Irish Public Service Broadcasting - 1970s

Ireland Wins the Eurovision Song Contest: 21 March 1970

In Amsterdam on 21 March 1970, Ireland won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "All Kinds of Everything", written by Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith, and sung by Dana (Rosemary Brown), an eighteen-year-old girl from the Bogside in Derry.

Eanna Brophy in the "RTÉ Guide" reported:

"There we were, all 200 million of us, watching 26 stations strung across the globe from Russia to South America, giving the schoolgirl from Derry our full attention and admiration as she sang her way out of the classroom and into stardom. For Irish viewers there hasn't been an occasion to compare since Ronnie Delaney won the Olympic 1,500 metres in Melbourne in 1956, and at that time we had to depend on radio or foreign television stations."

The Advent of Colour Television: 1971

The 1970s saw tremendous investment by RTÉ in the new technology of colour television. The first broadcasts in colour had taken place in 1968, but it took a further five years of work before colour transmissions became a regular event on Irish television. Colour was introduced into RTÉ in three phases. Firstly, relays of sports events and other programmes were taken from the Eurovision network. Secondly, colourisation of playback equipment allowed transmission of home-produced films and video productions. Lastly, the studios and Outside Broadcasting Units were converted to full working colour.

In 1976, "The Late Late Show" finally went colour, the last major programme to undergo the change. By this year all studios, outside broadcast and film production units were full colour.

The Railway Cup Finals of 1971 was the first home-produced colour production, followed soon after by Ireland's first hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest in April.

View Bernadette Ní Ghallchóir's introduction to the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest from Dublin's Gaiety Theatre.

New Radio Centre Completed: April 1971

The new Radio Centre at Montrose was completed in April 1971 and live radio broadcasts from Montrose began on 24 September 1973. The move began from the GPO in O'Connell Street, which had been the home of radio since 1929. On 22 September 1973, the "Cork Examiner" reported: "RTÉ Radio Switches to Donnybrook- Live broadcasting from the new RTÉ Radio Centre will begin next Monday".

The first scheduled programmes were "Rogha Ceoil", "Music on the Move" and "Morning Airs". The Henry Street studios were gradually vacated. Apart from continuity announcements, transmissions from Henry Street had ceased by May 1974. At that stage, all but three of the thirteen new studios in Montrose were operational. By 1976, Henry Street was a broadcasting memory.

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"Newsbeat" Ends after 7 Years: 11 June 1971

"Newsbeat" was a half-hour feature programme which ran on television from Monday to Friday from September 1964 to June 1971. Reporting on stories from around the country, "Newsbeat" covered affairs of the day with contributions from print journalists and RTÉ news staff.

"Hall's Pictorial Weekly" Goes to Air: 29 September 1971

Frank Hall's amusing and satirical series began in 1971 with the full title "Hall's Pictorial Weekly Incorporating the Provincial Vindicator". In this clip from the first programme, Frank Hall tries to establish where exactly the centre of Ireland is.

Section 31 and Political Censorship: 1960-1994

In the early 1970s, reporting on the increasingly complex politics of Northern Ireland created editorial dilemmas for RTÉ. On 1 October 1971, Taoiseach Jack Lynch issued the first directive under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Authority Act 1960, which allowed government to communicate a formal written directive to RTÉ to refrain from broadcasting "matter of any particular class". In this case, the goverment prohibited RTÉ from broadcasting anything that could be interpreted as supporting the aims or activities of organisations which "engage in, promote, encourage or advocate the attaining of any political objective by violent means". The RTÉ Authority considered the wording of the directive was unclear but were unsuccessful in obtaining further clarification from the government.

Section 31 eventually led to the dismissal of all nine members of the RTÉ Authority when, at lunch-time on 24 November 1972, RTÉ Radio broadcast a report based on an interview by Kevin O'Kelly with a member of the IRA, Seán Mac Stiofáin. On 26 November, O'Kelly was imprisoned for contempt of court when, during the trial of MacStiofáin, O'Kelly refused to identify the defendant as the subject of the interview.

In October 1976, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, Conor Cruise O'Brien, issued a directive to RTÉ which supplied clarifications on the directive of 1971. O'Brien specified the particular organisations whose members were banned from broadcast.

Breach of trust by infringing the 1976 directive of Section 31 was the basis for the dismissal of a "Morning Ireland" journalist in 1988.

Section 31 was repealed by Minister Michael D. Higgins in 1994.

View a clip here from RTÉ's current affairs programme "7 Days" from 1971, following the Taoiseach Jack Lynch's issuing of a directive to RTÉ in relation to Sections 31.

RaidiÓ na Gaeltachta: 2 April 1972

Bunaíodh RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta le seirbhís iomlán raidió a chur ar fáil do phobal na Gaeltachta agus do lucht labhartha na Gaeilge ar fud na tíre. Tháinig an stáisiún ar an aer don chéad uair ag 3 pm, Domhnach Cásca, 2 Aibreán 1972.

