RTÉ unveils GAA Championships coverage

From the RTE.ie web site

RTÉ Sport will provide over 800 hours of coverage of the 2009 GAA Championships across RTÉ Television, RTÉ Radio, RTÉ.ie and RTÉ News.

RTÉ’s coverage will also include a number of special programmes to mark the 125th year of the GAA.

On television, The Sunday Game will devote three special programmes to celebrate the GAA’s 125th anniversary.

There will be half-hour special tribute show on 17 May, with guests including GAA Director-General Pauric Duffy, new GAA President Christy Cooney, as well as a host of some of the GAA’s living legends, such as Eddie Keher, Michael ‘Babs’ Keating, Sean Boylan and Mick O’Dwyer.

On 5 July, a 90-minute live special will take a look back at the Munster Hurling Championship throughout the years, and preview the much-anticipated Munster Hurling Final with a live studio audience.

On All Ireland Football Final night, Des Cahill will present a 90-minute special, reviewing the GAA Championships and the GAA’s special anniversary with a live studio audience.

In addition to these events, The Sunday Game will also feature a bi-monthly one-to-one interview by Des with a special football or hurling legend from the past.

A documentary on former GAA Director-General Liam Mulvihill will also be broadcast on RTÉ Television in addition to other series broadcast this year to mark the anniversary, including Pride of the Parish, C’mon Camán and Ballybradden.

One of RTÉ’s digital radio services, RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, will broadcast archive commentaries of All-Ireland Finals at the weekend.

Every Sunday morning from 7.20am GAA fans can hear hurling and football commentaries dating back to the 1950s on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, available online and on Chorus NTL nationwide and on DAB in the Greater Dublin and North East Coast area and in Cork and Limerick cities.

While celebrating GAA 125, RTÉ Sport will continue to provide quality coverage of the GAA Championships on all of its platforms.

On RTÉ Television, up to 40 live matches will be broadcast on The Sunday Game Live, which returns for its 31st season.

Beginning on 17 May, Michael Lyster will present The Sunday Game Live while two of the game’s most formidable analysts, Pat Spillane and Ger Loughnane, make a return to the panel this year.

New to the panel this season will be former Waterford hurler and All-Star winner, Paul Flynn. Also new to The Sunday Game Live will be the use of the PIERO analysis tool for live games; Piero had previously only been used for the highlights programme.

Each Sunday evening throughout the GAA Championship, Des Cahill will be in the hot seat as the new presenter of The Sunday Game.

In another brand new item, Sunday Game Club Call, local clubs will be given the opportunity to have GAA All-Star winners and football and hurling legends, Pat Spillane or Ger Loughnane, spend a day in their club to assess their team and whip them into shape by taking over a night’s training session.

All club teams are invited to submit their details from any level of football, hurling, ladies’ football or camogie, from under-14 through to minor, junior and senior club teams – all are welcome.

The Sunday Game will also broadcast a number of key GAA Championship draws, starting with the intriguing Leinster Senior Hurling Semi-Final draw live on 7 June.

The Road to Croker will return in a revised format, previewing the weekend’s action on Friday nights and reprising treasured GAA memories from yesteryear.

Up for the Match will also return with two programmes looking forward to the All Ireland Senior Hurling and Football Finals with well-known faces from the competing counties appearing on the show, and plenty of lively chat and music.

RTÉ Radio will provide comprehensive coverage of the GAA Championships with regular updates from every game and dedicated GAA Championship programmes across RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, RTÉ 2fm and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

From 2pm each Sunday on RTÉ Radio 1, Sunday Sport will be out and about at the grounds, with new presenters Con Murphy and Jacqui Hurley capturing the buzz of the big games.

Celebrating his 60th year in broadcasting, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh will lead RTÉ Radio 1’s commentary team with an array of current and former inter-county players and managers providing analysis of all the action. Saturday Sport with Andrew O’Connor and John Kenny will preview every weekend’s GAA action.

Take Your Point returns at 6.05pm on 24 May, with Jimmy Magee at the helm, taking listeners’ calls, texts and emails reacting to the first series of provincial football championship games.

During the week from 6.30 pm to 7pm Drivetime Sport will have pre-match and post-match analysis, comment and reaction. Liam Horan will return with his popular satirical Championship Man column.

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta will cover the main Championship clashes as well as matches in the Minor Championship in all provinces. The coverage will include football, hurling, camogie and women’s football.

The four-hour Saturday sports programme, Spórt an tSathairn, will cover all Saturday games and will preview weekend matches.

Sunday sports programme Spórt an Lae will have coverage of all Sunday matches, and final results and analysis on Spórt an Domhnaigh on Sunday evenings.

The RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta Championship team includes Mártan Ó Ciardha, Mícheál Mac Donnchadha, Gearóidín Nic an Iomaire, Mícheál Seoige, Seán Bán Breathnach, Séamus Mac Géidigh, Maidhc Ó Sé, Pádraig Ó Sé, Dara Ó Cinnéide, Jeaic Ó Muircheartaigh and Mac Dara Mac Donncha.

On RTÉ 2fm each Sunday, The Sportsbag with Robbie Irwin will cover much of the Championship, with interviews and debate, extensive coverage of the day’s action and profiles of many of the Stars of The Summer.

RTÉ.ie/gaa will again be the hub for fans to find the latest news, views, interviews, video and audio content on all things Gaelic Games.

RTÉ.ie’s GAA Media Player is part of a dedicated GAA Championship 2009 website, which last year received more than 10 million page impressions.

Fans will be able to view several matches exclusively live online and all of RTÉ’s live televised GAA Championship matches will be streamed simultaneously live on the RTÉ.ie GAA Media Player within the island of Ireland.

Live commentaries and extensive match updates from RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta will also be available to a worldwide audience. In addition to our live output, a wide selection of matches in the GAA Football and Hurling Championships will be available to view in full, on demand.

All of RTÉ’s dedicated GAA programming from RTÉ Television, RTÉ Radio, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, and RTÉ News will be available live and on demand on RTÉ.ie/gaa.

The Sunday Game highlights programme will be available live and on demand to an Irish audience each Sunday night, and will be made available worldwide each Wednesday for the duration of the GAA Championship.

The Road to Croker, Take Your Point and The Championship are some of the other programmes which will be available.

This year the site will once again feature analysis from RTÉ’s panel of GAA experts, live text match-trackers, picture galleries, competitions, interactive features for fans, as well as news, previews and match reports.

The RTÉ player catch-up service will make available The Sunday Game highlights programme and The Road to Croker within the island of Ireland for seven days after broadcast.

RTÉ News will provide reports and breaking new stories from the GAA Championships by Gaelic Games Correspondent, Jonathan Mullin.

Glen Killane, Group Head of Sport, RTÉ, said: ‘It is a special year for the GAA and we are committed to providing comprehensive coverage across all platforms so that fans can enjoy the anniversary celebrations and make the most of what will no doubt be another thrilling GAA season.

‘From special features celebrating GAA 125 on RTÉ Television and RTÉ Radio, to Sunday Game Club Call where Pat and Ger will help transform clubs at grassroots level, to live coverage of up to 40 games on RTÉ Television, viewers can tune in to the celebrations and watch the drama of the Championship unfold.

‘RTÉ Radio will provide extensive coverage with their renowned team of GAA experts and analysts while RTÉ.ie will again make programmes from TV and Radio available online as well as stream several other matches exclusively live on its dedicated website.

‘There is a huge appetite for all things GAA and RTÉ Sport is delighted to continue offering such extensive coverage this year.’