Our story
Our story began in Dundalk, Ireland, nearly 60 years ago. What started as a television rental business has grown into one of the north east’s most trusted names in electrical retail.
Explore the timelineThe early years
Proud Mayo man David Lally, a native of Foxpoint, was a lifelong entrepreneur. In his native Mayo, he built and ran the popular Plaza Ballroom while also managing a showband.
Later, in Ballina, he ran a café and B&B. However, with emigration an ever-present reality on Ireland’s west coast at the time, the family decided to move east. They settled in Blackrock, just outside Dundalk, in the early 1960s.
A changing Ireland
The era of visual mass media was only beginning. Ireland was slower than many other western countries to adopt television, and during the 1960s, owning a TV remained a status symbol.
The cost of buying a television was beyond the reach of many households, so families commonly rented one instead. David, ever the entrepreneur, recognised a gap in the north east and established his own television rental business in 1964.
Based on Park Street in Dundalk, the business quickly began to thrive. David soon expanded the range of products available, supported by his sons, David and Jim.
A family legacy
Following David Snr’s retirement, David and Jim continued their father’s legacy. They expanded the appliance and electronics range and, in 2000, opened a major new electrical superstore on Coe’s Road.
David’s son Jamie has since joined the family business. Through decades of change, Lallys has continued to advise and serve generations of families throughout the north east.
From rented televisions to connected homes, Lallys has helped local families embrace almost six decades of changing technology.
Then and now
Open each decade to explore some of the innovations that changed how people watched, listened, communicated, worked and lived — alongside key moments in the Lallys story.
Teilifís Éireann began broadcasting in Ireland, opening a new era of visual media in Irish homes.
President Éamonn de Valera delivered an address during the first broadcast and spoke about both the potential and influence of the new medium.
AT&T launched Telstar, helping transmit television, telephone and data signals across the Atlantic.
David Lally founded a television rental business on Park Street in Dundalk. At the time, approximately 237,000 Irish households had a television.
In the same year, commercial colour television broadcasting was developing in the United States.
ARPANET, an early connected computer network and an important predecessor of the modern internet, was established.
Often described as one of the world’s first personal computers, the Kenbak-1 had 256 bytes of memory and used switches for input. Only around 40 units were sold.
Motorola demonstrated an early handheld cellular telephone, paving the way for the later DynaTAC mobile phone.
The Apple II became one of the first highly successful, mass-produced personal computers. Its approachable design helped make computing accessible to home users.
A commercial automated cellular network launched in Japan, giving Tokyo residents access to mobile telephone services.
Portable cassette players also arrived, with Sony’s Walkman helping transform how people listened to music outside the home.
The compact disc became the first widely available commercial optical digital audio format. Its clear sound helped it become the dominant music format for many years.
Sony launched the Betamovie camcorder. It was too large for true one-handed use and was designed to rest on the user’s shoulder.
Motorola’s DynaTAC mobile phone became commercially available. Weighing close to two pounds, it offered roughly half an hour of talk time and cost almost $4,000 in the United States.
Sony also introduced the Discman, making compact discs portable for the first time.
Important portable computer releases arrived from companies including Apple, Compaq, IBM and Zenith, accelerating the movement towards mobile computing.
James Dyson developed a washing machine concept using two counter-rotating drums, designed to improve cleaning performance and reduce washing time.
Olivetti also developed an early active badge system that transmitted signals so a wearer’s location could be detected by receivers.
Trinity College Dublin established Ireland’s first full internet connection.
The World Wide Web became available for unrestricted public use, opening the internet to a rapidly growing worldwide audience.
DVD began replacing videotape as a leading format for films, television and digital data storage.
Apple’s colourful and accessible iMac had a major impact on desktop computer design.
Fisher & Paykel also introduced its computer-controlled SmartDrive washing technology, an approach that would become increasingly common across the appliance market.
In 2000, Lallys Electrical opened its major new superstore on Coe’s Road in Dundalk, bringing an extensive range of appliances and electronics together under one roof.
The new store stocked a wide selection of dishwashers, fridge freezers, washing machines, televisions, stereos and top-of-the-range video recorders.
Apple released the iPod, allowing users to carry a large digital music collection in a compact portable device. Later models also supported photographs and video.
Lallys Electrical was named Retailer of the Year for Ireland at an awards ceremony in Dromoland Castle.
Nintendo introduced the dual-screen DS, which went on to become one of the most successful handheld games consoles ever produced.
Apple launched the iPhone, bringing telephone, internet and multimedia functions together in a touchscreen device.
Fitbit was also founded in 2007 and would help bring activity-tracking wearable devices into everyday life.
Apple launched the iPad, creating a highly successful new category positioned between smartphones and laptop computers.
Amazon Echo, featuring the Alexa voice assistant, became widely available and helped introduce voice-controlled connected technology into everyday households.
Brothers Jim and David Lally received a Lifetime Recognition Award at the Dundalk Business Awards in the Carrickdale Hotel on Saturday, 21 October 2023.
Lifetime recognition
In October 2023, David and Jim Lally were recognised for their contribution to local business and retail with a Lifetime Recognition Award from Dundalk Chamber of Commerce.
The award reflected not only their many years in business, but also the trust built with customers, colleagues and generations of families across the region.
David and Jim Lally receive their Lifetime Recognition Award from Dundalk Chamber of Commerce President Una McGoey. Image © The Western People.
