Radio Times

Radio Times

We were setting up an Amazon Echo  recently so that we can have ready access to our super intelligent house guest Alexa.

When the system was operational, I asked her to play The Wests Awake for me and she duly obliged. At the end of the song, I wanted to find out when Marconi invented the first radio signal and immediately, she informed me that Guglielmo Marconi invented it in 1895 and patented it.

When I heard this bit of news I thought about the development of radio in Ireland since 2RN was launched in Dublin in 1926 by our newly established Irish Free State and supervised by the fledging Dept of Post and Telegraph. This was a very turbulent period in the history of Ireland with great political and social change.

We had joined the communications world. In 1932 new transmitters were installed in Cork and Athlone and we had a nationwide service. It was a good start for Irish radio which provided a limited daily service initially. I remember my father came down first to the kitchen every morning and turned on the radio waiting for the news and weather. We first heard the O Donnell Abu tune followed by the bips to start the morning transmission. We also knew it was time to be finished breakfast and get on our bikes for school.

Radio Eireann had a morning and evening service with breaks in between. It finished at 11pm each night with the playing of the National Anthem. Times were so different then. We had news and weather, live commentaries on sports and other events locally, nationally and worldwide. I remember the winter evenings when we'd all sit in a semi-circle around the fire, my mother knitting, my father and my sister and myself reading and listening to the radio. It was so peaceful, cosy and safe. 

In my second year in college in 1966 the RTE authority was formed, which was a semi state body and gave the radio and TV people more independence. We had a recital in college by the RTE Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the event.

Some years later RTE 2FM was launched targeting a younger audience with more pop and rock music. Radio na Gaeltachta was also launched to promote the Irish Language and culture. These two stations have been a great success.

Around this time also there was a proliferation of pirate radio stations popping up everywhere. They garnered a huge audience forcing the government to pass legislation to legalize them in 1988. Now they are an integral vibrant part of most urban and rural communities across the land of Ireland advertising and promoting local events.

Nowadays we also have the highly successful privately owned Today FM and Newstalk broadcasting nationally.

RTE quickly adopted the USA model of commercially sponsored radio.

I remember the Waltons programme which was a regular feature of Irish Radio every Saturday afternoon for nearly 30 years. This was a weekly programme produced by Leo Maguire who was a prolific composer and opera singer. I remember “The whistling Gypsy” composed by him. Waltons owned a music shop situated in North Frederick Street in Dublin. They were the main stockists of musical instruments in Dublin. On their radio show they played mainly Irish music and songs. They finished each transmission with ‘If you feel like singing, do sing an Irish Song’. That closing line at the end of each programme is solidly etched on my brain having heard it for many years.

When we were students in Drumcondra we visited the shop on our way into the city on Saturdays. It was also near the Castle Hotel which was owned by Kerry people, and we often rambled in there for the big feed of turkey and ham or beef stew. It was a break from college food. I digress so I revert to our radio days.

I remember that legendary ‘Dear Frankie, a Jacob’s biscuits sponsored programme which ran from 1963-1985. It was an integral part of most households lives for over 20 years. Frankie Byrne was an agony aunt, and people wrote in letters asking her to assist them solve their problems. I suppose in a way it was the forerunner of Live line with Joe Duffy.

Jacob’s biscuits, the cream of Irish biscuits were also the sponsors of Jacobs Club House which played very nice soothing music.

I fondly remember the Lyons tea programme with its catchy jingle of ‘Buy Lyons the Quality Tea’. Later when RTE television came into being their dancing minstrels were a great hit while advertising their teas.

We had further programmes from the ESB hour promoting their rural electrification programme. Yes, many Irish homes were still on candle power. The radio programme was urging people to purchase their new labour-saving devices like washing machines and other electrical appliances.

Country life was livened up with the regular weekly “Take the Floor’ with Denis Fitzgibbon, more popularly known as Din Joe. He travelled the country recording these 

programmes returning to Dublin for the day job. He was in control of Volkswagen firstly and later became MD of Toyota Ireland. This was an extremely popular radio show where people learned to dance on the radio as Din Joe shouted out the steps.

I remember with fondness the soaps like “The Kennedys of Castle Ross”, “Harbour Hotel “and the last soap RTE Radio ever produced “Konvenience Korner” by Lee Dunne

Perhaps my fondest memory was The Glen Abbey Show with the inimitable Frank Kelly. His fictitious comedic character for the show, Gobnait O Lúnasa, never failed to amuse me.

Life was simple then when we listened to Radio one. There was no other option.

Nowadays we are spoilt for choice since communication has improved with a multiplicity of radio programmes available online, on our car radios, our phones and on Amazon Echo in our homes.

I think it is fascinating that I can ask our family guru Alexa to assist me in playing music, setting an egg timer, telling me  the weather forecast or give me a recipe for Hungarian Goulash, Shepherd’s Pie or whatever you fancy.

We have travelled a long windy road to get to this stage since 1926 and nowadays adapt, on an almost daily basis, to the digital age with podcasts and live streaming.