The evening news
Irish news at six and nine, so you know what is happening at home, live or on catch-up.
Moved to London, Sydney, Boston or the Costa del Sol and miss home? Most Irish players are blocked outside Ireland, so watching the news, the soaps and your county on a Sunday is harder than it should be. This guide explains what works abroad, what does not, and the simplest way for Irish expats to watch Irish TV anywhere.
Irish TV time around the world
The Irish 9pm news lands at a different time in every country. Catch-up lets you watch at yours.
Yes, but not easily on the free Irish players. RTÉ Player and Virgin Media Player are built for viewers in Ireland and block most content abroad, while TG4 makes most of its Irish-language programmes available worldwide. GAA+ streams GAA games to subscribers around the world. To watch the full Irish channels live, with the TV guide and catch-up, many expats use an Irish IPTV subscription, an IPTV Ireland service that works on any internet connection in any country.
Here is how the main Irish services behave when you are abroad, based on what each service and independent guides said in 2026.
| Service | Outside Ireland | Details |
|---|---|---|
| RTÉ Player | Mostly blocked | Built for viewers in Ireland. Most programmes and live channels are not available when you are outside the country. Source |
| TG4 Player | Mostly available | TG4 says most of its Irish-language content is available worldwide. Some programmes have rights restrictions and need an Irish location. Source |
| Virgin Media Player | Ireland only | Geographically restricted to Ireland because of broadcasting rights. Downloads made in Ireland can be watched offline. Source |
| GAA+ | Available worldwide | The GAA's own streaming service, aimed at viewers in Ireland and the Irish abroad, with live inter-county games for subscribers. Source |
| IrishIPTV | Works everywhere | Irish channels live with the TV guide and catch-up, plus UK channels, sport, films and series, on any internet connection. |
Under the EU's portability rules, paid online streaming subscriptions that you take out at home must keep working when you are temporarily in another EU country, such as on holiday in Spain or Portugal. Free services can choose whether to offer this, so free players may still block you. These rules cover temporary stays inside the EU only. They do not help if you live abroad permanently, or if you are in the UK, the US or Australia.
Pick where you live to see the time difference, when Irish evening TV lands for you, and our tips for that part of the world.
The UK has the largest Irish community abroad, and the time zone is the same as Ireland all year, so live Irish news, the soaps and Sunday GAA land at exactly the same time as at home.
Popular for holiday homes, retirees and remote workers. Spain is one hour ahead of Ireland and Portugal is on the same time, so Irish evenings line up neatly with your own.
A huge Irish diaspora, from Boston and New York to Chicago and Toronto. On the east coast Ireland is usually five hours ahead, so live Irish sport often lands in your morning.
Many young Irish people live and work here. Ireland is 9 to 11 hours behind Sydney depending on the time of year, so Irish evening TV arrives in your next morning.
Popular with Irish teachers, nurses, engineers and aviation staff. The UAE is 3 to 4 hours ahead of Ireland, so Irish evening shows land late at night.
From Amsterdam and Berlin to Paris and Warsaw, most of mainland Europe is one hour ahead of Ireland, so Irish TV fits easily into your evening.
We help Irish expats every day. These are the things they ask for most, and all of them are on the Irish channels with IrishIPTV.
Irish news at six and nine, so you know what is happening at home, live or on catch-up.
The Irish soaps, Friday night chat shows and current affairs that families talk about at the weekend.
Your county in the Championship, plus Irish rugby and League of Ireland when they are broadcast.
Irish-language programmes and kids shows, great for keeping children connected to the language.
The programmes Irish children grow up with, so kids abroad share the same shows as their cousins.
St Patrick's Day, Irish matches in big tournaments and the New Year countdown, live with home.
For many Irish people abroad, the GAA is what they miss most. There are two main ways to follow your county from overseas.
The GAA's own service streams inter-county games to subscribers worldwide. In 2026 it had 40 exclusive live Championship games, with a season pass, single matches and passes for clubs.
IrishIPTV gives you the Irish channels live wherever you are, so you can watch GAA when it is broadcast, with catch-up for games that fall in the middle of your night.
Club championship games are streamed on Clubber TV and county board services, which are usually open to viewers abroad.
There are GAA clubs from London to Sydney and New York. Many show big games in their clubhouse, which is a great way to watch with other Irish people.
