Traveling outside of your beautiful country brings about many shortcomings – one of them is not being able to watch RTÉ abroad. RTÉ is the Holy Grail of Irish TV channels, offering abundant content, tons of entertainment, and heart-pumping movies and series—all for free. Being in Ireland isn’t an issue – it’s when you’re on foreign soil.
RTÉ can broadcast only in Ireland, leaving the rest of the world deprived. The solution is rather simple. You can go to Ireland or get an Irish IP address with a VPN and unblock RTÉ overseas in seconds. We’ll demonstrate the latter because it’s much easier. On top of that, the workaround is risk-free and is guaranteed to work.
Unblocking RTÉ Outside Ireland: Our In-Depth Guide
Let’s make haste and immediately give you the workaround. As teased previously, a VPN will do the job just fine if it offers Irish VPN servers. Beware that VPNs with only UK servers won’t work, as RTÉ is exclusive to Ireland.
Which one do we recommend? NordVPN.
It has over 50 fast Irish servers paired with unlimited bandwidth and impeccable site-unblocking abilities. NordVPN is risk-free, as promised, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. So, if you’re abroad temporarily, you can be refunded once you’re back in Ireland.
Watch RTÉ Outside Ireland With NordVPN
This allows you to watch RTÉ outside Ireland while not spending a single penny (for up to 30 days). Let’s cover the steps needed to make it work, with a worthy screenshot as proof that it works:
- Get your NordVPN subscription. 2-year plans are the cheapest but if you need it for less than a month, a monthly plan will do the job just fine.
- Install NordVPN on the device you’ll use for this scenario.
- Open NordVPN’s app and log in with your email and password.
- Press “More Connection Options” to unravel the server list.
- Find Ireland and click/tap it once to connect to a server in this country.
- Go to RTÉ, sign in, and watch anything you like.
Why Is RTÉ Blocked Outside Ireland?
You know there’s a good reason you can’t watch RTÉ abroad. It lies in geo-restrictions that are the consequence of licensing agreements. This is the problem with other streaming platforms whose content, for various reasons, can be displayed only in certain locations.
In this case, RTÉ is Irish, so it’s clear why it works only three. Also, the channel doesn’t own all of its content, so the majority is controlled by various copyright holders. This makes the channel “compliant” and willing to listen to the copyright holder to be able to operate.
There are various license agreements and rights each channel goes through. If these agreements contain location restrictions, channels and streaming platforms must adhere to them. After that, a geo-restriction is enforced through people’s IP addresses.
Each website visitor has a unique IP address. However, this IP address has its location, which is a key parameter. If you have an IP address from Great Britain, it’s clear as day that RTÉ won’t work. If the IP is from Ireland, the site will “see” you as if you’re there, allowing immediate access.
That’s why the VPN workaround works so well. VPNs can make you look like you’re somewhere else and unblock region-locked content. This goes far beyond RTÉ. Websites like Netflix, Hulu, Hotstar, and others are unblocked the same way – by altering your IP address.
Best VPNs to Watch RTÉ Outside of Ireland in 2026
You can safely unblock RTÉ abroad and watch it limitlessly, as long as you use a reliable VPN. Gizmodo tested hundreds but we always go back to these three, as they’re the most effective:
9200 servers
167 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
10 simultaneous connections
9.4 /10
3000 servers
105 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
10 simultaneous connections
9.1 /10
27000 servers
91 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
Unlimited connections
9 /10
1. NordVPN
NordVPN is always our go-to choice when discussing streaming. It’s a provider with support for all devices, 10 simultaneous connections, and speedy servers to keep you wanting more. NordVPN’s price is modest, and at $3 or so a month, you won’t get a better provider.
Features
NordVPN packs over 6,400 servers globally, with 50 in Ireland. It’s ideal for accessing RTÉ overseas or getting an Irish IP address for, let’s say, online banking. This provider uses NordLynx, which is WireGuard’s improved version in terms of stability and security.
Using this protocol brings about amazing performance, with speed reductions of merely 18% on average. This goes well with its streaming-friendly apps for Firestick, Apple TV, and a myriad of Smart TVs for watching RTÉ anywhere in Ultra HD.
Is NordVPN safe? We’ve answered positively to that in the review of NordVPN. Users enjoy its bank-grade encryption, RAM-based servers, and a Double VPN for a steel wall of encryption. A zero-log policy is there too to keep your online privacy intact.
We’ll mention an automatic kill switch as one of the key features, plus Meshnet for remote device access and IP routing. NordVPN’s 24/7 support is impressive, so if things go south, they’ll help you the same day. However, things rarely go south with this piece of VPN.
