60 years of Lallys Electrical

Our story starts nearly 60 years ago in 1964 in Dundalk, Ireland.

Proud Mayo man David Lally, a native of Foxpoint was a lifelong entrepreneur. In his native Mayo, he built and ran a popular dancehall called 'The Plaza Ballroom, while managing a showband on the side. Later on, in Ballina, he ran a café and B&B. However, desiring a life free from the threat of emigration which was an ever-present reality on the west coast of Ireland in those days, the family decided to move to the east coast, and landed in Blackrock, just outside Dundalk in the early 1960s.

 

In those days, the era of visual mass media heralded by the television was only just beginning, and Ireland was much slower than other western countries to adopt this new medium. In the 1960s, having a TV was still a status symbol for any family. However, the cost of owning a TV was often far too prohibitive for the average family, and it was common for a family to rent a TV. David Lally, ever the entrepreneur, saw the gap in the market in the north east for such a service, and began his own television rental business in 1964.

 

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Based in Park Street, Dundalk, his business quickly began to thrive and David soon expanded his product offering, with the help of his sons David and Jim.

Lallys Electrical showroom in the 1980s

 

 

After David Snr's retirement David and Jim continued his legacy, expanding the range of appliances and brands, and opening a large new electrical superstore on Coe's Road in 2000. 

 

Since then, David's son Jamie has joined the family business. Over the years, Lallys have become the trusted electronics experts in the north east, and have served and advised generations of families in the northeast.

 

A technology timeline

1961

Teilifís Éireann began broadcasting in Ireland, launched with an address by the president Éamonn de Valera who expressed apprehensions about this new medium.

© RTÉ (still from video of first broadcast by Teilifís Éireann in 1961)

 

1962

• First TV satellite launched by US company AT&T named Tel-star. People across the world could now watch the same channel

1964

• David Lally founds a TV rental business in Park Street, Dundalk, Ireland. By this stage, there were around 237,000 'TV households' in Ireland. In the same year, colour tv broadcasting debuted in the US.

1969

• Arpanet, the name for a worldwide connected network later known as the internet was created.

1971

• Kenbak-1, considered to be the world's first personal computer, was released this year. With 256 bytes of memory and the only input being switches, the Kenbak-1 sold only 40 machines.

1973

• The first handheld cellular wireless phone, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X was invented in this year. 

1977

• Apple II - the launch of the first highly successful and mass produced personal computer. This 8-bit 'microcomputer' was user friendly and popular for the home market.

1979

• The world's first cellular network was invented in Japan, for Tokyo residents with a cellphone. Cellphones are now useful to the everyday consumer. Networks soon began to appear in cities all around the world.
• Portable cassette players were launched this year - popularised by Sony's Walkman

1982

• Compact disc - first digital storage format commercially available. Mainly used to store digital music, its sharp, clean sound made it wildly popular, and it became and remained the standard until 2009.

1983

• The world's first handheld camcorder (Betamovie) was launched in 1983. Too large to be used with one hand, the user had to rest it on one shoulder to use it.

1984

• The release of the Motorola mobile phone - the original 'brick phone' weight 2lbs with half hour of talk time, and retailed in the US at just under $4000
• Sony's Discman, a portable CD player, made CDs usable outside the home for the first time.

1989

• This was the year of the laptop with big releases from Apple (Macintosh Portable), Zenith (Vectra LS/12), Compaq (LTE) and IBM.

1990

• James Dyson invents the '2 cylinder' washing machine. The cylinders turned in different directions, enabling better results in shorter time.
• One of the first 'wearable' technology pieces was a simple name badge developed by Italian technology brand Olivetti. The badge transmitted a signal, allowing its location and movement to be tracked to remote receivers.

1991

• The first connection to the internet in Ireland was this year at Trinity College, Dublin

1993

• Previously known as Arpanet, the World Wide Web became available to the general public this year.

1997

• The launch of the DVD - video and data storage. This format quickly became the industry standard for video viewing.

1998

• iMac - this beautiful, user friendly, accessible computer altered the industry, transforming desktop computing
• Fisher & Paykel release the first computer-controlled SmartDrive washing machine, an innovation that has now become standard

2000

Lallys Electrical opens a new flagship store on Coe's Road, Dundalk Ireland, stocking a huge range of appliances and electronics, from dishwashers, fridge freezers and washing machines, to TVs, stereos and 'top of the range video recorders'

The Lallys team at the opening of the new Lallys Electrical Superstore in 2000

 

2001

• iPod - the release of the portable media storage and player for digital music, eventually supporting photos, video and more.
• Lallys Electrical wins Retailer of the Year for all of Ireland in a ceremony in Dromoland Castle 

2004

• Release of the Nintendo DS, the most popular handheld console in history.

2007

• Smart phones - named 'invention of the year', Apple revolutionised communications forever with the iPhone phone and multimedia capabilities.
• Fitbit release the Fitbit Classic, a fitness watch tracking steps, distance and calories, one of the first widely available truly wearable devices

2010

• The release of iPad - the first tablet - the 'bridge' between the iPhone and MacBook.

2015

Amazon's Echo, (introducing the voice assistant Alexa) was released, hailing a new era of home electronics management.

 

2023

• Lallys Electrical brothers Jim and David win a Lifetime Recognition Award at the Dundalk Business Awards in the Carrickdale Hotel on Saturday, October 21st.

 
David and Jim Lally receive their Lifetime Recognition Award from Dundalk Chamber of Commerce President Una McGoey. Image © The Western People