{"id":12205,"date":"2026-07-16T11:27:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T10:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siamsa.ie\/history-of-irish-radio\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T21:52:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T20:52:35","slug":"history-of-irish-radio","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/siamsa.ie\/pt\/article\/history-of-irish-radio\/","title":{"rendered":"From 2RN to Online: The History of Irish Radio"},"content":{"rendered":"

From 2RN to Online: The Story of Irish Radio<\/strong><\/p>\n

On New Year\u2019s Day 1926, a voice crackled across the airwaves from a small studio on Little Denmark Street in Dublin: \u201cS\u00e9 seo staisi\u00fan 2RN, Baile \u00c1tha Cliath.\u201d This is Radio 2RN, Dublin. Douglas Hyde, founder of the Gaelic League and future President of Ireland, spoke of his hope that radio would be a unifying force for the Irish people.<\/p>\n

A hundred years later, the Irish radio station has evolved beyond anything Hyde could have imagined. The signal that once struggled to reach Cork now reaches every country on earth. The medium that was born on shortwave and AM, survived the pirate era, migrated to FM, and eventually found its true home online \u2014 where an Irish radio station can serve not just a nation but a global diaspora of 70 million people.<\/p>\n

This is the story of how Irish radio got from there to here.<\/p>\n

2RN: The Birth of Irish Radio (1926\u20131930s)<\/h2>\n

Ireland was relatively late to radio. The BBC had been broadcasting since 1922, and stations were already operating across Europe and America. The Irish Free State, only a few years old and still rebuilding after civil war, was cautious. But the pressure to have an Irish radio station \u2014 an Irish voice on the airwaves, not just relayed British programming \u2014 was strong.<\/p>\n

2RN launched on 1 January 1926, run by the Irish Post Office under the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. The station\u2019s name is often said to come from the last three syllables of \u201cCome Back to Erin,\u201d though this may be apocryphal. The initial transmitter was a modest 1.5 kilowatt affair that could barely reach beyond Dublin. When listeners in Cork complained they couldn\u2019t pick up the signal, the station director reportedly suggested they didn\u2019t know how to operate their sets.<\/p>\n

A second station, 6CK, opened in Cork in 1927 to relay 2RN\u2019s transmissions. In 1932, a high-powered 60kW transmitter was installed at Athlone \u2014 the most powerful in the country \u2014 timed to coincide with the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin. The combined service became known as Radio Athlone, later renamed Radio \u00c9ireann in 1937.<\/p>\n

Programming in those early years was limited and conservative: news, talks, music (including traditional Irish music), drama, and religious programming. The station operated for only a few hours a day. But it was an Irish radio station, speaking to the nation in both Irish and English, and it mattered.<\/p>\n

Traditional music on early Irish radio<\/h3>\n

From the very beginning, traditional Irish music had a place on Irish radio \u2014 though not always a comfortable one. The station broadcast c\u00e9il\u00ed bands and occasional solo performers, but programming was heavily influenced by the cultural priorities of the new state. Irish-language content was promoted, and traditional music was valued as an expression of national identity, even as the broader culture was ambivalent about it.<\/p>\n

The real impact of radio on traditional music wouldn\u2019t come until later. In the 1920s and 30s, while Radio \u00c9ireann was finding its feet, it was commercial recordings \u2014 Michael Coleman\u2019s 78rpm discs, made in New York \u2014 that were transforming how the music sounded and spread. Radio would catch up in time.<\/p>\n

Radio \u00c9ireann: The Middle Years (1940s\u20131960s)<\/h2>\n

Through the 1940s and 50s, Radio \u00c9ireann was the only legal radio station in Ireland. It had a monopoly, and it sometimes felt like it. Programming was cautious, schedules were limited, and the station was frequently criticised for being out of touch. Many Irish listeners preferred the BBC or Radio Luxembourg, which offered livelier fare.<\/p>\n

Traditional music appeared on the schedule but was not a priority. The station\u2019s Mobile Recording Unit, introduced in 1947, travelled to Irish-speaking areas to record speech and music \u2014 an important act of preservation, though the recordings were not always given prominent airtime. S\u00e9amus Ennis, who worked as a collector and broadcaster, was one of the few figures who brought traditional music to a wider radio audience during this period.<\/p>\n

The Broadcasting Authority Act of 1960 transformed the landscape. Radio \u00c9ireann was freed from direct government control and reconstituted as part of the new Raidi\u00f3 Telif\u00eds \u00c9ireann (RT\u00c9). Television arrived on 31 December 1961, and the energy of the organisation shifted to the new medium. Radio was suddenly the older sibling, overshadowed but still vital.<\/p>\n

New Voices: Raidi\u00f3 na Gaeltachta and Radio 2 (1970s)<\/h2>\n

The 1970s brought two new Irish radio stations that changed the broadcasting landscape.<\/p>\n

