2021 in Irish television

List of years in Irish television (table)
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The following is a list of events relating to television in Ireland from 2021.

Events

• 11 January – RTÉ's Home School Hub makes a return as schools in Ireland return to remote learning because of the pandemic. ^[1]
• 14 January – It is reported that a petition calling for RTÉ to remove The Angelus , which precedes the evening RTÉ News: Six One , has been signed by 2,200 people. ^[2]
• 15 January – The National Lottery and RTÉ confirm that the Saturday night gameshow Winning Streak will not be returning for the foreseeable future due to "ongoing restrictions related to Covid-19". ^[3]
• 28 January – Boxer Katie Taylor is named the 2020 RTÉ Sports Person of the Year, the second time she has won the award. ^[4] The RTÉ Sports Awards ceremony, presented by Joanne Cantwell and Darragh Maloney, has been delayed from its usual December date due to the delays in sporting events for 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[5]
• 21 February – The Mahoney family from County Wexford, coached by Davy Fitzgerald, win season eight of Ireland's Fittest Family . ^[6]
• 26 February – RTÉ announces the cancellation of Soccer Republic , with the show not returning for the 2021 League of Ireland season. ^[7]
• 10 March – RTÉ2 +1 is added to Sky on channel 202. ^[8]
• 11 March – Taoiseach Micheál Martin makes an appearance on Home School Hub, where he is interviewed by Seamus the puppet dog. ^{[9] [10]}
• 19 March – The final edition of RTÉ's Home School Hub is aired. ^[11]
• 10 August – Matt Cooper announces he will be leaving his role as presenter of Virgin Media One's The Tonight Show . ^[12]
• 29 August – Virgin Media Television announces that Claire Brock will succeed Matt Cooper as presenter of The Tonight Show. ^[13]
• 3 September – The Late Late Show returns for a new series, with a very small studio audience allowed to return for the first time since March 2020, but with strict adherence to COVID-19 restrictions. ^[14]
• 8 November – RTÉ One airs Keelin Shanley: Faraway, Still Close, a documentary about the late news presenter, Keelin Shanley, made by her husband, Conor Ferguson. The documentary is also made available on RTÉ Player. ^[15]
• 12 November – RTÉ confirms that Dancing with the Stars will return for a fifth series in January 2022. ^{[16] [17] [18]} Arthur Gourounlian will also join the judging panel for the new judge on the new series. ^[19]
• 26 November – The Late Late Toy Show is broadcast on RTÉ One, and becomes the most watched programme on Irish television in 2021. ^{[20] [21]}
• 30 November – Sky News joins Saorview on Channel 23. ^{[22] [23]}
• 18 December – National Hunt jockey Rachael Blackmore is voted the 2021 RTÉ Sports Person of the Year. ^[24]
• 19 December – The Kinsella family from County Wexford, coached by Anna Geary, win the ninth season of Ireland's Fittest Family . ^[25]
• 27 December – David and Stephen Flynn and their family win the 2021 Christmas celebrity special of Ireland's Fittest Family along with €10,000 for their charity of choice. ^[26]

Debuts

• 7 January – Clear History on RTÉ2 ^[27]
• 7 March – Smother on RTÉ1
• 10 April – Home Advantage on RTÉ1 ^[28]
• 11 April – Keys to my Life on RTÉ1 ^[29]
• 12 September – Kin on RTÉ ^[30]

Ongoing television programmes

1960s

• RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock (1961–present)
• RTÉ News: Six One (1962–present)
• The Late Late Show (1962–present)

1970s

• The Late Late Toy Show (1975–present)
• The Sunday Game (1979–present)

1980s

• Fair City (1989–present)
• RTÉ News: One O'Clock (1989–present)

1990s

• Would You Believe (1990s–present)
• Winning Streak (1990–present)
• Prime Time (1992–present)
• Nuacht RTÉ (1995–present)
• Nuacht TG4 (1996–present)
• Reeling In the Years (1999–present)
• Ros na Rún (1996–present)
• TV3 News (1998–present)
• Ireland AM (1999–present)
• Telly Bingo (1999–present)

2000s

• Nationwide (2000–present)
• TV3 News at 5.30 (2001–present) – now known as the 5.30
• Against the Head (2003–present)
• news2day (2003–present)
• Other Voices (2003–present)
• The Week in Politics (2006–present)
• At Your Service (2008–present)
• Operation Transformation (2008–present)
• 3e News (2009–present)
• Two Tube (2009–present)

