Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

RT celebrates Irish culture through festive food and musical specials this Christmas

03/12/2024

RT celebrates Irish culture through festive food and musical specials this Christmas

Christmas in Kildare on Christmas Eve on RT One, RT Player and RT lyric fm

A wide and varied selection of music specials on RT Radio 1 and RT 2FM

Culinary inspiration with a wide range of cooking specials on RT Player

In the second of a week of Christmas programming announcements, RT will indulge viewers in festive treats with a selection of Irish music specials and Irish culinary offerings with inspiration and the best tips to entertain guests this festive season. Marty Whelan and Celine Byrne will be hosting Christmas carols in Christmas in Kildare featuring some of the biggest names in Irish music including Paul Noonan from Bell X1, Lisa Hannigan, Kingfishr and Grammy Award winner, Rhiannon Giddens to name a few. RT will also air some of the best music documentaries and radio features including Henry Mount Charles: A Lord in Slane, Nanci Griffith - From A Distance and David O'Doherty and his Dad do Jazz. Neven Maguire's Neven's Christmas at Cashel along with Rory O'Connell's How to Cook Well at Christmas will feature as part of a feast of festive food specials on offer across RT this Christmas season.

Christmas Carols in Kildare

A musical delight this December, RT invites audiences to join in a celebration of the season on Christmas Eve with a spectacular concert, Christmas in Kildare, hosted by soprano Celine Byrne and presenter Marty Whelan at 8.40pm on RT One and RT lyric fm, and RT Player. Featuring the RT Concert Orchestra alongside an extraordinary lineup of artists, set against the stunning backdrop of the historic St. Brigid's Cathedral in the heart of Kildare, this a concert not to be missed. This year's performers include May Kay, Paul Noonan of Bell X1, Lisa Hannigan, M av N Mhaolchatha, and Colm Mac Con Iomaire. Also joining the celebrations are the 25-strong all-female choir Dulciana, rising stars Kingfishr, the Theodora Byrne ensemble, Grammy Award-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens and the afore mentioned world renowned soprano and another Kildare native, Celine Byrne.

Music Specials on RT Radio 1 and 2FM

On RT Radio 1 this December, kick-start the festive listening with Around The World at Christmas with Loah at 8pm on Christmas Eve.

To get the Christmas Day festivities underway Christmas Miscellany will air at 9am offering a magical mix of words and music recorded in early December at an annual event at the National Concert Hall with the RT Concert Orchestra, featuring special guests.

David O'Doherty and his dad will bring listeners on a relaxing jazz journey as they reminisce by a grand piano at 5pm on Christmas Day in David O'Doherty and his Dad do Jazz.

Acclaimed Irish songwriter Oisin Leech will take listeners on a lyrical journey with tunes for the heart and soul in a Christmas Caravan Radio Special from 6pm.

Finishing off Christmas Day and Stephen's Day with interviews before worldwide fame, directly after it and on through the 90s right up to a couple from the past four years, Dave Fanning will deep-dive into the incredible career and life of one of Ireland's most important artists, Sin ad O'Connor in Dave and Sin ad from 7pm.

As the year draws to a close, a new series, Routes, will ask the simple but profound question, How did I get here?' Each episode will weave together the meandering adventures and musical biography of a special guest starting with Rick Epping, originally from Southern California who decided to settle in the quiet south Sligo townland of Carrickbanaghar. Tune in on New Year's Eve at 12pm on RT Radio 1.

Ringing in the New Year, Louise Duffy will host Damien Dempsey in a Studio 8 Session at 12pm.

And on 2FM this Christmas Day catch-up on all of the biggest and best music and entertainment stories of the year with Lottie Ryan and Conor Behan.

Across the festive season 2FM will have celebrity takeovers where some well-known names in Irish entertainment will be handed control of the Christmas playlist. First up is Chubby Cat followed by Davina Devine.

The legendary 2FM Christmas Quiz will air on St. Stephen's Day where presenters will be pitted against each other to see who comes out victorious and has bragging rights for the next 12 months.

Music on RT lyric fm

Lorcan Murray and RT lyric fm will be bringing the Christmas cheer on Christmas Eve with Lorcan Murray's Classic Drive from 4pm. Aed n Gormley will have an hour long special of her favourite mellow seasonal music in O che Chi in With Aed n Gormley from 8pm.

Marty in the Morning will be waking up listeners on Christmas morning, with a feast of festive tunes, carols and some of his best Christmas cracker jokes from 8am. Tune in to Centuries Of Christmas With Vlad Smishkewych with a millennium of music for this special festive day from 10am. Paul Herriott will bring us a playlist of Christmas music from around the world with Christmas Around The World With Paul Herriott from 7pm. Finally, George Hamiliton will be stepping in for The Full Score with Liz Nolan from 1pm on St. Stephen's Day, bringing listeners a Christmas Concert from La Scala Orchestra and Chorus with Daniel Harding conducting Kirill Gerstein, piano for Beethoven's Choral Fantasy.