In the early 1970s, Irish-language activists in Connemara established a pirate station, Saor Raidi\u00f3 Chonamara (Free Radio Connemara), to demand a dedicated Irish-language broadcasting service. The authorities responded by creating RT\u00c9 Raidi\u00f3 na Gaeltachta, which began broadcasting on Easter Sunday 1972 from studios in Casla, County Galway. RnaG became an essential platform for traditional music, giving airtime to sean-n\u00f3s singers, session musicians and emerging artists like Clannad and Mairead N\u00ed Mhaonaigh. For the first time, an Irish radio station existed where traditional music was not a minority interest but a central part of the programming.<\/p>\n

RT\u00c9 also launched Radio 2 (later 2FM) in 1979, aimed at younger listeners with pop and rock programming. This split the audience and gave the main Radio 1 service space to develop more specialist programming, including traditional music shows. But the real competition for RT\u00c9 was about to come from an unexpected direction.<\/p>\n

The Pirate Era (1970s\u20131988)<\/h2>\n

Ireland\u2019s pirate radio era was one of the most colourful chapters in European broadcasting history. At its peak in the mid-1980s, an estimated 200 unlicensed stations were operating across the country \u2014 from bedroom operations running on homemade transmitters to professional outfits like Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio in Dublin that commanded 40% and 20% of the listenership respectively.<\/p>\n

The pirates thrived because RT\u00c9 had a monopoly that left huge gaps in the market. Young listeners wanted pop music. Local communities wanted local radio. Advertisers wanted affordable airtime. The pirates provided all of this, exploiting a legal loophole (if equipment could be proven to have an alternative use, it wasn\u2019t illegal broadcasting equipment) that made enforcement nearly impossible.<\/p>\n

Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio were the \u201csuper-pirates\u201d \u2014 professional operations with full schedules, advertising revenue, PAYE-paying staff and listenership figures that dwarfed RT\u00c9 2FM. In rural areas, smaller pirate stations served their communities with local news, death notices, music requests and GAA coverage that RT\u00c9 couldn\u2019t match.<\/p>\n

The pirate era ended dramatically on New Year\u2019s Eve 1988, when around 70 stations voluntarily shut down ahead of the new Broadcasting Act that would introduce licensed independent radio. Some presenters cried on air. Listeners brought cakes and gifts to the studios. It was, as one account put it, a series of wakes.<\/p>\n

The pirates didn\u2019t play much traditional music \u2014 their audience wanted pop, rock and country. But they changed Irish radio fundamentally. They proved there was demand for local, independent broadcasting. They pushed RT\u00c9 to improve. And they set the stage for the diverse radio landscape that exists today.<\/p>\n

Licensed Independent Radio (1989\u20132000s)<\/h2>\n

The Sound Broadcasting Act of 1988 created the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC), which began licensing commercial stations in 1989. Over the following years, dozens of local, regional and national stations launched across Ireland. Today FM and Newstalk became national commercial alternatives to RT\u00c9.<\/p>\n

For traditional music, the licensed era was a mixed blessing. The new commercial stations were format-driven \u2014 they played pop, country or talk to capture the broadest possible audience. Trad was niche, and niche didn\u2019t sell advertising. Some local stations in the west \u2014 Clare FM, Shannonside Northern Sound, Connemara Community Radio \u2014 gave traditional music meaningful airtime, but on most stations it was absent.<\/p>\n

RT\u00c9 Radio 1 remained the best mainstream outlet, with programmes like The Rolling Wave (later presented by Aoife Nic Cormaic) and C\u00edl\u00edn sessions providing dedicated trad content. Raidi\u00f3 na Gaeltachta continued to be the most consistent home for the music on Irish radio. But for a listener who wanted nothing but trad, 24 hours a day \u2014 there was no Irish radio station that offered that.<\/p>\n

The Digital Shift: From FM to Online<\/h2>\n

The internet changed everything. It didn\u2019t just add a new way to listen to existing stations \u2014 it removed the barriers that had defined radio for a century.<\/p>\n

In the old world, launching an Irish radio station required a licence, a transmitter, a frequency allocation, and significant capital. The signal was limited by geography and physics \u2014 an FM transmitter in Dublin couldn\u2019t reach Boston. The number of stations was constrained by the number of available frequencies.<\/p>\n

Online, none of those constraints apply. Anyone with a server, a stream and a library of music can launch a station that reaches the entire world. There are no frequency battles. No licence applications. No coverage maps. The only thing that matters is whether the music is good enough to attract listeners.<\/p>\n

This shift was transformative for traditional Irish music. Trad never had the audience numbers to justify a dedicated FM station in the commercial radio market. But online, it doesn\u2019t need to. A station that serves a niche \u2014 even a passionate, global niche \u2014 can thrive without mass-market listenership. The economics of online broadcasting make it possible to run a station that plays nothing but traditional Irish music, funded by listener donations rather than advertising.<\/p>\n

The end of the longwave era<\/h3>\n

RT\u00c9 Radio 1\u2019s longwave service, which had been a lifeline for Irish listeners in Britain and sailors at sea, was shut down in 2023 and the Clarkestown mast in County Meath was subsequently demolished. RT\u00c9 had occasionally broadcast on shortwave for the diaspora \u2014 notably covering GAA All-Ireland Finals \u2014 but these services have also ended. The message was clear: the future of Irish radio is digital, not analogue.<\/p>\n

