Byrne.
And The RTÉ News Review of the Year (31 December, 9.15pm) looks back on the stories that made the year.
The RTÉ Sport Awards (19 December at 9.40pm) Presented by Darragh Maloney, this live show will see the RTÉ Sport Sports Person of the Year Award, the RTÉ Sport Manager of the Year Award as well as the RTÉ Sport Team of the Year Award winners revealed and presented with their awards.
New Year’s Eve Live (31 December at 11pm)
Kathryn Thomas and 2FM’s Keith Walsh ring in the New Year live from the 3Arena this year on RTÉ ONE! They’ll be soaking up the atmosphere from the VIP Lounge backstage at the New Year’s Festival Dublin Three Countdown Concert featuring The Coronas along with special guests Fatboy Slim, Kila, Ryan Sheridan and Little Hours.
Movies on RTÉ One Film fans can look forward to premiers including Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie (Christmas Day), Gravity (Christmas Eve), Oz The Great and The Powerful, Brave (Christmas Day), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (St Stephen’s Day), Captain Philips (St Stephen’s Day) and Lincoln. Plus the Irish premiere of Les Miserables. We’ll have family favourites Up, Shrek the Third, Cars2, We Bought a Zoo and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. There’s a bumper season of favourites, including The Quiet Man to mark the passing of the late great Maureen O’Hara, White Christmas, The Sound of Music, It’s a Wonderful Life, High Society, Beaches and Back to the Future, plus all the Indiana Jones movies.
>>>RTÉ2
The Al Porter Show (Christmas Eve, 9.45pm) The Al Porter Show is an all singing, all dancing and unashamedly old school (but oh-so-modern) variety show for RTÉ2 filmed at the Olympia theatre. Featuring PJ Gallagher, 2015’s America’s Got Talent winner ventriloquist Paul Zerdin, UK magician Peter Firman, Irish improv hip hop crew Abandoman and Edinburgh favourite Spencer Jones along with Al’s troupe of dancers and cameos from Rory Cowan, Patrick McDonnell and Joe Rooney.
Panti Does 2015 (26 December at 10.55pm) Panti Does 2015 sees Ireland’s favourite Queen Panti Bliss looking through the highs and lows of 2015. With a host of celebrities joining her, Panti and her celebrity elves trawl through the worlds of music, sport, entertainment and review stories that broke the internet.
The Rubberbandits’ Guide to 1916 (31 December at 11pm) Join the boys as they crash through Irish history from Brian Boru, through the Famine and right up to Irish independence, with the help of the trout of no craic, Willie O’DJ, some lads from the local takeaway and a goat. It’s like real history, but interesting.
U2 : iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE LIVE IN PARIS (Christmas Day, 11.10pm) Live In Paris captures the Irish band’s groundbreaking tour as it returns to the French capital for two very special shows. Staged in the round, the iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour features multiple performance areas plus a state of the art 100 foot LED screen suspended above a 118 foot walkway running the length of the arena floor. The concert film showcases U2’s latest album Songs of Innocence featuring new fan favourites Iris, Cedarwood Road and Song for Someone as well as hits from across their career.
The Year That’s In It 2015 (30 December, 11.30pm) RTE2’s year-in-review mixing the biggest news stories with the funny and bizarre from 12 months of Pop Culture, Sport, Viral Trends and Celebrity Gossip. The crew including comics Fred Cooke, Alison Spittle and The Fear’s Ross Brown, sketch troupe Foil Arms & Hog, Dustin The Turkey, and National Treasure Jon ‘D’unbelievable’ Kenny.
Sketch! (26 December, 11.55pm) Sketch! is a brand new sketch show, set in the inimitable city of Cork! Expect famous faces, Cork hipsters, Conor McGregor as you’ve never seen him before and much much more!
Thank GAA It’s 2015 (27 December at 6.30pm) The programme relives the highlights of the exciting 2015 GAA Championship season, with a mix of A-List names, grassroots human-interest stories and issues based features.
The Republic of Telly (21 December at 10pm) With hilarious reviews, live music from Attention Bébé and an exposé on what life is actually like for Santa’s elves, there’ll be plenty to laugh at in the Christmas edition of Republic of Telly. Plus a best of Republic of Telly, Mix Tape vol.2, on 28 December at 10.30pm.
