1978 in Irish television explained

The following is a list of events relating to television in Ireland from 1978.

Events

• January – The controversial secondary school drama The Spike goes on air. It was pulled from the schedule following a nude scene in Episode 5 which sparked criticism from Irish conservatives, and has never been retransmitted.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}
• March – George T. Waters is appointed as Director-General of RTÉ.^[7]
• 2 November – Ireland's second television channel, RTÉ 2 goes on air.^[7] The opening night features a variety gala performance from the Cork Opera House and the 1968 film Bullitt.^[8]
• 6 November – The UK soap Coronation Street is aired for the first time on RTÉ 2. It had previously only been available to those who could receive UTV or HTV Wales.

Debuts

RTÉ 1

• January – The Spike (1978)
• 29 April – Fables of the Green Forest (1973)
• 11 September – Hong Kong Phooey (1974–1975)
• 25 October – The Clifton House Mystery (1978)
• 24 December – Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978)

RTÉ 2

• 2 November – RTÉ News on Two (1978–present)
• 3 November – The Upchat Line (1977)
• 3 November – Armchair Thriller (1978–1980)
• 3 November – The Voyage of Charles Darwin (1978)
• 4 November – Rumpole of the Bailey (1975, 1978–1992)
• 4 November – Mind Your Language (1977–1979)
• 4 November – Sha Na Na (1977–1981)
• 4 November – Bruce Forsyth's Big Night (1978, 1980)
• 6 November – Coronation Street (1960–present)

Ongoing television programmes

• (1961–present)
• (1962–present)
• The Late Late Show (1962–present)
• The Riordans (1965–1979)
• Quicksilver (1965–1981)
• Wanderly Wagon (1967–1982)
• Hall's Pictorial Weekly (1971–1980)
• Sports Stadium (1973–1997)
• Trom agus Éadrom (1975–1985)
• The Late Late Toy Show (1975–present)

Ending this year

• Undated – The Spike (1978)

Births

• 5 May – Paul Byrne, broadcast journalist
• 31 October – Ella McSweeney, radio and television producer

See also

• 1978 in Ireland

Notes and References

1. News: The Sex Factor. 7 October 2008. 8 January 2012. Irish Independent.
2. News: Dáil Éireann – Volume 305 – 18 April 1978 . 18 April 1978 . 8 January 2012 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110607120945/http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0305/D.0305.197804180005.html . 7 June 2011 .
3. News: Scannal Archive. 8 January 2012. RTÉ.
4. News: Factual Programming . 8 January 2012 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081030082538/http://tvsales.rte.ie/programming/factual.htm . 30 October 2008 . dmy .
5. News: The worst Irish TV shows EVER!. 28 October 2006. 8 January 2012. Irish Independent.
6. Book: Sheehan, Helena. Irish Television Drama: A Society and Its Stories. Chapter 5: The 1970s: Progress, Pressures and Protests. 1987. 2001. 8 January 2012. 17 November 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111117150534/http://webpages.dcu.ie/~sheehanh/70s-itvd.htm. dead.
7. Web site: RTÉ Libraries and Archives: preserving a unique record of Irish life . RTÉ.ie . 1 January 2012.
8. Web site: History of Irish Television: The 1970s . Irishtv.com . 17 April 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120204083119/http://www.irish-tv.com/hist70s.asp . 4 February 2012 .