1979 in Irish television

Events

• January – RTÉ establishes an internal working party to investigate the representation of women in news reporting. Their findings are published in April 1981.
• 8 April – UK children's television series Worzel Gummidge begins airing on RTÉ 1 two months after its screening debut in its original country.
• May – The Riordans is aired on television for the final time. It switches to radio and continues until 1985.
• 4 June – The long-running children's television series Bosco begins an eight-part pilot series.
• 29 September – 1 October – Coverage of Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland is broadcast on RTÉ radio and television.
• 2 October – Mary McAleese debuts as a reporter on the current affairs programme Frontline.
• 12 December – Albert Reynolds is appointed as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs.
• Undated – The Late Late Show features Ireland's first television interview with a lesbian.

  Debuts

RTÉ 1

• 7 January – Children of the New Forest
• 8 April – Worzel Gummidge
• 9 November – The Live Mike

  RTÉ 2

• 4 June – Bosco
• 8 July – The Sunday Game

  Ongoing television programmes

• '
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• The Late Late Show
• Quicksilver
• Wanderly Wagon
• Hall's Pictorial Weekly
• Sports Stadium
• Trom agus Éadrom
• The Late Late Toy Show
• RTÉ News on Two

  Ending this year

• May – The Riordans

  Births

• 20 March – Amy Huberman, actress and writer
• 16 August - Brian Ormond, singer and television presenter
• 9 October – Chris O'Dowd, comedian and actor
• 17 October – Leigh Arnold, actress
• 24 November – Kirsteen O'Sullivan, television presenter
• Undated – Aisling O'Loughlin, journalist, newsreader and presenter