Irish Public Service Broadcasting - 1940s

Public Symphony Concert Series: October 1941-1947

Lieutenant (later Captain) Michael Bowles, Director of Music, organised a public series of symphony concert in Dublin's Mansion House from October 1941 to 1947.

Captain Michael Bowles had become the first full-time Director of Music at Radio Éireann on 1 January 1941, on secondment from the army. Bowles conducted the Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra and established the highly successful series of public concerts.

The programme for each concert included at least one Irish work in addition to popular choices. Tickets for the concerts were in great demand: one concert in Spring 1942, with Sir Adrian Boult as guest conductor, had a repeat performance in the Gaiety Theatre to satisfy the demand for seats.

Radio Éireann during the Emergency : 1939-45

The Emergency was a testing time for Radio Éireann. Censorship was rigorously enforced over all the Irish media between 1939 and 1945 under the Emergency Powers Act and, as a state run service and accessible overseas, Radio Éireann broadcasts received particularly close attention.

War reporting was censored because of the policy of neutrality. Bulletins prepared by the tiny newsroom staff consisted of extracts from official communiqués without any comment. Before being broadcast, these news bulletin scripts were read over the phone to Head of the Government Information Bureau, Frank Gallagher. Before 1939, Mr Gallagher had been Assistant Director at Radio Éireann: he was now its censor.

Neutrality brought other changes. All three Radio Éireann transmitters at Dublin, Cork and Athlone were synchronised onto a single frequency - this measure was intended to prevent the transmitters being used for direction-finding by aircraft.

Furthermore, there was a prohibition on broadcasting weather forecasts, which were regarded as strategically important. Apart from the ongoing annoyance for farmers and fishermen, this policy meant, for example, that a sports commentator would have to omit an innocent phrase such as "it's a lovely day here today in Dublin for the football final".

Operations were also restricted by difficulties in obtaining the necessary parts to keep transmitters running.

Censorship brought in under the Emergency Powers Act was lifted on 11 May 1945.

Eamon de Valera responds to Winston Churchill : 16 May 1945

Towards the end of the Second World War, Winston Churchill, in his Victory in Europe Day speech broadcast to the world, was critical of Taoiseach Eamon de Valera and Ireland's policy of neutrality throughout the war. Three days later, de Valera, in a much anticipated reply, outlined Ireland's right as an independent state to remain neutral. His response was praised widely in Ireland for its strength, dignity and restraint.

In this extract from de Valera's broadcast, he gives credit to Churchill for not violating Irish neutrality. To illustrate his decisions on neutrality, de Valera poses a hypothetical question: if Germany had won the war and occupied England for a number of years, finally giving freedom to England with the exception of six southern counties, would Churchill be prepared to "lead this partitioned England to join with Germany in a crusade..."

De Valera and Broadcasting ...

Investment in a Short Wave Service: 1947

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In 1932, the Broadcast Advisory Committee of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs proposed the introduction of short wave broadcasting for the benefit of "the 4.54 million Irish people living abroad".

A substantial increase in funding for broadcasting in the estimates of 1947 was intended, in particular, to further the cause of short wave broadcasting. In addition to funding for short wave equipment, investment was made available to improve the general standard of radio content to prepare for broadcast on an international platform: the orchestra was expanded, a second orchestra was formed, Radio Éireann Players was founded, several new positions were created to strengthen news, features and outside broadcasting. Although significant representation on the airwaves would require multiple transmitters and several wavelengths, the government remained committed to this project for its political ambition in creating direct communication lines abroad, to the USA in particular.

However, the new coalition government elected in 1948 chose to suspend investment in the short wave project. Although Fianna Fáil revived the project when they came back to power in 1951, the practical difficulties could not be overcome and a short wave service never came into being.

Full Story...

Mobile Recording Unit Introduced: October 1947

The Mobile Recording Unit with disc recorder was introduced in 1947.

Séamus Ennis and Seán MacReamoinn were appointed the first two outside broadcasting officers. Proinnsias Ó Conluain and later Ciarán MacMathúna became broadcasting officers at a later date.

The idea of the outside broadcasting unit was primarily to record speech and music in Irish-speaking areas. Their first trip was to County Kerry, taking a trip out to Valentia Island and visiting the house of author and renowned story-teller, Peig Sayers in Dunquin. With the arrival of two recording unit vans in 1948, the unit was able to tour throughout Ireland and also to Gaelic-speaking locations in Scotland, Wales and Cornwall.

On 5 September 1948, Séamus Ennis recorded on acetate disc 15 songs and stories of sean-nós singer and pipes player Labhrás Ó Cadhla, in his home in Cappoquin, County Waterford.

Recordings of Labhrás Ó Cadhla have been re-mastered and are available on CD at the RTÉ Shop:
Labhrás Ó Cadhla : Amhráin Ó Shliabh gCua...

Listen here to a sample of these recordings.

Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann (the Irish Folklore Commission), was established in 1935 under the direction of Professor Séamus Ó Duilearga. The Commission succeeded the Folklore Institute which had been established in 1927, in order to collect and preserve the oral traditions of the people of Ireland. Staff of Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann worked in collaboration with the Radio Éireann Mobile Recording Unit as they travelled around Ireland and overseas (to the Isle of Man, for example). This work continued when the Commission became Roinn Bhéaloideas Éireann, the Department of Irish Folklore, at University College Dublin, where the extensive Irish Folklore Collections are now housed.

For further study on the collection and documentation of Irish folk tradition, listen to "Lest They Perish", a radio series on the achievement and legacy of Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann / the Irish Folklore Commission:

Lest They Perish...

Mass for the Sick First Broadcast: 1948

Weekly Sunday broadcasts of High Mass began in 1948.

The broadcasts of High Mass were specifically intended for those who were too sick or elderly to attend Mass.

Fr Cathal McCarthy advised Radio Éireann on behalf of Archbishop of Dublin John Charles McQuaid.

Tape Recording introduced at Radio Éireann: December 1949

Tape recording was introduced at the end of 1949, allowing for re-use, longer recording and easier editing.

The introduction of tape recording heralded the end of an era for live broadcasting. For Christmas 1949, a 90-minute pantomime, "Cinderella" with Jimmy O'Dea, was recorded with success.

Listen here to Michael Lawlor, a former news editor with Radio Éireann, describing the work of the newsroom in the 1950s and the impact the arrival of tape made. Michael Lawlor also explains why it was often easier to get international news stories than stories from rural Ireland.

More on Tape Recording ...