Ireland On The Small Screen Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Late Late Show

"The Late Late Show" was made by the Republic of Ireland's national broadcaster, Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE).

Mostly broadcast live weekly on a Friday night, it was to become a staple of the broadcaster's output. It was frequently the biggest ratings winner with its mixture of 'hard' interviews and soft focus pieces.

Despite the often laid back nature, it was also able to stir up controversies. In 1966, host Gay Bryne picked a couple from the studio audience for a fun quiz and asked the husband what colour of nightgown his wife wore on their honeymoon. The question was condemned by Thomas Ryan, Bishop of Clonfert. In 1989 plans to interview two former nuns who had come out as lesbians led to a High Court challenge. In 1991, Byrne courted controversy again when he interviewed three of the "Birmingham Six; men jailed for the fatal bomb blast at a pub in England. (The six were later exonerated).

The show has had several main hosts, Gay Byrne (1962-1999); Pat Kenny (1999-2009, and 2013) and Ryan Tubridy (from 2009). Other shorter term hosts included Frank Hall, Gerry Ryan and Miriam O'Callaghan.

Answer: Father Ted

And we should not forget the housekeeper whose sole aim in life was to keep the priests and their visitors constantly plied with a cup of tea - whether they wanted one or not.

While the setting and many of the values were Irish, the show was made by a British production company for Channel 4 television in the UK, albeit with Irish writers..

Like many of the best-loved comedies, it had a short shelf life: just 25 episodes were broadcast in three seasons from 1995. That meant the comedy never had a chance to go off the boil, and many of its best bits were faithfully recalled many years later (such as the opening words of the question.)

The portrayal of the Catholic church may not have been too kind, but "Fr Ted" came at a time when a raft of controversies had damaged its once dominant position in Irish society. Co-creater Graham Linehan told "The Guardian" newspaper in 1995: "The show isn't really about priests. It just uses the priesthood as a secret society for us to make up funny things."

The show earned a host of British Academy of Television and Theatre Arts (Bafta) awards.

Answer: Derry Girls

First broadcast in 2018, "Derry Girls" was set in Northern Ireland's second largest city. It was story of four teenagers rebelling against their families and the struct regime of their Catholic secondary school. Along for the ride was the English-born cousin of one of the characters.

The show was set several years in the past when Northern Ireland's Troubles were ongoing. It also pointed at some of the absurdities of a divided society in Northern Ireland.

Two seasons, running to 12 episodes, had been shown at the time this question was written. The show won a handful for awards in its first season.

To cement its place in the cultural heritage of Derry-Londonderry, a giant mural of the five main characters was painted on a gable wall.

Answer: Ballykissangel

"Ballykissangel" was pure escapism on a Sunday night in the television schedules. Drama there was, but not of a nightmarish kind and initially 10 million viewers found comfort in the slow-paced daily life of a remote village.

Made by the British Broadcasting Corporation for initial showing in the UK, it was picked up by RTE, the Irish Broadcaster and also shown in New Zealand and by some PBS affiliates in the USA.

First shown in 1986, six seasons followed until dwindling viewer numbers led to the show being axed in 1991.

Answer: The Fall

"The Fall" was unusual in that viewers early on knew the identity of the serial killer who was stalking and killing young women in Northern Ireland's capital city. Of course the local plod were not up to the job - to use a well worn cliche in television crime dramas everywhere.

The cop they brought in was Superintendent Stella Gibson, played by "The X Files" very own Gillian Anderson.

Over three series, the storyline dwelt on the motives and the psychology of serial killers.

The drama was shown on BBC2 in the UK and on RTE in the Republic Of Ireland. It was also shown on streaming services in North America.

Answer: Dublin Murders

"Dublin Murders" was a co-production between the BBC, RTE, and the Starz network in the USA. It was based on the 'Dublin Murder Squad' novels of Tana French.

At the centre were two detectives from An Garda Siochana, the Irish police service, both of whom had parts of their previous lives they would prefer to be kept hidden, but once unveiled proved to be central to the investigations.

The eight episodes, based on two of French's novel,; was broadcast to reasonable viewing figures in 2019. At the time the Covid-19 pandemic broke in early 2020, talks over a second season were well advanced.

Answer: The Young Offenders

"The Young Offenders" was a co-production between RTE and BBC Three. It was based on a movie of the same name made in 2016.

Three TV seasons followed, with the episodes tracing the developing lives of the protagonists and their friends and families. Despite the serious foundation on which the shows were built, the episodes tended to have a feel-good factor

Answer: Fair City

"Fair City" became a ratings winner from the time it was first broadcast on RTÉ 1 in 1989, even if the critics were divided.

It was based, naturally, in Dublin. Initially broadcast once a week, this increased to four times a week at one stage. It became the most-watched programme on Irish television.

Based in a fictional suburb, the storylines tackled controversial issues.

Answer: The Riordans

Before "The Riordans", soap operas had been produced in the studio with specially made sets. In 1965 Telefís Éireann took the action out of the studio and into the open air, using outside broadcast units This was to be a ground breaker and, more than half a century later, soaps with large segments shot outdoors have become commonplace.

The show aired weekly, with a running time of an hour for 14 years. It mixed drama with comedy, as well as offering advice on agrarian life. At its best, "The Riordans" attracted 1.2m viewers. One actor probably grateful for a start in the show was Gabriel Byrne, later to be a Golden Globe winners.

Answer: Bosco

"Bosco" ran for 386 episodes from 1979 to 1986. It mixed animation styles including puppetry, cartoons, plasticine, and stop-start action. All were linked together by human presenters.

The "Magic Door Rhyme" opened up a segment in which one of the presenters stepped through a door to introduce a factual report.