The Sunday Game

The Sunday Game
This logo, used for the 2004 season, was replaced with the RTÉ Sport corporate style logo in 2005.
Presented by	Jim Carney (1979, 1982 - '83) Bill O'Herlihy (1979) Seán Óg Ó Ceallacháin (1980 - '81) Michael Lyster (live broadcasts 1984 - present, highlights 1984 - 2003) Pat Spillane (highlights, 2004 - '06) Des Cahill (highlights, 2007 - present)
Starring	Hurling analysts: Donal Óg Cusack Michael Duignan Cyril Farrell Ger Loughnane Tomás Mulcahy Dónal O'Grady Liam Sheedy Football analysts: Joe Brolly Martin Carney Kevin McStay Colm O'Rourke Tomás Ó Sé Pat Spillane Ciarán Whelan
Narrated by	Commentators: Ger Canning Marty Morrissey Darragh Maloney Jim Carney Gary MacDonacha Reporters: Evanne Ní Chuilinn Joanne Cantwell
Country of origin	Republic of Ireland
Production
Running time	Variable
Release
Original network	RTÉ Two
Original release	8 July 1979 – present
External links
Website	www.rte.ie/tv/thesundaygame/

The Sunday Game is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ Two every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ Two’s longest-running shows, having been on air since 1979, one year after the channel first began broadcasting. It celebrated its 30th season in 2008.

The Gaelic games of Gaelic football and hurling have always been at the heart of broadcasting in Ireland from its earliest days. 2RN, Ireland's first radio broadcasting station, was established on 1 January 1926 and, from the outset, sports coverage, albeit infrequent, was a feature of the schedules. Early broadcasts consisted of team announcements and short reports on events of interest.

2RN, however, recorded a broadcasting first on 29 August 1926. On that day former hurler and renowned Gaelic games journalist, P.D. Mehigan, carried a live commentary of Kilkenny's All-Ireland hurling semi-final victory over Galway. It was the first live radio broadcast of a field game outside of the United States.

When Telefís Éireann was established on 31 December 1961, the new television station became interested in the broadcasting of the national games. The Gaelic Athletic Association, however, were wary the live television coverage would result in lower attendances at games. Because of this, the association restricted annual coverage of its games to the All-Ireland hurling and football finals, the two All-Ireland football semi-finals and the two Railway Cup finals.