ON NEW Year's Eve 1961, Eamon de Valera launched Teilifis Eireann with some trepidation. The President, Mrs Robinson, is expected to be much more enthusiastic when she declares open the first new television service since the inauguration of RTE 2 1979, Teilifis na Gaeilge.
Mr de Valera spoke of television as being able to "build up the character of the whole people, inducing sturdiness and confidence". But it could also lead through demoralisation, he said, to "decadence and disillusion".
We can only guess what Mr de Valera and Cardinal D'Alton who blessed the new station and warned about "TV addiction" would think of TnaG. Being an Irish language station might appeal, but opening with a celebration of the pagan festival of Samhain on Halloween (October 31st), with theatre group Macnas leading the party, might induce both gentlemen to view the enterprise as decadent.
Despite the critics, TnaG is a reality, even though the legislation making it a legal entity has yet to be introduced to the Dail. The first programme to be broadcast, Draiocht (Magic), was written by and stars Gabriel Byrne.
TnaG will come on air at 12.30 pm. with 30 minutes of pre-school programmes. It comes back at 5 p.m. until 10.30 p.m. -with a break between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. for EuroNews, a Europe-wide news service.
Yesterday TnaG unveiled its programme schedule. Pride of place is Ros na Run, a soap which will run four nights a week with a weekend omnibus edition. Other programmes will try to attract those who might not otherwise turn to an Irish-language station, such as Suit, a 13-part music programme produced by Philip King, who also made Bringing it All Back Home and River of Sound.
The sports schedule will include Ole Ole, a programme of Spanish premier league soccer.