50 years of Irish Television
Remembering half a century of homegrown television, from the Late Late Show to The Republic of Telly. By Kathy Sheridan, Fintan O’Toole, Christopher Fitz-Simon, Rosita Boland, Shane Hegarty and more...
- 'Personal best? Rory reading out my letter on Wanderly Wagon'Following a week of recollections, readers were invited to submit their top moments from half a decade of Irish TV history - here's a selection
- 'The babe thing is just down to lazy stereotypes'Disparaged by many in the beginning as the enfant terrible of taste, the Republic's first commercial-only television station, TV3, has overcome the jibes to become a real player in attracting big audiences, writes LAURA SLATTERY
- Does this look familiar?Belief in cultural distinction was a major spur for the founding of RTÉ in 1962. But where would we be without foreign TV, asks SHANE HEGARTY
- Twitter now an integral part of TV viewingDon't pretend you don't tune in to catch those hidden Satanic messages on the 'Winning Streak' audience banners, writes COLM TOBIN
- Journeys in time in the RTÉ archiveCan TV made for a different generation stand the test of time? We brought four RTÉ viewers to Montrose to find out, writes ROSITA BOLAND
- Can TG4 recapture some good feeling about Irish?TG4 aims to give viewers another eye on Ireland and its language - has it succeeded, or does it perpetuate hang-ups about Irish, asks NIAMH HOURIGAN
- Irish Times TV critics recall their years on the couchWith its early deadlines and constantly changing agendas, the role of Irish Times TV critic is rarely described as fun, but for those who have held the post it has also been an extraordinary and exhilarating job
- The battle for political supremacy in the newsroomIrish media mythology paints the programme Today Tonight as the key front in an internal and vicious tussle for power at RTÉ by the Worker's Party - but has the role of the so-called 'Stickies' been exaggerated, asks MICK HEANEY
- TV now: the future of Irish televisionFifty years after the launch of Telefis Éireann, can public service television survive in Ireland, asks KATHY SHERIDAN
- All right on the night after a year of planningDirector on the first night of RTÉ, CHRISTOPHER FITZ-SIMON, recalls the cast of people put together and how Gate actor Charles Mitchel stole the show
- A very Irish box of tricksTelefís Éireann didn’t so much transform our culture as reveal it to be an unsteady mix of inherited values and consumerist aspirations, writes FINTAN O’TOOLE
- New Year's Eve broadcast to start RTÉ celebrationsMiriam O'Callaghan to host show as Irish television prepares to mark a half-century, writes JOANNE HUNT
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RTÉ archive video clips
Mailbag 1987 - Presented by Arthur Murphy
The Late Late Show 1982 - Presented by Gay Byrne on 20th anniversary of Telefis Eireann
Sylvia Beach 1962 - Interview with Sylvia Beach shortly before her death.
© RTÉ. Published by kind permission of RTÉ. Please see www.rte.ie/tv50 where a Clip of the Week will be published each week alongside a Photo of the Day from the RTÉ Archives. A selection of full programmes will be available on RTÉ Player: TV50 Classics on 1st of each month in 2012.