Racing From Leopardstown (starting 26 December, 1pm) Starting on St Stephen’s Day RTÉ2 will have four days of live racing action from the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. Robert Hall will be joined by Ted Walsh alongside Andrew McNamara, Brian Gleeson, Tom Lee and Tracy Piggott for all the action with commentary from Tony O’Hehir and Richard Pugh.
Après Match of the Day – Best Bits (23 December 9.30pm) Après Match of the Day, Ireland’s premier league comedy team, brought back to life the matches that defined three decades of glory with the type of post and pre-match analysis that we wish we’d had back then. In this special best of programme see Bill, John and Liam hilariously recreated along with a host of other household names from back in the day.
Kodaline Up Close (Christmas Day, 6.20pm) RTÉ2fm and RTÉ2 present an exclusive acoustic performance from one of Ireland’s biggest bands – Kodaline. Recorded in front of a live studio audience, Kodaline perform some of their biggest hits and talk to Eoghan McDermott about how a small Dublin band managed to break America
Electric Picnic Highlights (29 December, 12.20am) Join Al Porter, Jenny Greene, Eoghan McDermott and Blathnaid Tracey and relive the atmosphere from this year’s Electric Picnic, including main stage highlights from Hot Chip, Future Islands, Underworld and Blur.
Ed Sheeran: Jumpers For Goalposts – Live From Wembley (New Year’s Eve, 11.55pm) Ed Sheeran plays live in front of a packed Wembley Stadium. A career-defining show for Sheeran, a man who has gone from playing in pubs to performing in front of audiences of over 80,000 people and achieving huge international success and critical acclaim in just a few years.
News2Day Review of the Year (31 December, 12.30pm) In the news2day Review of the Year, Nick Sheridan and Gill Stedman look back on all the big news and sports stories of 2015, including the young people who face daily challenges in the “This is Me” series. 2015 was the year when the issue of “Where is home?” became even more important, from the Syrian refugee crisis to the issue of homelessness in Ireland.
Around the Block (28 & 29 December, 6pm) This two-parter catches up with children who made the award-winning On the Block documentaries charting their own lives six years ago. Around the Block catches up on the lives of children-turned-young adults across Ireland from Tory Island off the coast of Donegal to Buckingham Street in Dublin’s inner city and Dromohane in Co Cork. Who are they now they are in their late teens, awaiting exam results or reflecting on their first year in college?
Movies on RTÉ2 Premieres include Anchorman 2, Man of Steel, Elysium, Frankenweenie, I am Ali, Iron Man 3 and One Direction: This is Us, plus favourites ET, Happy Feet Two, James and the Giant Peach, Naked Gun and Airplane!
>>>RTÉjr
RTÉjr originals include our very own Twigín Christmas Panto! Christmas Eve on Dig In Diner is full of drama when Santa stops by seeking help as the Sleigh has broken down it’s all hands on deck and Digger comes to the rescue ensuring all the boys and girls pressies get delivered on time. Sprinkled throughout the schedule this Christmas are short films featuring families and friends enjoying the festive fun – from ice-skating to Carol singing to munching on brussel sprouts, RTÉjr has got the Christmas season well wrapped up. There will also be special editions of all our viewers’ favourites including Giggle Biz, Dino paws, Hey Duggee, Peter Rabbit, The Octonauts and Fluffy Gardens plus another chance to see the traditionally drawn fantasy animation feature film The Secret of Kells.
>>>RTÉ Radio 1
The Ryan Tubridy Show live from The Shelbourne Hotel (15 December, 9am)
Ryan presents his show from the Lord Mayor’s Lounge in the Shelbourne Hotel in front of a specially invited audience with guests and live music to celebrate the Christmas cheer.
The Ray D’Arcy Show live from the Cliff Townhouse (21 December, 3pm)
Live from the Cliff Townhouse in Dublin city centre with lots of sparkly guests and cracking music along with a specially chosen super Christmassy audience.
Sean O’Rourke’s Christmas Special (23 December, 10am)
Join Sean and guests for a Christmas special live from Studio 1. Guests include country music star Lisa McHugh, tenor Paul Byrom, Seamus Begley, the Dolce choir, Oliver Callan, Maxi, Michael Lyster and author John Connolly.
