From a modest start in a few cramped offices in the centre of Dublin, there began a tradition of Irish radio which has been formative for our country over the past century. That is why I welcome the holding of this wide-ranging and ambitious conference celebrating the centenary of the first radio broadcast. Radio Broadcasting in Ireland2RN made its first broadcast during a period of a decade which was both defined by lingering wounds and a search for new possibilities. [From its earliest days radio played a central role in developing a place for the Irish language in a modernising Ireland. This conference provides a valuable opportunity to reflect on the impact, continued importance and future of radio in Ireland.