Former RTÉ legend makes surprise return to national broadcaster
The former News at One host who is 65, retired from the State Broadcaster in January 2024 after 37 years hosting both radio and television news programmes.
This new documentary 'The Irish Missionaries' is among a slew of new home produced programmes set to hit our screens this summer and will see Dobson and co-presenter Dearbhail McDonald examine the evolution of the 'Irish Missionary Movement', from the cover ups of countless reports of abuse to heroic acts of self-sacrifice and philanthropy. Bryan Dobson and Dearbhail McDonald feature in The Last Irish Missionaries documentary. Pic: RTÉ
The Documentary also sees Dearbhail and Bryan exploring why so many people feel called to the religious life and felt compelled to spread the Gospel in some of the most remote parts of the globe.
Another programme set to air this summer is 'The Phone Box Babies', which tells the stories of three newborns who were all abandoned in the 1960s in different parts of Ireland. The programme brings together these three strangers with very similar beginnings as babies, across different parts of the country.
Random passersby had discovered the infants in phone boxes, and in a car, without any identifying information or clues as to where they belonged. Helen Ward, John Dowling and David McBride who feature in The Phone Box Babies. Pic: RTÉ
This new documentary uncovers details about the babies' `birth parents, where they were born, and why they were given up, and sees them come together as adults 50 years later, to embark on an emotional rollercoaster journey to uncover their true identities.
Former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson will also present her own programme entitled 'Mrs Robinson' in which she will look back over her career to date with particular emphasis on her struggles to right the wrongs on the battles for justice and equality over the last 50 years.
All in all, a number of interesting home grown programmes to watch out for this summer season.
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Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rose of Tralee winner says title means more than tiara amid bosses' decision
Rose Of Tralee winner Katelyn Cummins has said winning the title means more to her than getting to wear a tiara. This year, the Laois Rose was given a mega prize package, including a car for 12 months, a Kerry holiday and free hair styling for a year, in exchange for the coveted tiara. It comes after festival bosses decided in 2022 to scrap giving a stunning bespoke tiara designed by either Tipperary Crystal and Newbridge Silverware to the winner. But electrician apprentice Katelyn revealed she didn't even think in the moment about what she had won. She told the Irish Mirror: 'It was absolutely unreal. Like, you don't even think in the moment that I'm not getting this or I'm not doing that. You're just in the moment and you're enjoying just being given the title, (which) is everything to me. Do you know what I mean? 'Like, there's nothing quite like it,' she said. RTÉ revealed that over half a million viewers tuned in to see the Laois Rose crowned this year's Rose of Tralee winner. Katelyn said waking up on Wednesday morning as the Rose of Tralee winner felt 'surreal'. 'It feels surreal. Honestly, it doesn't feel real at all like this after happening, and I don't think it will for a few days. 'I think I'm just going to kind of enjoy my time with the girls and the lads down here, and then I think it'll all hit me when I head back home.' The 20-year-old plans to return back to work as an electrician next Monday morning. Figures from RTÉ revealed that on Tuesday night, a peak audience of 532,000 tuned in at 11.20pm as the 2025 International Rose of Tralee was crowned. Across Monday and Tuesday night's broadcasts, RTÉ One and RTÉ One +1 drew an average audience of 424,000. On Tuesday night, an average audience of 505,000 watched after the news on RTÉ One, with a 55 per cent share of the available audience tuning in. The show had a 1-minute reach of over 1.2 million on RTÉ One and RTÉ One +1 across both nights. Laois Rose Katelyn Cummins reacts to winning the Rose of Tralee (Image: RTE News) It was a record high for the RTÉ Player as it has so far recorded 202,000 total streams to date for the festival, with viewers tuning in from more countries than ever before. A total of 102 countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, Greece, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, India, Kenya and Malaysia, all had viewers tuning in. Katelyn previously opened up about taking a trade as her career path and how some of her customers get a shock when they see her at their front door. She previously said: 'Yes, they would be shocked in a good way. People are very enthusiastic in a good way about it. They're very supportive and ask me if I know any more female electricians. I love doing it and I am so happy that there are more women getting into it now. 'It's so empowering for women to be able to see that there are other women doing it. I think that pushes other women to do that I am delighted about.' She also said it was her dad who introduced her to being an electrician. 'Growing up on a dairy farm, I'm so used to working with my hands… the hard work was always built into me from such a young age. 'School was never really for me. I didn't enjoy it that much. The Leaving Cert didn't stress me out. After I did work experience in TY, I knew I wanted to do something different. 'My dad dropped me in with the local electrician for the week and I absolutely loved it.' Katelyn Cummins (Image: Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD) Opening up about her decision to enter the Kerry festival, she said she was looking forward to meeting new friends. She said: 'It was the exciting idea of making new friends. I originally took part in the Laois selection because I didn't have that many friends in Laois and I wanted to make more friends and have a better social life in Laois with lots of new girls. 