RTÉ to air 1993 interview with President Michael D Higgins

A radio series that includes a 1990s interview with President Michael D Higgins, which was pulled from RTÉ last year because of a legal dispute, is due to begin airing on Wednesday.

The four-part series, The Joe Jackson Tapes Revisited, is based on interviews by the journalist with four public figures, when he worked as a freelancer for Hot Press magazine in the 1980s and 1990s. It was dropped from RTÉ Radio 1's schedule last December after the State broadcaster received a letter from Hot Press challenging copyright.

The matter has since been resolved.

At 10pm, on August 31st, the first of the programmes will feature an interview with the President from 1993, when he was minister for the arts, culture and the Gaeltacht.

Hans Zomer, communications adviser to the President confirmed, last December, he asked RTÉ for a copy of the programme and was given one, but said he made no representations about it.

The other interviewees were actor Gabriel Byrne; U2’s Bono; and the late Jimmy Savile.