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Telegram Tales

March 2, 2025 · 47 min

Show notes

Telegram Tales from the Central Telegraph's Office, co-produced by Amandine Devine and Ellen McEvoy tells the story of the 24-hour thriving office that kept Ireland's communication on track during the 60s and 70s.

Nowadays we are all familiar with instant communication - e-mail, text, and social media, but there was a time when you had to send a telegram if you wanted to contact a person that didn’t have a telephone. The contributors Ann Duncan, Cormac O'Brien, Michael Confrey and Seán Creedon, document the history of the office, peppered with memories of their interactions with customers and colleagues. The backdrop is a growing Dublin City Centre and a period of huge change in Irish history from strikes to bombs, to marriages and christenings.

Telegram Tales is a nostalgic look at what was the communication of the 60s and 70s, such a necessity that many people had a full career in telegrams, which is a communication which has virtually been wiped out today.

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