January – The compliance committee of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland upholds a further ten complaints against TV3 in relation to Play TV. A further three complaints are upheld in February.
8 January – Amid a deep freeze and in what has since been commemorated as "one of the most memorable moments of Irish television", an RTÉ news bulletin broadcasts one male individual slipping and sliding down the street in Dublin.[1]
1 February – Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan signs an agreement with the UK's Ben Bradshaw enabling viewers within Northern Ireland to watch RTÉ One, RTÉ Two and TG4 on a free-to-air basis as of 2012.[2][3] The agreement between both jurisdictions will also guarantee that viewers within the Republic of Ireland will be able to view BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC Two Northern Ireland on the Republic's free-to-air service which is to debut in late 2010. A cross-border initiative has always been on the agenda for the Green Party in the Republic of Ireland, but it is later confirmed that BBC Northern Ireland services will be offered in the Republic on a 'paid-for' basis and not the original free-to-air basis.[4]
26 February – An edition of RTÉ One's The Late Late Show aired on this date attracts criticism after accusations the show snubbed a television journalist from a rival broadcaster. TV3's Western Correspondent Jenny McCudden was in the audience to promote her book Impact: The Human Stories Behind Ireland's Road Tragedies, but although the title was mentioned by host Ryan Tubridy, McCudden's presence was ignored.[5]
3 March – TV3 announces that Play TV's contract has been terminated with immediate effect. In their statement they put the removal of the "infomercial" down purely to audience figures rather than the complaints received and upheld by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. They do not apologise for their conduct.[6]
19 April – The first part of Growing Up Gay, a groundbreaking[7] two-part documentary series, is broadcast on RTÉ One, exploring the experiences of the first generation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people growing up in an Ireland where it was legal to be themselves.[8][9][10]
18 August – In an interview with The Irish Times to launch the network's autumn schedule, TV3 CEO David McRedmond admits that mistakes have been made regarding Play TV and that the programme was axed not just due to falling audience figures, but also due to the bad press and the regulators constant scrutiny of the show. He still refuses to apologise to viewers on behalf of TV3.[13]
9 September – TV3 begins airing Brain Box, an interactive quiz already showing on UTV in Northern Ireland and STV in Scotland, but ceases transmission after a week. The programme continued on UTV and STV until February 2011.
19 September – Long running children's television block The Den gets axed after being shown on Irish television for over 24 years on RTÉ Two.
November – RTÉ News Now's iPhone app wins Best Media app, Best Apple App and the Grand Prix awards at 'The Appy's 2010 with The Carphone Warehouse'.[16]
10 December – A Dublin inquest hears that cocaine was most likely the cause of the death of Gerry Ryan after traces of the drug were found in the broadcaster's body.[18]
