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(L-R) Tree, Mrs Brown Courtesy of RTE

Mrs Brown's Boys was most-watched tv show in Ireland over Christmas

880,000 viewers tuned in to the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special on Christmas Day, ahead of Eastenders, Fair City, and Anne Doyle’s last ever appearance reading the news.

MRS BROWN’S BOYS Christmas Special, the RTE comedy starring Brendan O’Carroll, was the most-watched programme on Irish television over Christmas.

A total of 880,000 viewers tuned in to the programme on Christmas Day, giving it a 48.6 per cent audience share.

It had over 300,000 viewers more than the second-placed programme, which was Eastenders, also on RTE One on Christmas Day, which was watched by over 563,000 viewers.

Gay Byrne’s programme about 50 years of The Dubliners had 527,000 viewers tune in on Christmas Day, putting it in third place overall.

Other programmes which featured in the top 10 on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day include RTE Six-One News on Christmas Eve (480,000), Fair City (441,600 viewers), and Carols From The Castle on Christmas Eve (411,000).

Anne Doyle’s final ever appearance on the Nine O’Clock News was watched by 387,000 viewers on Christmas Day.

Daniel Craig’s second outing as James Bond in Quatum of Solace had 341,00 viewers on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile the Father Ted Christmas Special proved its enduring appeal garnering 275,000 viewers – fifteen years after it first aired.

In the top-rated Christmas pr, Mrs Brown had to plan an extra-special Christmas for her son Trevor returning home from the missions for the first time in four years.

RTE had a total of eight of the top 10 most watched programmes on Christmas Day and also on Christmas Eve in Ireland.

The figures were sourced from TAM Ireland/Nielsen TAM, Live + VOSDAL, National Individuals 4+, and programme averages, according to RTE.

Did you watch Mrs Brown’s Boys? What was your favourite programme over the Christmas period? Tell us in the comments…

What’s on? Christmas TV for every mood >

“For me, it’s been a pleasure”: Anne Doyle reads RTE news for the final time >

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72 Comments
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    Mute John F
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    Oct 26th 2012, 11:30 AM

    I wonder what causes more disruption to air travel, Unions or Terrorists? I’d say Unions!

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    Mute rodrigo detriano
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    Oct 26th 2012, 11:37 AM

    You’d wonder about SIPTU’s real agenda in all this. That deficit didn’t just happen overnight. It’s as much the workers fault as the company’s. the trustees either put too much trust in fund managers, or took their eye off the ball completely. Personally I think SIPTU are more worried about Croke park than anything else. Using Aer Lingus workers is a smokescreen.

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    Mute Peter Murphy
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    Oct 26th 2012, 11:26 AM

    The union guy won’t give up his wages during this dispute! I hope the union looks after these people.

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    Mute MathsDebater
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    Oct 26th 2012, 7:32 PM

    They will, they provide strike pay to their members.

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    Mute Sheila Byrne
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    Oct 26th 2012, 11:34 AM

    Here we go again! Ryanair will be laughing, counting their profits.

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    Mute Enda McCabe
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    Oct 26th 2012, 11:43 AM

    not quite, don’t forget they own just under 30% of Aer Lingus shares as well, strike action won’t do their value much good…

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    Mute Aaron Broughill
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    Oct 26th 2012, 11:48 AM

    Last time they went on strike Ryanair leased a/c’s and crew to Aer Lingus and Ryanair operated some of their flights, probably just do the same again

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    Mute mattoid
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    Oct 26th 2012, 6:17 PM

    Hard to listen to a man who paid himself €1.3 million last year accusing the workers of featherbedding…

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    Mute Michael McGrath
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    Oct 26th 2012, 12:22 PM

    The unions have wanted this strike for some time. They get to shut down the country and show how powerful they are. They’re ok with their big wage packets, while they screw the ordinary people of this country. Not nice people!

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    Mute MathsDebater
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    Oct 26th 2012, 7:32 PM

    Hey, idiot, the Union doesn’t decide when people strike, the workers do

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    Mute eoghan
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    Oct 26th 2012, 11:22 AM

    Their as bad as the teachers almost for striking

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    Mute Seafra O'Cathain
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    Oct 26th 2012, 1:55 PM

    If you become an employee of a semi-state company – as aer lingus was – you are compelled to join their pension scheme. It’s a requirement. If you are required to join the surely the company that insists you Join has an equal responsibility to ensure the fund is properly managed and has a funding plan that is both acceptable and practical? Workers are just fighting for their pension rights.

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    Mute Noddy Mooney
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    Oct 26th 2012, 2:40 PM

    Spot on Seafra. The comments above blaming “the unions” seem to imply the big boys in Liberty Hall are putting a gun to the heads of their gullible members to force them to strike. It’s the majority of Aer Lingus workers that made the decision and fair play to them for fighting for their pensions.

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    Mute MrKnow
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    Oct 26th 2012, 3:47 PM

    I reckon the government will introduce a law that will allow companies losing money due to strikes to hire new staff or fire the striking party! they did it in America in the 80s when air traffic controllers striked and shut one half off the country down, the government simply passed a law because because they seen it a potential threat to the economy and fired them all replacing them with the many people that were looking for work at that time.

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    Mute moneymaid
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    Oct 26th 2012, 1:21 PM

    Please don’t strike I’m flying with them late next month, haven’t had a break in years. I’m living for it :(

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    Mute Bernadette Dunne
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    Oct 26th 2012, 12:45 PM

    For the past 25 years at least it is the same old story with Air Lingus
    Yawn yawn

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