Nighthawks was an Irish television series broadcast on Network 2. It was hosted by Shay Healy. It was part of the major re-brand of RTÉ Two as Network 2 in 1988.
The programme, which began broadcasting in the late 1980s, was a three times-weekly, late-night series. Nighthawks was produced for its first two seasons by David Blake-Knox. In its third season the series producer was Anne Enright, later to become a Booker Prize-winning novelist. In its final season, it was produced by Briain Mac Lochlainn. The Irish Film and Television Awards-nominated director Charlie McCarthy and producers David McKenna and Philip Kampf also worked on the programme. The show's signature tune was composed by Ronan Johnston. It also featured several contributory sketches from Nuala Kelly, Joe Taylor, and Orla McGovern.
An early star of the series was Northern Irish comedian Kevin McAleer, who specialised in rambling but amusing monologues to camera. The Irish actor/comedian-turned British television presenter Graham Norton also appeared on Nighthawks early in his career.
Nighthawks was produced by RTÉ Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The programme was documented in the first episode of the 2008 RTÉ television series reviewing Irish comedy, Boom! Boom! The Explosion of Irish Comedy. The Irish folk and contemporary singer Mary Black has remarked on her website on the programme's 1989 connection to her song "No Frontiers". When RTÉ Radio issued new rate cards covering the period from 20 December 1999 until 4 June 2000, it used the term "Nighthawks" to refer to the fourteen spot nighttime packages it was making available on RTÉ 2fm.
