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

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

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