Radio Siamsa: An Irish Radio Station for the World<\/h2>\n

Radio Siamsa launched as an online-only Irish radio station, streaming traditional Irish music 24 hours a day from Dublin. No FM transmitter. No shortwave signal. No licence. Just a server, a stream, and an archive of traditional music that spans nearly a century of recordings.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the kind of Irish radio station that couldn\u2019t have existed in any previous era. In the 2RN era, the technology wasn\u2019t available. In the pirate era, there wasn\u2019t the audience for trad. In the licensed FM era, the economics didn\u2019t work. Only in the online era \u2014 where geography is irrelevant, where a global diaspora can tune in from anywhere, and where a station can survive on listener donations rather than advertising \u2014 does a station like Radio Siamsa become possible.<\/p>\n

The stream runs at 256kbps, roughly three times the clarity of standard FM. The library goes from 1930s 78rpm recordings to albums released this year. There are no ads, no chat shows, no interruptions. Just traditional Irish music, all day, every day, available to anyone with an internet connection.<\/p>\n

Listeners tune in from over 100 countries. A fiddler in Australia uses the station to learn tunes. A family in Qu\u00e9bec discovered it one evening and now listens every night. An emigrant in Hamburg says it \u201calways lifts the spirit.\u201d A bodhr\u00e1n player somewhere says he finds it \u201cinspirational and educational.\u201d<\/p>\n

Douglas Hyde opened 2RN a hundred years ago hoping radio would be a unifying force for the Irish people. He was thinking of the people on the island. He couldn\u2019t have imagined that one day an Irish radio station would unite Irish people \u2014 and people who love Irish music, regardless of their background \u2014 across every continent.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what the internet made possible. That\u2019s what Radio Siamsa does.<\/p>\n

Listen now \u2014 see our guide to how to listen to Radio Siamsa<\/a><\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next for Irish Radio?<\/h2>\n

The shift from FM to online isn\u2019t complete, but it\u2019s accelerating. Smart speakers, phone apps and in-car streaming have made online radio as easy to access as turning a dial. Younger listeners increasingly discover stations through apps rather than frequencies. The distinction between \u201cradio\u201d and \u201cstreaming\u201d is blurring.<\/p>\n

For traditional music, this is unambiguously good news. The music was always too niche for mainstream FM. Online, it has found its natural medium \u2014 a global platform where passionate communities can sustain stations that serve their specific interests. The future of the Irish radio station isn\u2019t a transmitter on a hilltop. It\u2019s a stream on a server, reaching anyone who wants to listen, wherever they are.<\/p>\n

Read our guide to the best Irish radio stations for traditional music<\/a><\/p>\n

Read our complete guide to Irish traditional music<\/a><\/p>\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n

When did radio start in Ireland?<\/h3>\n

Regular radio broadcasting in Ireland began on 1 January 1926 with the launch of 2RN from Dublin. Test transmissions had begun in November 1925. The station was Ireland\u2019s first official radio broadcaster and eventually became RT\u00c9 Radio 1.<\/p>\n

What was 2RN?<\/h3>\n

2RN was the first radio broadcasting station in the Irish Free State, launched on New Year\u2019s Day 1926. It broadcast from a studio on Little Denmark Street in Dublin. The name is thought to come from the last three syllables of \u201cCome Back to Erin.\u201d It was succeeded by Radio Athlone and later Radio \u00c9ireann, which became RT\u00c9 Radio.<\/p>\n

What happened with pirate radio in Ireland?<\/h3>\n

Ireland had a thriving pirate radio scene, particularly in the 1980s, when an estimated 200 unlicensed stations operated across the country. The most famous were Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio in Dublin. Most pirates shut down voluntarily on New Year\u2019s Eve 1988 ahead of new broadcasting legislation that introduced licensed independent radio.<\/p>\n

When did Raidi\u00f3 na Gaeltachta start?<\/h3>\n

RT\u00c9 Raidi\u00f3 na Gaeltachta began broadcasting on Easter Sunday 1972, following pressure from Irish-language activists who had established a pirate station, Saor Raidi\u00f3 Chonamara, to demand an Irish-language radio service. It broadcasts from Casla in Connemara.<\/p>\n

Is Radio Siamsa on FM?<\/h3>\n

No. Radio Siamsa is an online-only Irish radio station. It streams at siamsa.ie and through free apps on iOS and Android, and is available on Amazon Alexa. It\u2019s accessible anywhere with an internet connection.<\/p>\n

Why did Irish radio move online?<\/h3>\n

Online broadcasting removes the geographical and regulatory constraints of FM. An online Irish radio station can reach a global audience without a transmitter or frequency licence. For niche formats like traditional Irish music, online is the only viable platform \u2014 the audience is passionate but globally scattered, which suits internet streaming perfectly.<\/p>\n

Further Reading<\/h2>\n