High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! In the early years of television Irish viewers had access to the BBC via signals coming from Northern Ireland and Wales. By 1959 Northern Irish viewers had access to one public service broadcaster (BBC) and one commercial broadcaster (Ulster Television). The Secretary of the Department of Post and Telegraphs - Leon O’Broin -had tried to progress the idea of an Irish channel since 1953, this new medium coming from the north was to spur the Irish government into action.Teilifis Eireann began broadcasting on the 31st of December 1961. During these years many Irish radio listeners where listening to BBC Radio so the interest in BBC Television would continue, some had been watching since 1953 via spillover signals. 1963 saw the first cable service from RTE under the name RTE Relays, these tests were in preparation for the building of the Ballymun apartment blocks, which were be built during these early years of RTE Television. RTE relays would...