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Do you know anybody, historically even, who sent/received a TELEGRAM

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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 681 ✭✭✭Mr. FoggPatches


    A mate sent me one. Thought I was being arrested until the dance started. He's tremendous fun.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,155 ✭✭✭✭Grayson


    But has anyone received a candygram?



  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,889 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    mariaalice wrote: »
    My mother worked as telephonist in An Post in the 1950s and learned Morse code all her life she could remember the dots and dashes code.
    Just like her father she only did it 'cos her dada did it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,691 ✭✭✭buried


    Seen Al Swearengen reading one out loud before in Deadwood. Had something to do with some squaw-f**kin liar pi$$ing away all his money

    "You have disgraced yourselves again" - W. B. Yeats



  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 12,630 Mod ✭✭✭✭JupiterKid


    I think my parents received telegrams when they were married in the late 1960s. But personally I never sent or received one. I was born in the era of telex and grew up in the era of the fax machine.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 8,636 ✭✭✭feargale


    Shannon757 wrote: »
    What's a telegram?

    You must find short pants uncomfortable at this time of year.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    I sent the bould Ivan (Yates) a telegram in 1981 congratulating him on his election to the Dail. I still have his reply letter somewhere amongst the collected flotsam of 57 years above ground. :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,073 ✭✭✭Rubberlegs


    My aunty sent one to my parents when I was born.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,641 ✭✭✭Teyla Emmagan


    Granny sent loads of them. Because she worked in Post and Telegraphs or whatever is was back then. She's 95 now, but I wouldn't call her "historic".


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,383 ✭✭✭cml387


    I can just remember when the telegram took over from the pony express.
    That was one happy pony.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,892 ✭✭✭gipi


    I received a few telegrams back in the late 70s.

    I worked for Dept of Posts and Telegraphs at the time, and received a telegram if my shift changed when I was on leave - the tekegram told me when I was due in work.

    We had no housephone (look it up, kids!), so telegram was the only way to contact me.

    I also sent one to a relative in Oz, to let him know of a family bereavement.


  • Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 26,399 Mod ✭✭✭✭Peregrine


    Yes, my parents and practically everyone from their generation. My dad found out about my granddad's death via telegram.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 990 ✭✭✭Ted111


    Del.Monte wrote: »
    I sent the bould Ivan (Yates) a telegram in 1981 congratulating him on his election to the Dail. I still have his reply letter somewhere amongst the collected flotsam of 57 years above ground. :D


    I remember when I used to work in the bookies I sent Yates a telegram, said 'where's my wages you b@stard'?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,736 ✭✭✭Irish Guitarist


    I'm fairly certain my mother sent my aunt one to tell her my father had died. This was in 2000 but my aunt lived on a farm in Wicklow with no phone.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,581 ✭✭✭deisemum


    I got a couple of congratulation telegrams at my wedding.


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,687 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    My oh got one back in the day


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭SouthernBelle


    Got quite a few on my wedding day in 1993.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,413 ✭✭✭Stigura


    They were always considered terrifying, in my day. Probably a throw back to the dreaded war time ones.

    Cost of the bloody things was pretty terrifying too! Charged, appreciably, by the character. People didn't rattle them off, just because.

    Telegrams? Christ, I remember hand writing letters to people. With a pen. Sticking it in an envelope. Writing their address on that. Taking the f**ker to the post office. Queuing up, to buy a stamp. Then sticking it in the post box.

    If I was lucky, I'd be delighted to get a reply from them that same week! More usually though, one would expect it some time in the next week.

    Imagine that, today?! F**k me; If we were posh, we'd even ring a building and ask if our intended was in it! :D




    Just editing to say; Bloody hell! My 1000th post! Just happened to notice that!


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,636 ✭✭✭feargale


    Stigura wrote: »

    Just editing to say; Bloody hell! My 1000th post! Just happened to notice that!

    Congratulations. We would send you a congratulatory telegram if we could. :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,117 ✭✭✭✭Junkyard Tom


    Sending messages undersea via cables is so 19th Century.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 10,067 ✭✭✭✭smurfjed


    We had to learn to send and receive Morse Code in the 90's as part of Commercial Pilot exams :)
    In the airline world today, they are using the modern form of telegrams called SITATEX, text only messages printed out on machines as soon as they are received, limited functionality and sent to addresses linked to CITY / AIRLINE / DEPARTMENT. Like DUBEIOO.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,800 ✭✭✭Senna


    Good story on QI that Arthur Conan Doyle sent telegrams to five close friends reading simply "We are discovered. Flee now." to see how they would react. One of the friends disappeared and never came back.

    There's a similar story about a bishop sending the same to 5 priests who he wanted rid of, they all fled in that story.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,155 ✭✭✭✭Grayson




  • Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    Grayson wrote: »

    Late 1980s according to that article.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 781 ✭✭✭CINCLANTFLT




  • Registered Users Posts: 4,863 ✭✭✭fancy pigeon


    Grandparents got a few in the 1970's


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,310 ✭✭✭Speedsie
    ¡arriba, arriba! ¡andale, andale!


    feargale wrote: »
    Congratulations. We would send you a congratulatory telegram if we could. :)

    Could send one via https://telegram.org might need Stigura's mobile though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,184 ✭✭✭housetypeb


    Senna wrote: »
    Good story on QI that Arthur Conan Doyle sent telegrams to five close friends reading simply "We are discovered. Flee now." to see how they would react. One of the friends disappeared and never came back.

    There's a similar story about a bishop sending the same to 5 priests who he wanted rid of, they all fled in that story.

    Reminds me of Niall Toibin ,who had a joke about a doctor who received a telegram from a client that said
    "Mother-in-law on deaths doorstep. Can you pull her through?"


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,570 ✭✭✭HensVassal


    Grayson wrote: »
    My parents did back in the 80's. They also sent/received telex's.


    "Telex, the biscuit bar
    Smooth on the outside
    Crunchy message inside,

    Get the message?

    Yeah!"


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,570 ✭✭✭HensVassal


    cajonlardo wrote: »
    i went for a job interview in 1986.

    I was told immediately that I was not successful. I lived in a flat back then but the next day a telegram was sent out to my parents house asking to comeback and that they wanted to offer me an alternative role. It was all very exciting stuff back then and I was sooooooooooo important :) That and the wedding ones ( '87)

    They couldn't telephone your parents? In 1986???

    I was actually using email in 1986.......but only to about 3 people in the world


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