Joe Duffy’s Christmas Eve Special (Christmas Eve, 9am, RTÉ Radio 1)
Joe Duffy carries on his tradition of broadcasting live from Grafton Street in Dublin in what has become a staple of the Irish Christmas experience.
Mooney Santa (Christmas Eve, 2pm)
Derek Mooney places his annual call to Santa himself and invites the Children of Ireland to talk to him.
John Kelly’s Christmas Express (Christmas Eve, 8pm)
John Kelly gives a cultural, reflective sheen to Christmas Eve as he is joined by guests for an evening of Christmas music and conversation.
Cathal Murray’s Christmas Special (Christmas Day, 6am)
Cathal Murray takes the chill out of Christmas morning at 6am with festive fun featuring poetry from Hollywood actor Cillian Murphy and lots more.
The Leap of Faith Christmas Special (Christmas Day, 8am)
We’ll hear especially from those who support the homeless and lonely on this festive day, including Alice Leahy of Trust and author John Scally who shares some heartwarming stories from those who are one step removed from the tinsel and turkey plus Mary Kennedy shares a seasonal thought with those who might be listening on their own on this Christmas morning.
A Very Merry Mooney Tunes (Christmas Day, 1.15pm)
Festive music from movies and musicals as you prepare the Christmas feast.
Beautiful Lofty Things (Christmas Day, 4pm)
This programme looks at the life and work of WB Yeats through poetry and song in front of a live audience recorded at the National Concert Hall.
The 2015 Michael Littleton Lecture (St. Stephens’ Day, 1.05pm)
Pause for some reflection as RTÉ Radio 1 broadcasts the 2015 Michael Littleton Lecture entitled Migration: The Global Challenge of our Times. This year’s lecture will be delivered by UN special envoy on migration, Peter Sutherland, in front of a live audience.
Legacies with Joe Duffy (28 December, 9am)
Joe Duffy and guests look back on the legacies of Irish and International figures who passed away in 2015.
Documentary on One (28-31 December, 6pm)
Relax every evening at 6pm from 28 – 31 December as Documentary on One brings you a selection from the archives including The Murderer, Me and My Family Tree, A Caravaggio in Tuam?, The Man Who Played Offside and An Open Verdict.
Christy Moore on Ewan McColl (28 December, 2pm)
Christy Moore performs live and speaks to John Murray about one of his musical heroes, Ewan MacColl.
Hilde Schramm and the Syrian Refugees (29 December, 1.30pm)
The remarkable story of Hilde Schramm, daughter of Hitler’s architect Albert Speer, who has opened her home in Berlin to Syrian refugees.
Callan Kicks the Year (New Year’s Eve, 1pm)
Callan’s Kicks regulars Dobbo, Enda and Ringer, Marian and more have a Marty’s New Year Party looking back on 2015 from Fennelly to marriage equality, Eircode to Redacted Denis, Dubs and Cats, a Rugby World Cup flop plus Leo’s diary, Joe’s books, U2 and Conor McGregor. Also President Michael D’s ode to Easter 2016.
An Evening with John Prine (New Year’s Day, 2pm)
John Creedon interviews one of America’s most legendary singer-songwriters.
>>> RTÉ 2fm
The 2fm Xmas Appeal for ISPCC (3 December, 7am)
Christmas on RTÉ 2fm kicks off this Thursday 3 December as the station supports the ISPCC with The 2fm Xmas Appeal for ISPCC: a 12 hour broadcast live from Grafton Street in aid of the children’s charity. Breakfast Republic, The Nicky Byrne Show with Jenny Greene, Tracy Clifford and Eoghan McDermott will be joined by a host of celebrity guests and impromptu music performances from some of the top acts in Ireland and even the world
.
The 2fm Xmas Ball (23 December)
On the evening of Wednesday 23 December, some of The 2fm Xmas Ball will be broadcast live bringing listeners all the thrills and spills of the best show in town live from 3Arena and featuring Hozier, Walking On Cars and Gavin James to name but a few.
Coming Home for Christmas with Tracy Clifford and Eoghan McDermott (Christmas Eve, 1pm & 4pm)
On Christmas Eve, let 2fm get you in the festive spirit with Coming Home for Christmas with Tracy Clifford (1-4pm) and Eoghan McDermott (4-7pm).