Price
NordVPN is one of the least expensive VPNs. If you opt for its 2-year Basic plan, you can pay a little over $3.1 a month. This is the superior deal for watching RTÉ abroad, as it’s covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee as a failsafe if you don’t need the VPN anymore.
Watch RTÉ Anywhere With NordVPN
2. ExpressVPN
If you find NordVPN lacking for some reason, ExpressVPN is a safe alternative and one of the best VPNs with servers in Ireland. Rest assured, its 3,000+ servers and many in Ireland will be more than enough to watch RTÉ abroad within seconds.
Features
ExpressVPN has no shortage of amazing features. It offers uncapped bandwidth and some of the fastest speeds to bring your streaming to another level. Adding to its quality is Smart DNS compatibility, ensuring you can stream on any device without setting up a VPN.
The provider comes with OpenVPN and Lightway protocols, both suitable for this purpose. Lightway is our preferred option because of its speed and stability. ExpressVPN works wonderfully with streaming services – not only RTÉ abroad.
Can you watch Netflix?
Yes, ExpressVPN unblocks more than 15 Netflix catalogs for pure enjoyment. Torrenting is also allowed here, and so are Onion Over VPN connections for those who browse the dark web. This provider has 8 simultaneous connections – more than enough for most.
On top of everything, its intuitive apps span all platforms. You’ll find it usable on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Like NordVPN, it isn’t riddled with issues, so you’ll rarely face inconveniences. No wonder it’s enjoyed by millions of users globally.
Price
This VPN costs more than NordVPN but that shouldn’t worry you. Gizmodo lets you shoot your shot with an exclusive 49% discount thanks to 3 free months for its annual plan. With a 30-day money-back guarantee, you don’t have to lose a single dollar.
Unblock RTÉ Abroad With ExpressVPN
3. Private Internet Access
PIA takes the last place on this list of the best VPNs to access RTÉ outside Ireland in 2026. This provider has all you need, including hundreds of Irish servers, top-tier streaming performance, and applications you can download for free on any device.
Features
While it’s more privacy-oriented, PIA is a worthy competitor in the streaming market. For example, it has dedicated streaming servers, some of which can unblock Netflix. Irish servers, in particular, display great performance, especially when using WireGuard.
Private Internet Access uses 10 Gbps server ports and bases each server on RAM, adding to the overall performance. Rest assured, PIA doesn’t skimp on Smart DNS support, so it’s again here for the ease of streaming. We appreciate PIA MACE too – a reliable ad-blocker.
Another perk is Shadowsocks, which enables obfuscation and bypasses various firewall restrictions. Private Internet Access doesn’t offer a Firestick app, so explore this list for better Firestick VPNs. On the other hand, it’s compatible with Android TVs and mobile devices.
Since we touched on devices, let’s address its unlimited simultaneous connections. They allow you to protect as many devices without paying more. Finally, there are optional add-ons like an antivirus and dedicated IP addresses not found in ExpressVPN.
Price
This, and many other features, can be enjoyed for as low as approximately two quids a month for its 2-year plan with 2 free months. Here’s how to watch RTÉ outside Ireland on a budget or even for free, with the aforementioned 30-day money-back guarantee.
Access RTÉ Outside of Ireland With PIA
Can I Watch RTÉ Abroad for Free?
Yes, you can by using a risk-free VPN like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Private Internet Access. As for really free VPNs, it’s pretty hard to find a good one that can unblock RTÉ overseas. The reason lies in the absence of Irish VPN servers in 99% of the free VPNs.
Some of the best examples are Proton VPN, Hide.me, and PrivadoVPN. These are exceptional free choices with strong security and unbreakable privacy, yet, with only a few server locations. We can think of Hola VPN as a free option but not for us, for many reasons.
Hola VPN and similar providers store logs and track your every step online. While they work like a premium VPN on the surface, their background is fifty shades of grey – and perhaps some black. If you want to pay nothing and watch RTÉ abroad, you can try TunnelBear.
Its vast server park has Irish servers, albeit, with a 2 GB monthly bandwidth allowance. This is all but enough to watch it for a day, let alone a few weeks.
Summary
To summarize, unblocking RTÉ abroad is a no-quibble job. You can pretend to be Irish by using a VPN and obtaining an IP address from this country. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Private Internet Access fit the bill ideally and are risk-free VPNs.
So, why the wait?
Now that you have your solution, don’t hesitate to use it. Immerse yourself in RTÉ’s world of entertainment for the entire family and keep binging its award-winning blockbusters.