ABSTRACT

When Teilifís Éireann made its debut on the final day of 1961, President Éamon de Valera spoke to the nation, in both Irish and English, about his hope that the service would “build up the character of a whole people, inducing sturdiness and vigor and confidence.” A few moments later he expressed the desire that those in charge of the service “bear in mind that we are an old nation and that we have our own distinctive characteristics and that it is desirable that these should be preserved” (Raidió Teilifís Éireann, n.d., entry b). The Irish Press the next morning focused on this thought, with a headline reading “Keep our distinctive characteristics alive, Mr. de Valera says” (Irish Press, 1962, p. 1). The event echoed one 36 years earlier, when the television service’s forerunner Raidió Éireann went on the air on New Year’s Day 1926. Douglas Hyde, best known for his work with the Gaelic League to “de-Anglicize” early 20th-century Ireland, spoke to the nation in Irish about his hope for radio as a unifying force for Irish listeners (Raidió Teilifís Éireann, n.d., entry c).