TV Logos Of Ireland
Part 2 - From One Channel To Two - by Eamonn Hanratty
Spotlight
September 21 1969 saw the arrival of what has since become one of the most famous emblems in the history of European broadcasting. Designed at RTÉ by Don Farrell and John Cogan, this distinctive Saint Brigid's Cross incorporated six lines, emanating from the centre, stretching out to form four spokes. The cross represents elements of the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It can also stand for courage, steadfastness and fortitude, or even heart, brain and body. But the most powerful statement portrayed by this emblem is that of strong faith and belief, no matter what religion or denomination the viewer so happens to belong to.
Above: the on-screen version of what became the most famous and legendary Saint Brigid's Cross emblem used on RTÉ Television, first introduced on September 21 1969 [reconstruction].
At first in 1969, the Farrell/Cogan version of the Saint Brigid's Cross was used on its own in only a few on-screen situations. But, in the years that followed, the more usual on-screen use was with the 'RTE' lettering joined, thus creating the final logotype.
Above: this was the logo which saw in the introduction into the Republic of Ireland of 625-line high-definition television [reconstruction] - first in glorious black-and-white and then in even more glorious colour (using the German-developed PAL system). The station transmitted on two VHF Bands - I and III - along with the UHF Band. We see the colour version of this later on.
However, the singular cross - in a more equally squared version, which so happened to be Farrell and Cogan's original draft design - came to be used on the Grand-Prix trophies at the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest when it was held at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre, in what was the Republic of Ireland's first ever live television broadcast in colour. We see a re-creation of this below, along with the colour version of the above 'RTE' identification caption.
Above: the original draft design by Don Farrell and John Cogan of the famous six-element Saint Brigid's Cross on its own [reconstruction]. This was the basis of one of the world's best known corporate logos in public broadcasting and was the basic design engraved onto the Grand-Prix trophies at the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest.
Above: the long-remembered colour version of the RTÉ Television identification [reconstruction], which was in on-screen service from the full-time introduction of colour transmissions (using the PAL system) in 1976 until February 01 1980, when the first proper logo for what became RTÉ One first came to the air.
This most distinctive emblem remained the statutory corporate logo of Radio Telefís Éireann until the end of 1986. However, its on-screen use was overlapped by a further type of Saint Brigid's Cross, created in-house for use as RTÉ One's new on-air identity. Designed by Don Farrell, it was introduced to the airwaves on February 01 1980, which so happens to be the annual feast day of Saint Brigid herself.
Above: the Saint Brigid's Cross with the TV screen in the middle [left], in which the lettering 'RTE1' mechanically revolved around, briefly pausing twice in the middle. This Don Farrell design was the first proper on-screen logo for RTÉ One and was in service from Saint Brigid's Day, February 01 1980, right up until the New Year's Eve of 1986 - twenty-five years after the launch of Telefís. A slightly more colourful, computer-animated version of the ident was introduced in 1985 [right]. Starting with the numeral '1' centre-screen, then shrinking into due position on the crawling-in of the Saint Brigid's Cross, then the 'RTE' lettering finally zooming in from inside the 'TV screen' within the cross. The image shown here is of the still slide version of this ident.
The first proper RTÉ One logo came in February 1980 - one year and three months after the arrival of Ireland's second channel. When it began pilot transmissions in mid-1978, this was the logo which greeted both the members of the TV trade and the viewers who were clever enough to tune in:
Above: the original RTE Two ident animation.
At the launch of the channel, on the evening of November 02 1978, we saw how the logo of RTÉ Two animated on-screen, to the accompaniment of a special fanfare, composed by Noel Kelehan and performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Viewers in the Greater Dublin area didn't hear the audio on the ident's debut showing, owing to a technical switching problem, which the engineers corrected in good time for the then President of Ireland, Dr. Patrick J. Hillery, to officially open the channel in an address from the official presidential residence at Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin's Phoenix Park.
After the 'Opening Night Gala Show' which was broadcast from the Cork Opera House, RTÉ Two then used a mechanical identification caption, with all the elements in the three main horizontal stripes revolving to reveal four vertical rows, each displaying a number of RTE Two logos, before revolving around again to reveal the larger version of the logotype.
After the 'Opening Night Gala Show' which was broadcast from the Cork Opera House, RTÉ Two then used a mechanical identification caption, with all the elements in the three main horizontal stripes revolving to reveal four vertical rows, each displaying a number of RTE Two logos, before revolving around again to reveal the larger version of the logotype.
Above: in 1984, there came a very neat and clever variation, computer-animated on to film. This was in on-screen service from 1984 up until the end of 1986 when, to mark twenty-five years since national public television began in Ireland, Radio Telefís Éireann introduced a new, chunkier statutory corporate logo.
Above: the statutory corporate logo of Radio Telefís Éireann - in service from New Year's Eve 1986 up until 1995. Designers: Raymond Kyne and Associates, Dublin.
This new logo, once again incorporating a version of the Saint Brigid's Cross, was designed by Raymond Kyne and Associates of Dublin, who also created similar channel logos which were animated on-screen, with the central cross changing to form the numeral '1' or '2' according to channel. Still captions of each symbol were also used.
Above: the symbol introduced on January 01 1987.
In October 1988, another logo for RTÉ One came into service, but this time with the channel's name forming a more simple cross, with a dark, emerald green background. This annoyed a great many viewers who simply hated to see the Brigid's Cross dumped!
Above: the 'RTE' lettering formed a revolving ring around the numeral '1', before settling in front of the '1' after seven seconds, and thus forming a simple cross logo (the lettering 'RTE' formed the horizontal axis and the numeral '1' the vertical), all with a dark, emerald green background. The evident loss of the familiar St Brigid's Cross deeply annoyed so many viewers, who complained in their droves.
By this time, under the advice of a Second Channel Advisory Council which was established by the Government-appointed RTÉ Authority, a whole new look - and new name - was about to come to RTÉ Two, whose days were now numbered. We shall be looking at this in the next chapter, as we move towards the 1990s.
