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Ireland is a dualist country in the sense that the European Convention on Human Rights has not been incorporated into domestic law. However, in a judgment which is indicative of the increasing willingness of the Irish courts to take account of the Convention, the High Court in April 1997 ([1997] 2 ILRM 467) considered a ban on broadcast advertising in the light of Article 10 and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. The advertisement in question asked "What think ye of Christ?" and went on to announce the forthcoming Easter Week showing, and satellite transmission, of a video...

In April 1997, a new Freedom of Information Act was passed in Ireland, following several years of campaigning by various individuals and organisations, including the Let in the Light group, headed mainly by print and audio-visual journalists and academics. The new Act signals a first and major step towards changing the culture of secrecy within government and the public service to one of openness. Its aim is to provide effective, low-cost access to government-held information to media and public alike. Some of the more salient provisions of the Act include the appointment of an Information Commissioner....

After several decades in which the national broadcaster, RTE, enjoyed a monopoly of the airwaves and up to 80-90 unlicensed "pirate" radio stations played cat-and-mouse with the law, a system for licensed commercial broadcasting was finally introduced in Ireland in 1988 under the Radio and Television Act of that year. The Act established the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC), which was to enter into contracts for the provision of independent private commercial radio and television broadcasting on a national and local level, as well as community and special interest broadcasting...

Reception of UK television stations available by aerial in border areas and the cast of Ireland, was extended to urban areas by cable, under licence, from 1981. In rural areas, cable systems were uneconomic and so the Government decided in 1988 to invite applications for "exclusive licenses" to operate an MMDS system (Microwave Multipoint Distribution System). However, a number of unlicened and much less expensive deflector systems had already begun to operate, and despite repeated calls from Government to desist, continued to operate after the exclusive licences had been allocated to other operators....