No end in sight for minister saga

BERTIE AHERN reflected in an interview with this paper that a major speech he gave on 1916 in UCD had been smothered by the media.

The reason? On the way in, he had been ambushed by doorstepping reporters, who wanted to question him about the live controversy of the day - something that was ultimately so memorable that it’s forgotten now.

The upshot was that his major speech outlining the rationale behind the 1916 commemoration was largely ignored. And when the furious debate started on the merits and demerits of the Rising’s legacy, it was a speech by the President Mary McAleese - and not by Ahern - that provided the springboard for debate.