Conor Behan and Stephen Byrne (Christmas Day, 7am & 10am))
Tell us what you got from Santa with Conor Behan (7-10am) and Stephen Byrne (10 – 1pm) live on 2fm.
Not on the Effing Playlist (28 – 31 December)
Then recover until NYE with some of the best music around as 2fm DJs go off the reservation and defect from the playlist. Not on the Effing Playlist features Keith Walsh, Rick O’Shea and Tracy Clifford playing their favourite tunes.
.>>>RTÉ Lyric FM
Liz Nolan’s Classic Drive (11 December, 5.30pm)
Live from Studio 1 in the company of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christopher Bell.
The Lyric Concert with Paul Herriott (Christmas Eve, 8pm)
Kick off this Christmas Eve with Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera on The Lyric Concert.
Gloria (Christmas Day, 8am)
What better way to begin Christmas Day than with a feast of choral singing from across the centuries? Tim Thurston presents music for the Feast of Nativity in a special edition of Gloria.
Bach’s Cantatas (Christmas Day, 6pm)
After dinner, why not relax with lyric as Tim Thurston presents a Christmas concert of selections from Bach’s Cantatas given by the prestigious Baroque Ensemble Lautten Compagney Berlin.
The Friday Concert with Paul Herriott (Christmas Day, 8pm)
The Friday Concert comes from St Martin’s Church, Brunswick for a performance of Bach’s magnificent Christmas Oratorio (l-IV).
Max Richter’s ‘Sleep’ (Christmas Day, 9.40pm)
Join Eamonn Lenihan for a specially extended Blue of the Night. As well as the usual blend of carefully chosen music, Eamonn also introduces Max Richter’s ‘Sleep’, a new ground-breaking work which was composed to fall asleep to.
>>> RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
Cliabhán an Chultúir (Christmas Day, 5.30pm)
Gaeltacht musicians take to the stage in a concert to celebrate Culture Night in September.
Nollaig na nDéise (Christmas Day, 8.30pm)
Christmas carols from the all-male Cór Fear na nDéise choir, as well as a description of Christmas traditions in the Waterford Gaeltacht.
Lá an Dreoilín mar a bhí (St. Stephens’ Day, 6.30pm)
The traditions of the wren, as remembered by the community in Kerry, will be the focus of the programme.
Seosamh Mac Grianna (28 December, 5.30pm)
A five part mini-series about acclaimed Donegal author Seosamh Mac Grianna starts.
>>>RTÉ Digital Radio
On RTÉ Radio 1 Extra on Christmas Eve, The Best of Times hears Bernadette Comerford talks to people young and old about their best Christmas ever. Then on Christmas Day at 5.30pm, we ask what is Christmas like for a six-year old-in Ireland? For the tech-savvy Aoibhe Rós, it’s more traditional than you’d imagine. On RTÉjr Radio – in a simulcast with RTÉ Radio 1 – join Abie Philbin Bowman on Christmas Eve at 3.30pm for a special edition of Cake in which Golden Globe nominee Brian Byrne composes a Christmas melody with a child, creating a soundscape for Christmas. On Christmas Day at noon, Larry Gogan presents Musical Chairs and brings us his favourite Christmas tunes ever. RTÉ Pulse will broadcast Maverick Sabre ‘In Music’ with Mo K at 3pm on Christmas Day. Maverick Sabre chats with Mo K about some of the music that influenced and inspired the creation of his latest album ‘Innerstanding’. Maverick Sabre also performs two special songs live during the show and enjoys the banter with the live studio audience. On St. Stephens’ Day at 3pm, The Original Rudeboys chat with Mo K about some of the music that has influenced them and they perform live in studio. Over on RTÉ 2XM, at 4pm each day from December 21st to 25th, we have exclusive broadcasts from some of the world’s biggest musicians live in concert from different parts of the globe. In addition, don’t forget to check out RTÉ Gold where legends such as Larry Gogan bring listeners some of the best Christmas music of all time to get you through the season in style, with an emphasis on nostalgia.
>>>RTÉ Player
Binge on your favourite Christmas specials, classic boxsets, and online extras over the festive season with Christmas, New Year and Family collections available on-demand on RTÉ Player. If you’re away this Christmas and missing home, you can stay in touch with RTÉ Player International for iPhone and iPad. For more details on how to watch RTÉ Player outside Ireland go to www.rte.ie/playerinternational