I should imagine many of my contemporaries brought up in the 26 counties will have listened to ITMA, Much-Binding-In-The-Marsh, Music While You Work, Just William, and Dick Barton- Special Agent,in the 1940s, and continued to listen to the BBC in subsequent decades. I can remember Radio Newsreel’s report of the March 1957 Irish General Election, when “the old FREEDOM-FIGHTER” Eamon de Valera led Fianna Fail to an overall victory with 77 seats.
The expression “Freedom Fighter” was newly-minted, by, I believe the American TIME Magazine, which had given the accolade “MAN OF THE YEAR” (1956) to the “Hungarian Freedom Fighter.” That was Dev’s last General Election campaign and it was the TENTH TIME that Irish voters returned Governments headed by him. Two years later he stood for the Presidency and won it. When that first term expired didn’t he run again, and win again.
BBC Television in more recent times produced a programme – “Ireland’s Hated Hero” about Dev, which you can watch on YOUTUBE if you have a taste for dishonesty.
Until about 1950 Radio Eireann did not come on the air until 5.00 PM except on Sundays. During a prolonged newspaper strike it came on at 8 AM with a News Bulletin, followed by three fifteen minute commercially sponsored programmes, a 9 AM News Bulletin and the rest was silence, until it came on again at 1.00 PM with two sponsored programmes, the 1.30 News and a Topical Talk, followed by three more sponsored programmes until 2.30 pm. The sponsored programmes had music or soap-operas, and one space adventure where written-off space ships from the Planet Venus were called “Venereal Wrecks.” A very good joke. I suppose it was allowed through because of the loss of innocence which would have arisen had it been discontinued. On Saturdays the afternoon slot continued until 2.45 with the programme sponsored by Walton’s musical instruments, presented by Leo Maguire, featuring Joe Lynch, tenor, and ” Charlie Magee and and his Gay Guitar.” Joe used sing “The Whistling Gypsy” ad nauseam and better songs such as “Kevin Barry” and “Tipperary So Far Away”. I believe the Waltons and Leo Maguire were “out in ’16.” Their songs were certainly out when the Cruiser became the arbiter of what could or could not be aired. Rugby Internationals were broadcast on Saturday afternoons, and I think. horse races.
Back in the 1930s some of my father’s colleagues “volunteered” him as a contestant on Radio Eireann’s “Question Time” compered by Joe Linnane, so he took part and won a few pounds. In the late 1940s the programme, which went round the country, was broadcast from the Ballroom attached to the Summit Inn, Howrh, 400 yards up the road from us. Our wireless set, a Cossor, bought in kit-form and assembled by my father in the 1930s, chose that day to pack up, never to work again, so we never heard that programme.
When my father assembled the set in the 1930s they heard a station identifying itself as “Archangel” back in the USSR. It didn’t make him a fellow-travelling Stalinist.
My late Mother-in-Law, her parents and siblings in Lancashire used listen to Radio Eireann’s QUESTION TIME in the 1930s. It no more made them EAST HIBERNIANS than listing to TOP TWENTY in my teenage years made me a LUXEMBUGGER.
How come an Irish youth listening to the BBC by the banks of the Shannon felt the need become a WEST BRITON?
Great stuff Donal.