How RTE covered a Ballinasloe lollipop man invention 45 years ago!
"In Ballinasloe, the lollipop man steps into the space age."
Thus begins an RTE television report which aired on this day in 1976 and took a look at a quirky creation made by Laurence Ward, an inventor in the East Galway town.
Today, RTE Archives unearthed the 45-second report about Mr Ward's head-and-shoulders contraption which aimed "to make life easier for the traffic warden, and crossing the road simpler for children."
The amateur inventor created the device from a plastic basin, lightweight tubing, and the words 'stop' and 'go' in luminous stick-on letters.
Ballinasloe lollipop man Tom Madden is shown using the invention as a group of young people cross the road.
You can watch the RTE report from 1976 here: https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0321/776365-new-technology-for-lollipop-men/