Tubsgate!

Tubsgate!

by | 2023/07/12 | Current Affairs, Politics

Tubsgate!

Ryan Tubridy received €345,000 in secret additional payments from RTÉ from 2017 up to 2023. The company was engaged in a massive cost-cutting program during that time and the station implemented a 15% salary reduction. RTÉ is being questioned by the Oireachtas Media Committee and the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee. According to RTÉ, Dee Forbes, the former director general of the company, is the only person who was aware of all the details relating to the additional payments to Tubridy. It is clear that she is a scapegoat and the government believes that this is an absurd explanation!

Here's a summary and a few thoughts about the controversy.

1. Lack of transparency and accountability. Dee Forbes, who has been suspended from her position as director general of RTÉ, was asked by the aforementioned government committees to attend the committee meetings. The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, and the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee are asking Ryan Tubridy, his agent Noel Kelly, and Dee Forbes to appear before the committee, to tell their stories and answer questions. Dee Forbes says she is now sick because of this crisis! Tubridy and Kelly say they will answer questions soon, but we don't have more information as I write the column. In my opinion, this duty should be one of the conditions of employment for them, regardless of anything else. Shouldn't people in public offices or other positions of trust be held accountable? The government is able to subpoena people to come before the Oireachtas, but it is quite complicated to do that, especially in the case of Dee Forbes because she is ill and she is no longer working in RTÉ. In any case, the government is giving invitations to the people mentioned above, and if necessary they will be forced to attend meetings organized by the Oireachtas Public Accounts committee.
2. 'Slush Fund'. RTÉ Chief Financial Officer Richard Collins appeared before the Oireachtas and brought new things to light. RTÉ had a special bank account, from which they made the additional payments to Tubridy. This 'swap' account, which usually contained more than €1 million, was used to spend €275,000 on sporting events (travel, tickets and hotels) – Rugby World Cup, Champions League (ten year tickets ), IRFU matches and European soccer, included – stay tuned for flip flops! Collins said that the tax payers might be betrayed! RTÉ will undoubtedly have other questions to answer about this fund, especially as it was discovered very briefly that there are three accounts of this kind involved! Public Expenditure Minister Pascal Donohoe said the government will seek financial reports going back several years, to gain a deeper understanding of the controversy.
3. Agent. Noel Kelly is a very powerful man, agent not only for Tubridy, but for other big names too – including Dave Fanning, Kathryn Thomas, Matt Cooper and Ivan Yates. He is a middleman, who takes a 15% commission from his client's salary. Kelly will undoubtedly have many questions to answer. But don't forget one thing: even though Kelly is able to advise his clients, they are the ones in charge and they are the ones who give him instructions. In that way, Tubridy owns the documentation regarding the financial arrangements he was demanding. At first, Tubridy didn't accept that responsibility, but he promptly changed his tune after a while. In my opinion, RTÉ should negotiate salaries directly with their employees without any agent present.
4. Too much money. When too much money is involved, there are always problems, and greed corrupts. Therefore, there is a need for external supervision of companies and a power to punish companies that break the rules. In RTÉ's case, the gate is being closed after the horse has bolted.

Conclúid

We are only at the beginning of the investigation now, and we still have a lot to learn about what has been going on in RTÉ for several years. All the truth will come out, probably, and then the government will have to make a decision so that this does not happen again. I hope that an external oversight organization will be put in place with the necessary powers and will keep a close eye on the new RTÉ and any other organizations that use our taxes to operate.

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Cothrom na Féinne sa Bhunreacht?

Fairness in the Constitution?

by | 2023/07/05 | Politics, History

Cothrom na Féinne!

 

I was eating my lunch alone, upstairs in the furniture store 'Meubles' when I recognized my old friend Séimí in the buffet queue. I waved my hand at him to get his attention and he gave me a big smile before coming in my direction.

"Nice to meet you here, Michael!" said Séimí as he sat in front of me at the table. "I didn't know you liked the 'Meubles' restaurant, son!"

“I love the clam chowder here. But I was the one who was surprised, because I'm always here, and I've never seen you here before, Séimí!" I said.

"I'm late today, Michael, but I come here once or twice a week at noon and I'm gone within half an hour!"

"Call me from now on if you want my company, and I'll be happy to meet you at noon," I said matter-of-factly.

"Thank you, and if I'm not in a hurry I'll call you!" answered Séimí. "But what about the 'fairness' that was established in this country after the 'Easter Rising, 1916'? Do you have any opinion on it now, Michael?” As usual for my friend Séimí an Droichid, he tilted his head as he scrutinized me.

"Share your own views with me first, Séimí!" I said, "and then I will add them." I drank a cup of coffee, while I waited for what he would have to say.