2010s

• Jack Taylor (2010–present)
• Mrs. Brown's Boys (2011–present)
• MasterChef Ireland (2011–present)
• Today (2012–present)
• The Works (2012–present)
• Celebrity MasterChef Ireland (2013–present)
• Second Captains Live (2013–present)
• Ireland's Fittest Family (2014–present)
• Claire Byrne Live (2015–present)
• The Restaurant (2015–present)
• Red Rock (2015–present)
• TV3 News at 8 (2015–present)
• First Dates (2016–present)
• The Tommy Tiernan Show (2017–present)
• Striking Out (2017–present)

2020s

• The Style Counsellors (2020–present)

Deaths

• 8 February – Rynagh O'Grady, 69, actress (Abbey Theatre, Father Ted ). ^[31]
• 10 April – Shay Healy, 78, broadcaster, journalist and songwriter, Parkinson's disease. ^[32]

See also

• 2021 in Ireland

References

1. Wall, Eva (8 January 2021). "Great news for parents as RTE Home School hub set to return to screens". Extra.ie. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
2. O'Connor, Rachael (14 January 2021). "Petition calls for removal of The Angelus from the airwaves". The Irish Post. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
3. Byrne, Ruairi Scott (15 January 2021). "RTE's Winning Streak won't be returning to screens for 'foreseeable future'". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
4. "Katie Taylor is RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year 2020". RTÉ News. RTÉ. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
5. "RTÉ Sport Awards for Broadcast on January 28th". Sport for Business. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
6. McCarthy, Esther (21 February 2021). "Ireland's Fittest Family review: Fun-filled final as Davy Fitz and the Mahoneys take the title". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
7. Taylor, Kevin (26 February 2021). "Exclusive: RTE's Soccer Republic LOI highlights show scrapped for 2021". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
8. "List of line-up changes on Sky (UK and Ireland) in 2021" . Retrieved 5 March 2021– via tvchannellists.com.
9. Mangan, Ian (11 March 2021). "RTE viewers watch Taoiseach's 'ruff' interview on Home School Hub". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
10. "Taoiseach Micheál Martin will pay a visit to the Home School Hub". RTÉ News. RTÉ. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
11. "Farewell from the Home School Hub!". RTÉ.ie . 18 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
12. Bray, Allison (10 August 2021). "Matt Cooper announces he is leaving The Tonight Show" . Retrieved 30 August 2021.
13. Ward, Shauna (29 August 2021). "Virgin Media's Claire Brock announced as new host of The Tonight Show after Matt Cooper's shock departure". rsvp live. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
14. Telford, Thomas (30 August 2021). "RTE's Ryan Tubridy confirms Late Late show audience to return for new series". Dublin Live. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
15. "Husband's moving documentary about RTÉ star Keelin Shanley: 'The idea that she felt she lived a full life is a really powerful gift'". The Irish Independent. 7 November 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
16. "Confirmed! Dancing with the Stars back in January". 12 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
17. "Joy for fans as RTÉ set to green-light new series of Dancing with the Stars". independent. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
18. Delaney, Caroline (12 November 2021). "Dancing with the Stars is back in January — and who's the new judge?". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
19. Delaney, Caroline (12 November 2021). "Dancing with the Stars is back in January — and who's the new judge?". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
20. "What Ireland watched in 2021: news and sport dominate TV viewing but 'Toy Show' tops charts". Irish Independent. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
21. "Sport and news dominate Ireland's most watched TV programmes for 2021". Irish Examiner. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
22. "Sky News to launch on Saorview Platform". Sky Group. 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021.
23. "Sky News Expands Reach with Terrestrial in Ireland – All About Digital TV". digitaltv.org.uk. 30 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021.
24. Taylor, Kevin; Donlon, Mark (19 December 2021). "RTE Sport Awards: Rachael Blackmore crowned Sportsperson of the Year". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
25. "Final glory for the Kinsellas as they are crowned Ireland's fittest family". independent. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
26. Delaney, Caroline (28 December 2021). "Celebrity Fittest Family review: Happy Pears come up smiling and win it for Donncha". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
27. "TV guide: 18 of the best shows to watch this week". Irish Times. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
28. "Home Advantage". RTE. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
29. "Keys to my life". RTE. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
30. "Premiere date for RTÉ crime drama Kin announced". RTE. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
31. Abbey Theatre and Father Ted actress Rynagh O'Grady dies RTÉ Entertainment, 2021-02-09
32. Eurovision winning songwriter Shay Healy dies, aged 78 Irish Independent, 2021-04-10

External links

• List of 2021 Irish television series at IMDb