Prices and every sport option are on our live sport in Ireland guide.
You do not need a satellite dish or anything shipped from home. Any of these setups works in any country.
The simplest option. Buy one locally or bring one from home, plug it into the TV, install our free app and log in.
Most Samsung and LG smart TVs from recent years work with a player app. We activate your account on the TV for you.
Popular in Spain and the Middle East. Install our free Android app or IPTV Smarters and log in.
Perfect for travelling, working holidays and hotel rooms. Watch on Wi-Fi or mobile data anywhere.
Use a player app from the App Store to watch on Apple devices in any country.
Send us the box MAC address and we add the portal remotely, wherever in the world the box is.
It fits in a pocket and works on any hotel or holiday-home TV with an HDMI port.
Firesticks use a USB power plug, so a plug adapter is all you need in most countries.
Run a quick speed test. 10 Mbps is enough for HD, 25 Mbps for 4K.
HD versions of channels use far less data than 4K when you watch on your phone.
Watching on holiday counts as one of your screens, so plan with family members at home.
Our WhatsApp support works in every country, 24/7.
Living in a different time zone means the Irish evening often falls in your morning or the middle of your night. With the TV guide and catch-up on the main Irish channels, you can go back and watch the news, the soaps or the match at a time that suits you, just like you would at home.
See the Irish channelsMany guides tell expats to use a VPN to make the Irish players think they are in Ireland. Players actively block many VPN servers, and their terms of use may not allow it, so it can be unreliable. An IPTV subscription does not need a VPN to work abroad. If your local broadband slows streams at busy times, a VPN can sometimes help, and our buffering fix guide explains when.
The free 24-hour trial works in every country. See the Irish channels, the guide and catch-up from your home abroad.
Mostly no. RTÉ Player is built for viewers in Ireland and most programmes and live channels are blocked outside the country. Some content may be available, but the full service is not.
Yes, mostly. TG4 says most of its Irish-language content is available worldwide. Programmes with rights restrictions are marked on its listings and need an Irish location.
No. Virgin Media Player is restricted to Ireland because of broadcasting rights. You can download some programmes in Ireland and watch them offline later.
GAA+ streams inter-county games to subscribers worldwide. With IrishIPTV you can also watch the Irish channels live when GAA is broadcast, with catch-up for games during your night.
An Irish IPTV subscription gives you the Irish channels live, with the TV guide and catch-up, on a Firestick or smart TV. The time is the same as Ireland, so everything is live at the usual time.
Use an IPTV app on a Firestick, smart TV, Android box or phone. Live Irish sport usually lands in your morning, and catch-up lets you watch the Irish evening after work.
Use IPTV with catch-up. Ireland is 9 to 11 hours behind Sydney, so watch the Irish evening schedule the next day at a time that suits you.
Yes. IrishIPTV works on any Spanish broadband or mobile connection. Spain is one hour ahead, so the Irish 9pm news is at 10pm your time.
No. IrishIPTV works on any internet connection in any country without a VPN.
Yes. Bring your Firestick or use your phone or tablet. Remember that watching on holiday uses one of your plan's screens.
EU portability rules let paid subscriptions keep working while you are temporarily in another EU country. They do not cover living abroad or countries outside the EU, and free players can choose to block you.
The same as at home: about 10 Mbps for HD and 25 Mbps for 4K on one screen. Shared apartment Wi-Fi can be slower at night, so test it first.
With IrishIPTV you can watch the Irish channels live as they are broadcast, with catch-up on the main channels, so you can follow your favourite Irish programmes from anywhere.
Most IPTV apps let you set the time zone, so the guide shows programmes in your local time. Set it once in the app settings.
Yes. You order on WhatsApp from anywhere in the world, and we send you the payment options available before you pay.
Yes. The free 24-hour trial works in any country, so you can test the Irish channels on your own local broadband before you buy.
IrishIPTV plans start at €14.99 for one month, and the 12-month plan costs €65, about €5.42 a month, wherever you live.
Each plan is for one household. If you want to watch abroad while family at home also watch, pick the 2 or 3-screen plan and keep the screens for your own household.
Test the Irish channels on your own local broadband, free for 24 hours. No card, set up on WhatsApp in minutes, wherever you live.