TV50 should not be confused with Channel 50 (disambiguation).
TV50 was a series of special events throughout 2012, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the launch of RTÉ Television, then known as Telefís Éireann, on 31 December 1961.
TV50 was officially launched on 26 December 2011 when a pre-launch placeholder website went online at RTÉ. The full TV50 site went live at noon on New Year's Eve 2011.[1] The broadcaster intended TV50 to be a year-long celebration.[2] The festivities saw as many as twenty archive programmes launched each month on RTÉ Player.[3]
The following is a list of programmes broadcast under the TV50 label.[4]
| Date | Programme | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2011 | New Year's Eve Show Live | A special programme of music and chat presented by Miriam O'Callaghan. The programme promoted many of the upcoming TV50 events. |
| 1 January 2012 | Kneeling in the Years | Mary Kennedy and Fr. Dermod McCarthy look at the role of televised worship |
| 1 January 2012 | The Entertainers | Documentary looking back at 50 years of entertainment |
| 2 January 2012 | Country Brass – Cork Butter Exchange Band | Documentary first aired in 1979 following a Cork brass band |
| 2 January 2012 | Rural Portrait: King of the Road | First broadcast in 1968, this is a profile of Michael Cleary, a road-worker from near Cahir in County Tipperary and his father[5] |
| 2 January 2012 | 50 Years in the Glow[6] | Pat Shortt explores the history of RTÉ through the eyes of the viewers and the importance of television in the lives of ordinary people and families |
| 2 January 2012 | The Philip Lynott Archive | Profile of the Thin Lizzy frontman, exploring his life and career |
| 3 January 2012 | Terminus: Gola Island | Documentary from 1970 highlighting the magic island of the song |
| 3 January 2012 | Oileán: Anam Cloch | Broadcast in 2008 as part of the Oileán series, this show brings us up to date with Gola Island |
| 5 January 2012 | A Little Bit TV[7] | The first in a series of eight profiles of well-known television presenters: Bill O'Herlihy |
| 5 January 2012 | John Molloy's Dublin | Actor John Molloy provides a combination of comedy sketches and mime in a specially restored and remastered programme from 1976 |
| 5 January 2012 | Self-Portrait – Sylvia Beach | An archive interview from 1962 with Sylvia Beach |
| 6 January 2012 | Scope – the Four Roads | A 1973 film which follows the life of 70-year-old Winnie Mongan |
| 6 January 2012 | Wheels of the World – Life in North Kerry | Filmed in 1974, this documentary captures the sounds and rhythms of rural life |
| 12 January 2012 | A Little Bit TV | The second in a series of eight profiles of well-known television presenters: Gráinne Seoige |
| 19 January 2012 | A Little Bit TV | The third in a series of eight profiles of well-known television presenters: Bunny Carr |
| 26 January 2012 | A Little Bit TV | The fourth in a series of eight profiles of well-known television presenters: Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh |
| February 2012 | Music Makers Month[8] | Classic performances from Boyzone, Paul Brady, Joe Dolan, The Dubliners, Rory Gallagher, Horslips, Dolores Keane, Christy Moore and Westlife |
| 2 February 2012 | A Little Bit TV | The fifth in a series of eight profiles of well-known television presenters: Derek Davis |
| 9 February 2012 | A Little Bit TV | The sixth in a series of eight profiles of well-known television presenters: Mark Cagney |
| April 2012 | Children's Classics Month[9] | |
| TBA | Into the Light: the Battles that Shaped Our TV[10] | The first in a two-part series in which John Bowman charts RTÉ's relationship with church and state |
| TBA | Into the Light: the Battles that Shaped Our TV | The second in a two-part series in which John Bowman charts RTÉ's relationship with church and state |
| 22 July 2012 | Weather Permitting[11] | Why are the Irish so obsessed with the weather? |
| 23 July 2012 | Battle Station | Featuring John Bowman |
| 24 July 2012 | Battle Station | Featuring John Bowman |
| 21 October 2012 | Fleadh Cheoil Thurles | The Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann at Thurles in 1965 |
| 22 October 2012 | Flights of Fancy World of the Pigeon Men | Margaret Gleeson's 1985 documentary offering a revealing insight into the world of pigeon fanciers as they prepare for a big race. |
| 22 October 2012 | What's Happening to Television? | A one-hour documentary on the future of TV, presented by Miriam O'Callaghan. |
| 22 October 2012 | Bells and Blue Berets | John Skehan's 1966 Christmas visit to Irish UN troops in Cyprus. |
| 23 October 2012 | Isles of Aran | Louis Lentin's documentary revealing life in the Aran Islands in 1963 before mass tourism, new employment initiatives and the building of an airstrip helped the islanders to modernise. |
| 24 October 2012 | Country Brass Boherbuoy Brass and Reed Band | A film highlighting the Boherbuoy Brass and Reed Band, including its respect for musical traditions and reverence for the landscape of urban Limerick. |
| 24 October 2012 | Maam Cross | The impact of a poor day of trading at a County Galway horse fair in 1990, presented by Mairéad Ní Nuadháin. |
| 26 October 2012 | Lifestyle: Living Like Lords | 1971 documentary examining the lifestyles and West of Ireland ancestral homes of three Irish lords, with Cathal O'Shannon. |
| 4 December 2012 | The Radharc Squad | Part one of a two-part documentary revealing the story of film-making priests who planned to project a Catholic influence by offering programmes to Telefís Éireann. |
| 6 December 2012 | Radharc: Down and Out in Dublin | A story of social exclusion in Dublin, exploring the lives of people who slept rough on the capital's streets. First broadcast in 1964. |
| 11 December 2012 | The Radharc Squad | Concluding part of a documentary revealing the story of a group of film-making priests, featuring selections from the Radharc Archive and interviews with key figures. |
| 13 December 2012 | Radharc: Pain Is the Price | A classic episode of the documentary series exploring the work of missionary priest Shay Cullen, a priest who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times. |
| 18 December 2012 | Stripped | Broadcast on RTÉ Two, Stripped won the RTÉ TV Documentary Unit/Filmbase TV50 "Doc on the Box" award. It follows a week in the life of 29-year-old Sligo bodybuilder Joe Gallagher who, jobless and in negative equity, becomes a stripper for birthdays, hen parties and nightclubs. |
| 20 December 2012 | God on the Box | Contributors including Alice Taylor, David Quinn, Arthur Matthews, Patsy McGarry, Biddy White Lennon, David McSavage, Bill O'Herlihy and Maureen Gaffney look back at the impact of fifty years of TV on religion in Ireland. This was also the last TV50 programme broadcast before the Mayan apocalypse. |
| 23 December 2012 | The School Around the Corner | The only known copy of the original series of the show, first broadcast exactly fifty years ago on this day. |
| 27 December 2012 | Nighthawks Rehashed | |
| 28 December 2012 | Sup as an Tobar | |
| 30 December 2012 | Weather Permitting | Repeat of programme broadcast earlier in the year. |
There was a nationwide search initiated by RTÉ.[12]
RTÉ described this as "a forward-looking initiative designed to encourage a fresh, emerging voice in video documentary direction and production". However, it was only open to those over the age of eighteen years and with experience.[13]