Literature and the Technologies of Radio and Television

doi:10.1017/9781009182881.008

Chapter 6 - Literature and the Technologies of Radio and Television

from Part II - Infrastructures

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 January 2023

Robert J. Savage

Edited by

Margaret Kelleher and

James O'Sullivan

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Margaret Kelleher: Affiliation:
University College Dublin
James O'Sullivan: Affiliation:
University College Cork

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Summary

Across the globe radio developed rapidly as a popular and transformative technology in the aftermath of the Great War. In the 1920s it quickly became a means of mass communication reaching millions, enabling listeners access to news, information, and entertainment. In Ireland the advent of ‘wireless’ broadcasting coincided with independence and the partition of the island. Initially, broadcasting in Ireland looked inward as it sought to help define and consolidate the deeply conservative states that emerged from the violence of the Irish Revolution. However, identities throughout the island of Ireland have evolved to challenge the narrow, defensive, insular states that struggled to assert themselves a century ago. This chapter addresses the evolution of broadcasting in Ireland and how Irish writers have successfully used radio and television to find regional, national, and global audiences. Although presented in an Irish context, much of their writing transcends national borders because it explores the human condition in a variety of dramatic and comedic forms.

Keywords

Radio Éireann BBC RTÉ drama language the troubles violence religion

Type: Chapter
Information: Technology in Irish Literature and Culture , pp. 99 - 117

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009182881.008 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2023

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