Diaspora TV Coming To The U.K.

Last week, Irish Communications Minister Eamon Ryan, T.D., announced that Diaspora TV would be on air in the U.K. by next St. Patrick's Day. Diaspora TV will be an RTÉ channel available on the new Freesat service there.

The new channel will be a hybrid of RTÉ One and RTÉ 2 with some additional programming from TG4.

The One, Six-One and 9 o'clock news bulletins will be carried live.  It will carry a range of home-grown Irish programming that will be of real interest to Irish communities abroad.

Announcing the deadline, Minister Ryan noted that, "The 2001 Census in Britain records a figure of 850,000 Irish born people living in Britain. There are many more of direct Irish descent. I know that many of these people have been looking for an RTÉ channel in the U.K. for some time. I am pleased that ... this new channel will be up and running by next St. Patrick's Day.

He also promised that he would be working with Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern to ensure that vulnerable groups in the U.K. will be supported in receiving the service.

"This new channel will provide the Irish abroad with a valuable link to home," he concluded.