Music Documentaries

Finally, to round out the musical offering this festive season, RT will be showcasing an exciting selection of documentaries with Henry Mount Charles: A Lord in Slane on Friday 27th of December, Nanci Griffith - From A Distance on Sunday 29th of December and The Great Pretenders on Monday 30th of December - all available on RT One and RT Player.

Henry Mount Charles A Lord in Slane looks at Lord Henry Mount Charles, the bankrupt estate he inherited and a music festival that would change the world of Irish entertainment
LINK: https://about.rte.ie/2024/12/03/rte-celebrates-irish-culture-through-f...
See more stories from rte

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026

Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2026

Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2...

18/03/2026

Neutrik To Showcase opticalCON ADVANCED Connectors At 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Details 2026 NAB Show Educational Sessions

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

Ben Bradshaw Joins PSSI as Director, Product and Network Development

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

Peter Thordarson Joins ASG as Technical Account Executive

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

Survey: Voters Trust TV News Over AI, Social and Search

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, today unveiled its educational presentations for the 2026 NAB Show. This year SMPTE will ...

18/03/2026

Maxon Marks Its Official Entry Into the AEC Market With I...

Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming, and more, today ann...

18/03/2026

Digital Alert Systems NAB Preview 2026

Digital Alert Systems Preview 2026 NAB Show April 19 - 22 Booth C3452 At the 2026 NAB Show, Digital Alert Systems will showcase Version 6.0 of its DASDEC ...

18/03/2026

Setplex Transforms Video Streaming with AI and Super Aggr...

Setplex today announced that it will showcase its complete, fully integrated Zapflex platform for the first time at the 2026 NAB Show, introducing powerful new ...

18/03/2026

SES Announces Extension of Tender Offer

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE ...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Director of Photography for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy Feature Film- I...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Location/Sound for Low Budget Dramed...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...

18/03/2026

Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware, Virtual and Hybrid Audio Lineup Yet

Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware...

18/03/2026

Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio

Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments DaVinci Resolve Studio handle...

18/03/2026

Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown

Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown Performances for this Center Stage production will take place at Boston Conservatory Theater ...

18/03/2026

Charlie Puth Joins Switched On Pop at Berklee NYC

Charlie Puth Joins Switched on Pop at Berklee NYC The Berklee alum spoke with host and Berklee NYC professor Charlie Harding for a live taping, answering audi...

18/03/2026

X-Rite Pantone Demonstrates Advanced Color Management Solutions to Support Smart Manufacturing at MAX and American Coatings Show

X-Rite Pantone Demonstrates Advanced Color Management Solutions to Support Smart...

18/03/2026

BAFTA winner James McAvoy to star in Sky Original series Meantime, based on the novel by Frankie Boyle

Wednesday 18 March 2026 BAFTA winner James McAvoy to star in Sky Original serie...

18/03/2026

Sky Sports and Zuffa Boxing announce multi-year agreement for the UK and Ireland

Wednesday 18 March 2026 Sky Sports and Zuffa Boxing announce multi-year agreement for the UK and Ireland Sky Sports and Zuffa Boxing have announced a new mult...

18/03/2026

Sky Unveils Poster and Trailer for Original Feature Film Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom

Wednesday 18 March 2026 Sky Unveils Poster and Trailer for Original Feature Fil...

18/03/2026

UP NEXT: Sky presents a bold slate of new, premium acquired content

Wednesday 18 March 2026 UP NEXT: Sky presents a bold slate of new, premium acquired content Sky reveals slate of newly acquired premium drama and comedy, as i...

18/03/2026

UP NEXT: Sky unveils an unmissable genre-spanning slate of new shows, exclusive previews and first looks for 2026 and beyond

Wednesday 18 March 2026 UP NEXT: Sky unveils an unmissable genre-spanning slate...

18/03/2026

Preparatevi Alla Terza E Ultima Stagione De 'La Legge di Lidia Pot' In Arrivo Solo Su Netflix Dal 15 Aprile

Back to All News Preparatevi Alla Terza E Ultima Stagione De La Legge di Lidia ...

18/03/2026

Netflix Drops Teaser and First Look Images for The Chestnut Man: Hide and Seek'

Back to All News Netflix Drops Teaser and First Look Images for The Chestnut M...

18/03/2026

Harmonic Enhances XOS Advanced Media Processor to Streamline Next-Generation Broadcast Distribution

New Playout-to-Delivery Capabilities Elevate ATSC 3.0 Experiences, Lower DTV In...

17/03/2026

NASA+ Prepares To Live Stream Historic Artemis II Mission, Bringing Deep-Space Exploration to Global Audiences

NASA+'s Rebecca Sirmons and Brittany Brown offer unique look at live streami...

17/03/2026

BBright's TTML & SMPTE ST 2110-43: One Single Stream For the Whole World

The transition to IP has fundamentally reshaped professional media infrastructures. Video, audio, and increasingly metadata now circulate as independent, precis...