'With my job, I just work with a lot of lads all the time so it would be nice to meet a lot of new girls. After school, girls drift apart, and it was just wanting to make more friends in the area.' Katelyn added that seeing last year's Rose of Tralee winner Keeley O'Grady encouraged her to enter the competition. 'I'm 20 and I was approached by the coordinator back two years ago when I was working part-time in a hotel. She was going around scouting for girls and she asked. 'But I had just turned 18 and I felt I was too young for it. I was doing my Leaving Cert year as well. 'Then when I saw Keeley O'Grady was 21 and crowned the Rose of Tralee it just showed that anything is possible, and you didn't have to have a certain background or be a certain age. 'That's probably what pushed me. I think it's so empowering for girls this year because there was such a wide age group. There's a lot of younger girls going for it.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Irish Independent
More than 500,000 tune in to see Katelyn Cummins crowned 2025 Rose of Tralee
A peak audience of 532,000 people were watching at 11.20pm as Ms Cummins was crowned the 2025 International Rose of Tralee. This included viewers on both RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player. There was an average audience of 424,000 viewers across Monday and Tuesday night on RTÉ One and RTÉ One +1. Viewing figures for this year's edition are down on the 2024 Rose of Tralee, when a peak of 599,100 viewers tuned in to see New Zealand Rose Keeley O'Grady crowned the winner. 'The Rose of Tralee remains one of Ireland's most cherished cultural celebrations, and it's incredible to see it embraced by audiences not just at home, but around the world,' group head of entertainment and music for RTÉ Alan Tyler said. 'Whether on television, online, or across social media, this festival continues to captivate viewers connecting generations and communities in a uniquely Irish way.' There was an average audience of 505,000 watching following the news on RTÉ One, while there have been a total of 202,000 streams of the festival on the RTÉ Player, a record high. Some 102 countries had viewers, including the UK, the US, France, Germany, Greece, Canada, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, India, Kenya and Malaysia. RTÉ said Rose of Tralee content has drawn a record 13m views across its Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X accounts, and more than 500,000 engagements.
RTÉ News
7 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Over half a million viewers watched as Katelyn Cummins crowned 2025 International Rose of Tralee
A record high of 202,000 watched on RTÉ Player from 102 countries including United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Kenya Over half a million viewers tuned in to RTÉ One and RTÉ Player to watch the 2025 International Rose of Tralee selection as presenters Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas announced Laois Rose Katelyn Cummins as this year's winner. On Tuesday night, a peak audience* of 532,000 tuned in at 11.20pm as the 2025 International Rose of Tralee was crowned. Across Monday and Tuesday night broadcasts, RTÉ One and RTÉ One +1 drew an average audience** of 424,000. On Tuesday night, an average audience of 505,000 watched after the news on RTÉ One, with a 55% share of the available audience tuning in. The show had a 1-minute reach*** of over 1.2 million on RTÉ One and RTÉ One +1 across both nights. A record high for RTÉ Player as it has so far recorded 202,000 total streams to date for the festival with viewers tuning in from more countries than ever before. A total of 102 countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, Greece, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, India, Kenya, Malaysia and many more. On social media, @rteone Rose of Tralee content has a record-breaking 13 million views across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter, and over 500,000 engagements. Group Head of Entertainment and Music for RTÉ, Alan Tyler said: 'The Rose of Tralee remains one of Ireland's most cherished cultural celebrations, and it's incredible to see it embraced by audiences not just at home, but around the world. Whether on television, online, or across social media, this festival continues to captivate viewers connecting generations and communities in a uniquely Irish way.' Each year, RTÉ supports over 160 arts and cultural events across Ireland through the RTÉ Supporting the Arts scheme, including the Rose of Tralee International Festival. From film and music to theatre, literature, dance, opera, and exhibitions, RTÉ's dedicated promotion across television, radio, digital platforms, and social media provides vital support to Ireland's creative and cultural sectors. -ENDS- Date: Wednesday, 20 August 2025 RTÉ Communications: Caoilinn Putti For interview requests with the 2025 International Rose of Tralee, please contact the Media Team: communications@ Notes to Editors: Photo credit: Domnick Walsh Photography Source for television figures: TAM Ireland Ltd/ Nielsen TAM, Live + VOSDAL data, National Individuals Source for RTÉ Player figures: comScore DAx Analytics *Peak-minute audience of viewers. The peak minute was at 23:20 on Tuesday 19/08/25 **Average audience – The average number of viewers across a programme or series, expressed in 000s. TV viewing is measured minute-by-minute, so the average audience is the average across all of these minutes. *** Reach – the net number or percentage of people who have seen a particular piece of broadcast output. The TAM Ireland definition is 1+ minute.
