Our History

O’Doherty’s Audio Video Production Ltd (ODAV) is proud to be an Irish owned family business, with three generations that have grown, developed and expanded the company from its beginnings in 1956 to what it is today.

In fact, the seeds of the company were sewn as far back as 1943. When the voice of Paddy O’Doherty cut through the chill St. Stephen’s Day air at Leopardstown racecourse, the assembled racegoers were startled to say the least. Paddy O’Doherty’s voice boomed over the tannoy saying “Uncle Bob has been withdrawn from the third race!”

Paddy had the foresight to persuade Fred Clark, owner of Leopardstown racecourse at that time, that announcements on the race track could be revolutionary. This first simple message from Paddy O’Doherty sparked a revolution in Irish racing!

Soon the demand for the O’Doherty’s services went nationwide; announcing results, tote and starting prices and of course, that famous phrase from Paddy O’Doherty booming over the tannoy…… “Winner alright, winner alright,” which was greeted with many a cheer at racecourses down through the years.

A sixty-year history that started from the simple beginnings of one microphone and P.A. system, the O’Doherty family grew and expanded the business over the following decades into Ireland’s most renowned Outside Broadcasting company.

O’Doherty’s led the way in the broadcast industry with the latest technology and innovation developments. O’Doherty’s procured one of the first Phillips Colour Cameras in Ireland to record Pope John Paul II’s visit to Ireland in 1979 on behalf of RTE Radio.

From the 1980s and onwards, O’Doherty’s were the main televised provider of Irish Horse Racing nationwide, broadcasting live pictures to the racetrack.

Alongside their many broadcast projects, O’Doherty’s also provided the public address service for many main events in Ireland including the notable St Patrick’s Day parade, the Carroll’s Irish Open Golf, Motor Racing in the Phoenix Park, Concerts in the National Concert Hall, The Liffey Swim and many more.

During the 1990s, O’Doherty’s added to their fleet, by building an 8 camera Outside Broadcasting truck installed with the latest technology.

With the introduction of satellite coverage in Ireland, O’Doherty’s broadcasted live pictures worldwide via satellite on many channels such as SIS, Attheraces, UTV, RTE and Channel 4 and currently, O’Doherty’s have more than 25,000 hours experience of live satellite broadcast.

In 2000, with the dawn of a new millenium, O’Doherty’s branched out to offer a new service in consulting, designing and installing permanent public address and visual installations in a variety of buildings and locations.

In 2006, O’Doherty’s had the foresight to expand their fleet by purchasing a 34 metre Bronto hoist. With this new facility, O’Doherty’s provided a mobile and elevated camera position service, enabling a wider field of view and thereby enhancing the broadcast coverage experience for the audience. O’Doherty’s then added two further hoists to their fleet, namely the 26 metre Simon Snorkel hoist and the 17 metre Aerial hoist.

With the introduction of HD in Ireland, O’Doherty’s has invested in the latest HD equipment and technology to provide their clients a high-end production service.

And with the explosion of social media platforms in the last decade, O’Doherty’s has enabled our clients to access a wider audience through social media outlets via live streaming on Vimeo, Facebook and YouTube.

Today, O’Doherty’s continue to expand and develop the business in new and exciting directions and are always welcome to new ideas and innovations.

With many happy customers over the decades such as Irish Horse Racing, RTE, TV3, CH4, and many more, O’Dohertys will continue to offer the best service in the business!