Madam, - An important addition to Frank Bouchier-Hayes's account of Darrell Figgis (An Irishman's Diary, April 21st) is that in 1923-24 Figgis was a central character in the process of setting up "2RN", or RTÉ as it is known today.
Figgis was involved in a fraudulent exercise to obtain the broadcasting licence from the then Postmaster-General (a topic not unknown today), but took the honourable course of informing his colleagues on the Dáil committee on broadcasting of his role in the affair.
The story is told in full (with a profile of Figgis) in my book 2RN and the Origins of Irish Radio(Four Courts Press, 2002).
- Yours, etc,
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RICHARD PINE, Durrell School of Corfu, Greece.