RTE launches busy summer schedule
The summer is looking bright on RTÉ with a television schedule packed full of new series, fascinating documentaries, family favourites and an exciting season of sport. There’s something for everyone on RTÉ One, RTÉ Two and RTÉjr, with brand-new series Callan’s Kicks, How to be Happy, The Shelbourne, Ireland’s Ocean and Pet Island joining perennial favourites The Rose of Tralee and Saturday Night with Miriam, while new RTÉjr shows such as Boj and Buddies will keep younger viewers entertained. In addition, RTÉ marks the centenary of World War 1 with a special season of programming on RTÉ One, while fans can look forward to a month-long feast of soccer from Brazil with the 2014 FIFA World Cup on RTÉ Two. No matter what the weather’s like this summer there’ll be lots to entertain everyone on RTÉ One and RTÉ Two and RTÉjr.
Oliver Callan and his gang provide the laughs on RTÉ One with a full series of Callan’s Kicks, following on from the success of the new year’s eve television show and the ongoing success on RTÉ Radio 1. The six-part weekly sketch show will chart the events of the moment, sending up Ireland’s world of celebrity, media culture, sports stars and politicians. And a one hour documentary Room to Improv follows Tommy Tiernan across nine European countries on a whistle-stop tour as each night he improvises from scratch. Music-wise on RTÉ One, the best of Ireland and Scotland team up with the best of Nashville as The Transatlantic Sessions returns for a sixth series with guests including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Maura O’Connell, Teddy Thompson, Donal Lunny and Andy Irvine.
Presented by Aidan Power, Shakedown the Town is a brand new treasure hunt show and original format devised by Adare Productions which is currently looking for families from Dingle, Skerries, Westport, Kilkenny, Limerick and Clonakilty to take on the challenge and compete for a fantastic family holiday. Each week two teams will compete against each other to crack the clues and be the first to unlock the safe. Miriam O’Callaghan returns with a tenth series of her studio-based entertainment show, Saturday Night With Miriam. Over the course of eight weeks, Miriam introduces a host of well-known faces, international guests, current issues and music. And Dáithí Ó Sé presents live from Tralee, where Roses from all over the world will compete to be the crowned the 56th Rose of Tralee.
Nearly 200,000 young Irish men fought in World War 1 and RTÉ will mark the anniversary with a series of programmes and events across television, radio, mobile and online. In My Great War, a two-part RTÉ One documentary series, young descendants of an even younger generation of Irish soldiers will journey from Ireland to Europe to hear their history: the great-grand fathers, aunts and uncles who fought for British. Following this, John Bowman and guests discuss Ireland’s role in the Great War and its aftermath and examine whether Ireland has finally come to terms with its enduring legacy. AndNationwide will have a week of special programmes commemorating World War 1 with stories about the regiments who took part; a Jesuit priest Fr Frank Browne who served on the western front, and the impact the war had on local communities. RTÉ News and Current Affairs will also mark the anniversary with a series of special reports across One O’Clock, Six One and Nine News programmes.
In How to Be Happy, psychologist Dr. Maureen Gaffney shows how we can have a deeper sense of well-being, meaning and purpose in our lives if we consciously work at it. She invites people from across the country to join her for a series of workshops where the participants are introduced to strategies to improve their happiness. Watch the series, do the homework and see can you be happier.
The Shelbourne is a six-part observational documentary series following four months in the life of The Shelbourne hotel. For the first time ever the hotel has given RTÉ cameras exclusive access to the front and back of house. Find out what it really takes to deliver 5 star service, where saying no to a guest is not an option. In a new series of Kitchen Hero, Donal Skehan looks back over the last 50 years to a generation that cooked far more, with a far smaller choice of ingredients and with almost no convenience, and draws inspiration from the recipes of food writer Theodora Fitzgibbon.
Ireland’s Ocean is a major four-part wildlife series exploring the wonderful and diverse creatures that live in the seas around Ireland. The series looks at the history of man’s relationship with and response to the sea in Ireland, why do we love dolphins, why do we hate sharks, on what do we base our fears of the ocean and the unknown and what is the current state of our seas. Also for animal lovers, new series Pet Island meets some of the country’s most pampered animals and their besotted owners. They include pet psychics, an opera singer who serenades his mini-donkeys and a former Miss Ireland contestant who sleeps with seven dogs.
