Irish-language broadcasting: History, ideology and identity

Irish-language broadcasting is discussed. The history of Irish-language broadcasting is outlined from the 1920s to the present. Irish-language broadcasting since the 1960s is placed in the context of two competing ideologies - a traditional and a modern ideology. These ideologies are the foundations on which contradictory demands placed on TG4 are built. The conflict between minority rights and market forces are discussed in relation to TG4. It is argued that although TG4 might be expected to offer Irish speakers a public sphere in which they can participate democratically as citizens, it is more likely that TG4 plays another important role of offering a mythic domain for the construction of identity.