''Nationwide'' is a television programme shown in
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
each Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening at 19:00. Produced by RTÉ Cork, and broadcast on
RTÉ One for around 30 minutes, it is presented by
Anne Cassin and
Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, after long-serving presenter
Mary Kennedy reached RTÉ's retirement age in 2019. ''Nationwide'' focuses on human interest stories and cultural events across the country.
Format
''Nationwide'' is presented in the form of, most often, two on-site recordings, with one advertising break between them. It has aimed to regionalise news and human interest content, as RTÉ has worked to do previously, albeit without the increased technology and transmission costs, which would likely require total re-engineering of the country's transmission and cable television networks. ''Nationwide'' itself was the sole programme regionalised in recent times, but this has now ceased.
History
''Nationwide'' began broadcasting in 1993. It was conceived by
Michael Ryan, who presented for many years until he retired from RTÉ in 2011. On occasion he was replaced by news reporter/presenter Flor MacCarthy.
In its early years, ''Nationwide'' broadcasts largely comprised regional stories from RTÉ's local news correspondents. The series was presented from a studio from 1993 until 2000 when the series began to tour towns and cities around the country. The original series studio came from the city of
Waterford
Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
, as Micheal Ryan was RTÉ Regional correspondent in the 1990s. The series then moved to Cork and became an
RTÉ Cork production.
During its original run it was broadcast every second Sunday, pre-record in a room rented by Micheal Ryan from a Photographer in Waterford City, later it would move to RTÉ's Cork Studios. By the end of the 1990s the series was being broadcast three nights a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday – at 19:00 and the presentation of the show took place in local towns and cities across the country.
Cartoonist
Terry Willers had a regional paper slot every Friday up until the end of the 1990s.
Ryan was joined in 2004 by
Mary Kennedy as a co-presenter. Ryan retired from ''Nationwide'' in 2011, with the announcement that
Anne Cassin would replace him as co-presenter after the ending of her current role as presenter of a Dublin-based magazine series called ''Capital D''.
As part of its 20th anniversary, RTÉ commissioned Brian Byrne to compose a new theme for ''Nationwide''. The music was recorded by the
RTÉ Concert Orchestra. New opening credits were created by Nobo's Niall Ó hOisin and Niall Campion with footage filmed by RTÉ Cameraman Paul Deighan.
Blathnáid Ní Chofaigh joined as a presenter in 2020, after Mary Kennedy's retirement from RTÉ.
Correspondents
Helen McInerney, Niall Martin, Mary Fanning, Mary Harte, Helen Mark, Valarie Waters, Marian Malone,
and
John Kilraine.
References
{{RTÉ News and Current Affairs
Irish television news shows
RTÉ News and Current Affairs
RTÉ original programming
1993 Irish television series debuts
2000s Irish television series
2010s Irish television series