On December 31st 1961, then-President Eamon De Valera was the first person to appear on Ireland’s new television station, Teilifís Éireann. And while he expressed high hopes for the outlet, he also voiced some fears about what could happen if it did not remain a positive force in Irish society.
In a newly-resurfaced archived clip re-shared this week by award-winning radio presenter Niall Boylan, the former President explained his concerns.
I don’t think President Éamon de Valera would be too pleased at the RTE in the Oireachtas today. Listening to the opening of RTE in 1961 from the RTE archives he addresses a lot of what’s happening today.
Do you think Éamon de Valera would be happy with the RTE of today and the… pic.twitter.com/4BSRpVSJnK— Niall Boylan (@Niall_Boylan) July 5, 2023
“I am privileged in being the first to address you on our new service, Teilifís Éireann,” De Valera said. However, he added: “I must admit that sometimes when I think of television and radio and their immense power I feel somewhat afraid.”
The president went on to outline how an outlet like RTÉ could be used to do “irreparable harm” to society if run incorrectly.
"Never before was there in the hands of men an instrument so powerful to influence the thoughts and actions of the multitude." You can watch the opening address here https://t.co/glIS8nZxi0 https://t.co/7owNs8FsUo
— RTÉ Archives (@RTEArchives) December 31, 2019
“Like atomic energy, it can be used for incalculable good but it can also do irreparable harm,” he said.
“Never before was there in the hands of men an instrument so powerful to influence the thoughts and actions of the multitude.”
He said that while a State broadcaster like RTÉ could “build up the character” of the nation, it could also demoralise them, and lead to “decadence” and “dissolution.”
“A persistent policy, pursued over radio and television, apart from imparting knowledge, can build up the character of a whole people, inducing sturdiness and vigour and confidence,” he said.
“On the other hand, it can lead, through demoralisation, to decadence and dissolution.”
De Valera warned that when media outlets simply compete with each other to “give the people what they want,” they end up in an arms race which “leads in the wrong direction, and so standards become lower and lower.”
The Fianna Fáil founder said that now, the people of Ireland were to set the agenda of what was on television, and that if the public demanded good content, they would receive it.
“Now it is you, the people, who will ultimately determine what the programmes in Telefís Éireann are to be,” he said.
“If you insist on having presented to you the good, and the true, and the beautiful, you will get these.”
He added that people would be better off asking to see beautiful “wonders of nature” and “masterpieces of architecture,” rather than low-brow content like “some squalid domestic brawl or a street quarrel.”
“I, for one, will find it hard to be convinced that good taste cannot be cultivated,” he said.
“I would find it hard to believe for example, that a person who views the grandeurs of the heavens or the wonders of this marvellous mysterious world in which the good God has placed us will not find more pleasure in that than in viewing, for example, some squalid domestic brawl or a street quarrel.
“I feel sure that full use will be made of the immense repertory which is now at our disposal. Apart altogether from the wonders of nature we have the great achievements of man himself, masterpieces of architecture, engineering, sculpture, painting and who in looking at these or hearing the great musical compositions of great composers will want to descend to anything lower.”
De Valera concluded by saying he had “great hopes” for the newly-created outlet, saying he hopes that those running the service “will 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.”
“I am sure that [those in charge] will do their part,” he said.
“And as I have said, it is for the public now to do theirs. I wish all those in charge God speed. And I wish all of you a very happy new year.”