Raidió na Gaeltachta began broadcasting from its main studio at Casla in Conamara on Easter Sunday, 2 April 1972. Pádraic Ó Raghallaigh was the first head of the Irish language national radio service. Two other studios at Baile na nGall in Kerry and na Doirí Beaga in Donegal were in use within the first year. Three VHF transmitters (at Maghera in Clare, Truskmore in Sligo and Mullaghanish in Cork) and one local MF transmitter ensured that the service was available to all Gaeltacht areas in the west of Ireland.

View here an RTÉ News item about the opening of the station. Breandán Ó hEithir's report includes footage of Pádraic Ó Raghallaigh, a blessing at the station's first studio in Casla, and Raidío na Gaeltachta's first outside broadcast, a mass celebrated at St MacDara's Church in An Cheathrú Rua.

"Gay Byrne Hour" Begins: 2 February 1973

The "Gay Byrne Hour" began on radio on 2 February 1973. In a rapidly changing Ireland, the programme become the public forum for many topics and debates of the day. In 1979 the "Gay Byrne Hour" became the "Gay Byrne Show" when it was given extended air time.

Listen here to the opening of a "Gay Byrne Hour".

"Going Strong", A Series for the Elderly Begins: 23 September 1975

"Going Strong" was presented by Bunny Carr and Ann O'Dwyer. The programme was aimed at senior citizens and retired people. Guests from around the country recalled their lives and the changes in Irish life that they had witnessed. Many of the guests would also perform a song or play a musical instrument. As well as offering advice to the elderly, Ann O'Dwyer sang songs requested by viewers and was accompanied on piano by Jack McGinn and later, Jim Doherty.

This popular afternoon programme ran until 1983.

In this extract, you can view Paddy Dempsey living in Dunboyne, Meath, telling Ann O'Dwyer about being knocked over by a bull and how he never married because he was spoiled for choice with the "mots".

Liberties Local Radio Experiment

For one week in May 1977, RTÉ set up a local community radio in Dublin's Liberties. Broadcasting on VHF for one week, RTÉ provided the equipment, expertise and local people to make the programmes. The topics included: the Liberties long ago, sports reports, household hints, pop music and reports from the local schools.

Listen here to Freda McGough's report for "Here and Now" on the experiment and the views of producer Breandán Ó Cíobháin and Liberties locals.

RTÉ Launches Second Television Channel: 2 November 1978

The 1970s were a period of great investment by RTÉ in new services. Apart from introducing colour television, the organisation was also faced with the challenge of establishing a second television station. At first, it was suggested by the Minister for Post and Telegraphs, Conor Cruise O'Brien, that a simple relay of a BBC channel would satisfy demand for more programming while remaining inexpensive to operate.

This idea was eventually dropped in favour of an indigenous channel controlled by RTÉ, following a survey of public opinion. Taoiseach Jack Lynch launched the second television channel, RTÉ 2 from the Opera House in Cork.

View a clip here from the opening night of RTÉ 2, with the new station's announcers.

Radio 2 is Launched: 31 May 1979

RTÉ Radio 2 was launched on 31 May 1979. Brendan Balfe was the first voice on the new station when he introduced Radio 2's first presenter Larry Gogan. New presenters included Dave Fanning, Gerry Ryan, Marty Whelan and Ian Dempsey.

The new station quickly established an identity for itself with sponsorship of the Dublin City Marathon, the Radio 2 Roadcaster and a high profile commitment to supporting Irish contemporary music.

Pope John Paul II Visits Ireland: 29 September 1979

Pope John Paul ll visited Ireland from 29 September to 1 October 1979. RTÉ Radio and Television provided comprehensive coverage of the visit. This clip shows the Pope arriving at Dublin Airport and kissing the tarmac.

"Women Today" First Broadcast: 31 May 1979

"Women Today", presented by Marian Finucane and produced by Clare Duignan, was first broadcast on 31 May 1979. The show was proposed by Clare Duignan to redress the inadequate representation of women in RTÉ broadcasting. Dealing with women's issues, the show was immediately popular with listeners, which ensured it stayed in a prime slot. Subjects in the first season of broadcast included "women in the Churches, depression, psychological effects of miscarriage, broken engagements, an interview with Margaret Thatcher, lesbianism, women in education, in sport, in music..." ("RTÉ Guide", 6 July 1979).

In the same year, the RTÉ Authority set up a Working Party on Women in Broadcasting "to consider job opportunities for women in RTÉ, the participation and representation of women in programmes, and the portrayal of women in advertisements". The working party submitted its report in April 1981.

In relation to "Participation of Women as Programme-Makers and Presenters", the report commented:

"A lone Martian, orbiting the earth, who happened to tune in to some hours of Irish radio or television, might well conclude that humankind is divided into two sexes in proportions six-to-one."

The working party reported that "Women make up only 9% of radio producers, 16% of television producers/directors, and about 15% of news journalists" and noted that "Inevitably, these internal imbalances are reflected in programme output".

The Authority agreed to set up an action plan and form a liaison group with staff to monitor the Authority's responses to the report's recommendations. It was also agreed to report on progress in further annual reports.

Listen here to an extract from "Women Today" in 1979 on the subject of sex education in Ireland.