Other new documentaries and factual series include Building Ireland, a new six-part series in which a team of expert presenters explore some of the finest examples of Ireland’s building and engineering heritage. The series examines the wider socio-cultural impact of built heritage, on places and people in the unique historical context of the Irish experience. O’Connell Street is Dublin’s main thoroughfare, with a footfall of 27 million last year. What is the street like for those living, working, visiting or just hanging out in downtown Dublin? Street Life [working title] offers a snapshot of Ireland’s capital circa 2014.
Presented by Norah Casey, whose husband Richard died in 2011, Way to Go? Death and the Irish features first-hand experiences of a broad range of people, including healthcare professionals and people who are dying, speak openly and honestly about going through what will be the last months of their own lives. We also hear thoughts and anecdotes from actor Gabriel Byrne and broadcasters Marian Finucane and George Hook.
Michaella McCollum 's arrest in August made headlines across the world. A new RTÉ One documentary Michaela, Peru and the Drugs Run goes behind the media frenzy to explore how a 20-year-old Irish woman apparently seeking a summer of fun and adventure in Ibiza ended up in a Peruvian prison having admitted attempting to smuggle 11kgs of cocaine out of the country.
Ireland has a long history of scientific achievement and women have been central to that extraordinary heritage. Presented by Róisín Ní Thomáin, Sisters of Science/Deirfiúracha na hEolaíochta takes us on a journey to rediscover the stories of four remarkable women but for all their world class achievements, these Irish women remain largely unknown and uncelebrated. No Limbs No Limits tells the inspiring story of another extraordinary woman, Joanne O’ Riordan. The feature-length documentary, made by her brother Steven, celebrates her personal relationships and explores her phenomenal achievements.
John Creedon is on a journey to find out everything he can about the Irish weather in a new three- part series for RTÉ One. Four Seasons in One Day will find John investigating stories from history, science, folklore, archaeology and modern life on how the weather has shaped our landscape and our nation.
On RTÉ Two there’s a massive summer of sport in store with the 2014 FIFA World Cup from Brazil beginning on Thursday 12 June. Details on RTÉ’s World Cup coverage and panellists will be announced this Thursday. The GAA Championships continues on RTÉ Two with The Sunday Game Live and The Sunday Game highlights show every single Sunday. In all, RTÉ Two will show 31 live games, including 20 matches in high definition. Racing fans can look forward to live coverage of the Irish Derby and the Irish Oaks from the Curragh as well as four days of live action from the Galway Festival. A star-studded Irish Open Golf returns to Fota Island Resort, Cork in June and RTÉ Two viewers can see Irish stars Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke compete against the world’s finest. Soccer Republic will bring all the news and views from the qualifying campaign as well as goals and highlights from the Airtricity League Premier Division. There will be live Greyhound Racing from Tralee as well as the highlight of the year in September the final of the Irish Greyhound Derby from Shelbourne Park.
And for those who prefer drama to sport, RTÉ Two will have brand new series Devious Maids, Reign and Resurrection - in which the lives of the people of Arcadia, Missouri, are forever changed when their deceased loved ones return - as well as new series of CSIand Person of Interest. The drama continues over on RTÉ One with Fair City as Carrigstown welcomes a new family, the O’Brien’s. Wayne and Orla have a busy start to the summer as they prepare for their impending nuptials and the arrival of the newest addition of the Molloy family. Michael and Niamh continue their affair but when Michael’s family move in next door, things become tricky.
Over on Ireland’s dedicated children’s channel RTÉjr, children of all ages will be kept occupied during the summer holidays. New series Boj and Buddies, co-produced by Irish animation company Kavaleer, is all about a free spirited Australian Bilby who has burrowed to Giggly Park with his parents Mimi and Pops and now they live in a quirky underground burrow at the centre of this cosmopolitan community. The Beo Show Virtuoso has special summer themed shows including summer breeze, kettle drums and camp fire songs which feature performers including Eimear Quinn, Finghin Collins and The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir. And RTÉjr goes on a trip to the beach this summer. Reuben & Bo’s Beach Hutfinds the pair having awell deserved break after their hard work all year. Join all the RTÉjr favourites for a packed ad-free schedule from 7am to 7pm each day, and of course audiences can also discover RTÉjr on radio and online.