One of the most important public bodies in the country was bogged down for more than a week splitting hairs, taking legal advice, and drip-feeding the truth to the Dàil and Ireland’s Media Minister Catherine Martin. This is a news organisation.A nuclear power is in a state of paramilitary flux and political instability in Russia; the climate crisis is causing heatwaves in Western Europe; the HSE is allowing children with scoliosis to endure pain and suffering; An Bord Pleanàla is in a state of chaos; the sixth mass extinction is being debated at the European Parliament; meanwhile RTÉ is being bogged down lifting receipts out of shoe boxes at Montrose.
Let us all take a moment to consider how tear-your-hair-out frustrating that must be for the hundreds of talented and excellent people who form the general staff at RTÉ. If Ryan Tubridy and his agent will not attend the Public Accounts Committee to speed this atrocious demoralising mess along to clarity and finality then we really should consider hiring people with different attitudes to the business of public service broadcasting.
Some of the politicians involved (Sinn Fèin in particular) would also do well to realise that RTÉ is a crucially important organisation enjoying the enduring loyalty and affection of the general public. That is why people are exercised about recent baffling events. People care about RTÉ because it is an organisation they have built and one they are proud of.
Genuinely independent public service broadcasting is something we here in Ireland take for granted. It exists in very few countries. Let’s make sure we don’t throw out the public service broadcasting baby with the free trip to Tokyo tickets.
Michael Deasy
Bandon
Co Cork
Slush funds ...
I’m quite partial to a Slush Puppie. Is it in any way related to a Slush Fund?
Aileen Hooper
Stoneybatter
Dublin 7
... paid for by public
We were always told the TV licence fee was to ensure that public service broadcasting was funded properly.
Many of us who pay their TV licences are right to feel aggrieved that around 8,000 of us had those funds diverted into a slush fund for people already over-paid by RTÉ. All I am waiting for now is for Revenue to arrive in Montrose to begin a full audit.
Mark O’Hagan
Midleton
Co Cork
RTÉ board games
I’m aghast at what’s being revealed about RTÉ accounting procedures, simply because there was a clear failure at corporate and executive board level to ensure the integrity and reputation of RTÉ. Yet for some perverse reason nobody at board level is taking responsibility — either corporately or individually.
It is amazing that the incoming Director General appears to have the power to reconstitute the executive board. Surely that’s a matter for the corporate board.
Joe Harrison
Spanish Point
Co Clare
Tub thumping
Jennifer Horgan hit so many nails in the head in column — ‘We have a lot more to worry about than Ryan Tubridy’s bank balance’ (Irish Examiner, June 30).
How can this ‘sensationalised’ story of Ryan Tubridy’s ignorance of additional payouts remainon front page headlines for so long — above all the other ‘real day-to-day shortfalls’ that our government are guilty of (cuts in funding of essential services).
Shame on media for ‘driving it on’ and shame on our government for ignoring people’s urgent needs for so long and continuing to do so. Stop wasting taxpayers' money and help those in need.
Olan Healy
Ballintemple
Cork
Ongoing scandal of industrial schools
I do agree very much with the sentiments raised by Mick Clifford in his article — ‘Scandal of industrial school abuse now barely raises a shrug’ (Irish Examiner, June 29). I too have been in the same discussions for over many years now with the government. Little real progress has been made.
One other issue also worth mentioning: Some TD’s have encouraged Mr Tom Wall (who found documents in his attic after 40 years) to retain these missing documents from Glin Industrial School. He managed to keep them because he was an employed person from the age of 16 during the drawdown of the school.
He, and all of the country by now have seen these documents. Indeed, he himself has got letters and cards having gone through them. When are those of us who spent all of your early years going to have access to these documents. Are we expected to gather in Mr Wall’s kitchen some rainy day as so many journalists do to see and write about them.
Would it not be better to return them to the Christian Brothers Archives where we can all go to see them, as many have been doing from all of the other various industrial schools? Indeed, Mr Wall himself says that he benefited from visiting the same archives.
Finally, on May 25 he lost a judgement in Limerick Court and was to return the documents to the Brothers. Mr Wall however decided to appeal this judgment. When are the remaining former residents of Glin going to benefit from these documents?
Thomas Hayes
Richhill
Co Armagh
Den of dodgy deals
A few weeks ago I travelled to Dublin as an OAP to purchase some books in Chapters on Parnell St.
While there, I noted that Conway’s Pub on Parnell Street had become yet another derelict eyesore in that area.
It brought to mind the last times I was in there being entertained by a budding entrepreneur, shortly before it became famous during the Mahon Tribunal as the pub of choice for Frank Dunlop, George Redmond, Liam Lawlor and several councillors while they were arranging dodgy deals and handing out brown envelopes.
Anyone know which watering hole the spivs and wide boys now use as their nineteenth hole?
Liam Power
Dundalk
Co Louth
Say no to Nato
A letter writer complains of a “holier-than-thou” attitude from those who believe Ireland should retain its long-held neutrality — ‘Ireland has role in defence of Europe’ (Irish Examiner, June 30). It’s true. I do feel holier, given the history of those countries people like this letter writer want us to align ourselves with.
There’s much talk of the need to “educate” the public about military defence.
If so, a high priority needs to be the background check of the alliance some want us to join: Nato formed in 1949. In the relatively short time since, the US has been involved in at least 26 attempts of regime change. It invaded Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Afghanistan and Iraq (twice). France had its racist colonial wars denying others freedom (after itself being occupied by the Nazis) in Vietnam and Algeria. The British have had so many war crimes, including NI, it’s practically banned trials against its soldiers. If I continued with more examples, it would take up too much print space.
I know there’s smaller countries in Nato. Iceland doesn’t even have an army. But in any group, the sheep are led by the wolves. Just remember that American exceptionalism, and any “superpower”, will not have Irish people’s best interests at heart.
Sell our souls to the devils who have caused the suffering of millions, including our own? No thanks. I’ll stay on my holy high horse, and not be shamed for it.
Fachtna O’Kelly
Clonakilty
Co Cork
Cork and Not Cork
Interesting to read 'Census shows Cork has highest proportion of residents living in their county of birth’, (Irish Examiner, online, June 29). It reminds me of a map of Ireland printed on T-shirts with only two places marked out: Cork and the rest of the country labelled — Not Cork.
Stephen O’Hara
Carrowmore
Sligo
GAA rules revision
Having watched most of this year’s thrilling hurling matches, it seems to me that many supporters and indeed players and managers from certain counties, do not know of certain rule changes in hurling.
They are as follows:
1.You can now throw the ball, no need to use an old-style handpass;
2.You can now hold your opponent’s hurley to prevent him from using it to hurl;
3. The penalty for headbutting your opponent has now been downgraded from red to yellow;
4. Striking with the hurley has also been downgraded from red to yellow.
Only one county and one referee have gone to the bother of checking out these changes and have applied them to the modern games.
It is now up to every county to bring themselves up to speed on these matters. GAA headquarters should make sure that all referees are informed of the changes. Afterall it would be most unfortunate if a team were to exit the championship because a referee makes a mistake and issues a red for headbutting or striking with the hurley or disallowing a score for a throw ball. As we saw in one match recently, a team that played under these new rules, with a referee who was well informed of these changes are still in the championship and the team that know nothing about these changes are out.
Seán Ó Muinneacan
Bréantrá
Co Corcaí
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