RTÉ’s first live hurdle
QUESTION What was the first sporting event to be aired live on Irish television?
AFTER Telefís Éireann, now RTÉ, began its television service at the start of 1962, it took six months for the first sporting event to be televised live – the Irish Sweeps Derby at The Curragh.
The race had always been known as the Irish Derby, but from 1962 onwards, it became known as the Irish Sweeps Derby, after it secured sponsorship from the Irish Hospitals’ Sweepstakes.
The 1962 race was staged on June 30 and as it was one of the richest horse races anywhere in the world, it attracted a lot of broadcasting attention.
Covering the race was the largest outside broadcast the new Irish television service had undertaken and a total of seven cameras were mobilised, including a mobile radio camera that had been hired from the BBC.
Telefís Éireann had two commentators, Michael O’Hehir and Louis Gunning. The station also fed the live pictures to the BBC, which had its own commentators, the legendary Irish-born Peter O’Sullevan and Clive Graham.
The race was also recorded for later transmission by one of the three big American networks, ABC, so that when Tambourine II swept to victory, it was seen on television not only across these islands, but across the US as well.
Following on from that televisual triumph, the next big step for the new Irish TV station in terms of televised sport was the semi-final of the All-Ireland GAA football championships at Croke Park, in which Dublin played Kerry .
The match took place on August 5, 1962, and apart from the coverage of the actual game, the televised coverage of the parade of teams and what was described as the ‘touching scene of stillness’ as the National Anthem was played, all made a big impact on viewers at home. The actual crowd at Croke Park that day was just over 60,000, well down on previous record attendances. But as the cameras swept across the crowds of spectators, these shots helped build the atmosphere for people watching at home.
In a dramatic match, Kerry beat Dublin. The final score was 2-12 to 0-10 and Kerry went on to win the football final for the 20th time.
One Dublin newspaper’s TV critic said that having watched many sporting events on the BBC, including Wimbledon and the Derby, he had never seen better picture coverage of any sporting event than that of the All-Ireland football semi-final at Croke Park. He added that Telefís Éireann was to be congratulated on its efforts.
These days, we expect live coverage of sporting events from around the world, but that coverage in 1962 was a thrilling moment for a then small Irish TV audience.
Michael Ennis, Cabra, Dublin 7.
QUESTION Christy Moore mentions getting drunk on Red Biddy in one of his songs. What is Red Biddy?
IN his song, Missing You, which is about the loneliness of an Irish exile in London, Christy Moore refers to drinking Red Biddy for a permanent high. The drink is a lethal mix of cheap red wine and methylated spirits and it’s been popular for over two centuries.
‘Biddy’ was a shortened version of Bridget.
The drink originated in Ireland, probably in the poorest parts of Dublin, around the start of the 19th century, if not earlier. People who drank Red Biddy couldn’t afford dearer drinks, such as beer or gin, so they settled for this cheap but deadly combination. Irish emigrants took the drink with them to Liverpool and to Glasgow, where it quickly took hold among Irish communities there. Its popularity proved long-lasting and in 1937, the issue was raised in the House of Commons.
The situation was just as bad in the city where its use first became prevalent – Dublin. Kevin C Kearns, a folklore specialist, who has written extensively about the bad old days in Dublin’s slums, noted in one of his books that Crilly’s pub near Smithfield attracted all the roughest and toughest people in town, and that their standard drink was Red Biddy.
He noted that after two glasses of the drink, people would be seeing rainbows. These days, the original Red Biddy, a mix of red wine and methylated spirits, is still being drunk by people at the bottom of the social ladder in Ireland and across the channel.
Kathleen Fry, Philadelphia.
QUESTION Do family history researchers still use the International Genealogical Index (IGI) compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
OWING to their belief that nonMormons can be baptised posthumously without the consent of relatives, the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, i.e. the Mormons, have invested great energy into genealogical research, with the aim of baptising every human who has lived.
They have acquired the most reli- able and extensive genealogical index in the world. The IGI is an index of mainly parish register entries of baptisms and marriages (and a few burial records), arranged by county and then by surname.
It was developed as a way to check the deceased person had not already been baptised and put through temple ordinances.
Records were taken mainly from Mormons motivated by a desire to ensure their ancestors had been baptised into the church, and parish registers. Some record holders withheld the information on moral grounds. The IGI is international, though records are primarily from North America, Europe and South America.
Started as a computerised database in the Sixties, it was published in several editions on microfiche. From 1999, researchers have been able to access more than 400million records through a free online search engine at the website The database still forms a key starting point for genealogical research.
However, the IGI is just an index. Once you find entries that might be your ancestors, you should search out the original parish registers at the county record office, hire a genealogist, or find out if the registers have been published online.
IS THERE a question to which you have always wanted to know the answer? Or do you know the answer to a question raised here? Send your questions and answers to: Charles Legge, Answers To Correspondents, Irish Daily Mail, Embassy House, Herbert Park Lane, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. You can also fax them to 0044 1952 510906 or you can email them to charles.legge@dailymail.ie. A selection will be published but we are not able to enter into individual correspondence.