Offaly footballers and hurlers to get "live" TV treatment

Offaly"s Leinster senior football championship clash with Kildare and the Faithful County"s provincial hurling quarter-final with Wexford will both be televised "live" on RTÉ. The Offaly footballers begin their Leinster championship campaign when they take on Kildare in Portlaoise on Sunday, May 24, while Joe Dooley"s hurlers face Wexford in the Leinster SHC quarter-final on Saturday, May 30. RTÉ announced his schedule of fixtures for the 2009 championship season this week. Up to 40 GAA fixtures will be broadcast exclusively live by RTÉ Television for the 2009 Championship. Fermanagh"s encounter with Down in the Ulster SFC will kick off the first programme of the new series of The Sunday Game Live on May 17. GAA fans can look forward to all the action and excitement of this year"s Hurling and Football Championship Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals as well as all the Minor Football and Hurling Semi-Finals and Finals, the All-Ireland Senior Hurling and Football Championship qualifiers, and the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Final. Viewers of "The Sunday Game Live" can also look forward to the highly-anticipated clashes between Tyrone and Armagh and Meath against Dublin in football, as well as the Munster senior hurling showdowns between Tipperary and Cork, and Limerick and Waterford, in what is sure to be another hugely exciting GAA season. Featuring highlights of all the other championship matches, analysis and celebrations of the GAA"s 125th anniversary throughout the season, GAA fans can also tune to "The Sunday Game" highlights programme, which will make a return with Des Cahill at the helm on 17th May. "The Sunday Game Live" continues to draw huge viewing audiences with 2008"s All-Ireland Senior Hurling and Football Finals featuring in the top 10 most watched programmes across all channels for the year, with average audiences of 709,000 and 703,000 respectively.