I'm sure someone out there could cite other examples for me, but other than these big soccer tournaments, I cannot think of any other programming that RTE does better than the BBC (and, it goes without saying, ITV, which is nearly a joke it's so bad). The actual games themselves are, of course, fairly similar, but there is no comparison in the pre-game, half-time, post-game program on BBC with what's on RTE.
When I first came to Ireland I knew nothing about soccer (other than you weren't supposed to use your hands), but have learned tons from listening to Johnny Giles & Eamonn Dunphy. Those two and the other guys that RTE gets in for these major championships (Trevor Stevens, Dennis Irwin & Liam Brady) are fantastic at explaining what's happening and why.
Turn over to the BBC and you get some decent comment mixed in with a lot of excessive jargon or complete stupidity. My hat's off to RTE for its coverage of the European Championships.