“As you well know, I have a liberal attitude. Once, my views were not accepted and people labeled me a hippie. But now we have a liberal, progressive country, almost free from the yoke of the Church at last. When it was drawn up in 1934-1937, the constitution was strongly in line with the teachings of the Church, and particularly with the views of Father McQuaid (then president of Blackrock College, and later Archbishop and Primate of All Ireland) and the Jesuit Father Cahill. The three of them (deValera, McQuaid and Cathill) were conservative Catholics, who worked hand in hand to draft the constitution. It is not surprising then, that they intended to have a religious and conservative constitution. Unfortunately, it was also a discriminatory constitution because fairness was not given priority in the constitution. There have been 38 referendums on amendments to the constitution since 1937 and the constitution we have now is completely different and better than the first one. But we still have work to do!” Séimí finally stopped talking, and started eating his assorted salads.

"I agree with you, my friend," I said. "It is a great pity that deValera was not more objective about the constitution, but he was under pressure from all sides at the time. The Catholic Church was very powerful, as the majority of the population at the time were devout Catholics. Although there were not many Protestants in the south, there were many in the North, and deValera wanted to create a constitution that would be suitable for them as well. It was difficult for him to serve both sets of needs, however, and although he made peaceful gestures in the constitution for the Protestants, deValera was subject to the Catholic Church, and that is evident in the constitution he published in 1937."

"For the first time ever, we're not arguing with each other Michael!" said Séimí, laughing. “There are now major changes in the constitution regarding divorce, abortion and same-sex marriage that would have been unthinkable thirty years ago. But are we done yet?”

"Not really, as we said!" I said. "We have and will always have work to do. But although we still have a lot to do, the most important thing for us to do right now is to remove the reference to women being enslaved at home from the constitution. We will have a referendum on that later and I hope that amendment will be accepted!”

"Of course, Michael!" said Séimí. "Ireland is now a post-Catholic country, and it's time to put an end to the oppression and restrictions of the church."

“On that note, Séimí, let's end our sessions today! We don't always agree, but we agree on the most important things, in my opinion – things like equality in this great country.”

We walked out together, and I promised myself that I would be in touch with Séimí again before long.

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Gearán agus Clamhsán!

Bellyaching!

by | 2023/06/28 | Short stories

Bellyaching!

In a small private room in the 'Smugairle Róin' last night, I was counting a gorgeous, attractive bottles, on a glass shelf in front of me, and putting together the complicated affairs of life, when I was quite stunned. When I came to myself, I realized that someone was knocking on the door of the 'Caillí' (that's the small private room I mentioned just now) trying to come in to me. From the kind of noise being made, I realized instantly that it was my old friend, Séimí an Droichid, who was there for me.

"Come in" I said, nice and welcoming.

The door was opened, and my fine Séimí appeared before me. It was easy to recognize that the poor man was sick with the cold, and for that reason, I asked him to plant himself on the stool in front of me, next to the radiator, and I immediately informed the bar person (Tóin Mhór himself), and asked him to provide me with a good batch of the hard stuff immediately for my friend. He obliged me, and I have to admit that the same man went out of hhis way to serve us. Sémí grabbed his glass. He raised it before him, and then, without further delay, swallowed the contents. He laid his empty glass on the table in front of him, cleared his throat, put on his speaking voice and asked, did I have a story or a poem, after the week?

Any news?

"I have ne’er a story or a ballad myself," said I, "but I would say that you did not go out this way tonight without a story, or a ballad." Maybe you could drop a story out of your story bag?”

"Certainly, I did not come out of our house without a story, or a story, tonight, as it would be difficult to do such a thing, these days, with so many yaarns being woven, and spun, from the big life around us.”

"Let loose then, some of the lore you have collected recently".

"But, shouldn't we all pay attention to things, as that tells us, how quickly misfortune comes down on us, when we don't expect it. There are certain forces at work in these matters, forces over which we have no control, and also forces, which have strength and power in them, which affect us deeply."

"But probably, there were other events bothering us, recently?"

“Be sure there were, as when you think about it, how much life has changed since we were boys, long ago? At that time, weren’t the Church, and the Banks, and the police, the strong pillars of the defense of this State; they were especially persistent, efficient, and indestructible, as we understood it. But look at things as they are now? I am afraid that it has been made clear to the world that they are not the bastion as described, but instead, we have been discovered that they are weak, bent, human, those same strong pillars, on which we all depended."

The Impermanence of Life

"But, Sémí, isn't that your life? Nothing in this world is permanent but the grace of God.”

"I agree with you in that, or as Mártan the Bull put it a long time ago, 'There is no certainty in this world except death, taxes, and the impermanence of this world'. Yes, and he was probably quite right about that. But, I would say now, that it is past time for me to move home, and therefore, we have to leave this matter parked until the next round. In the meantime, think about 'Chothrom na Féinne' in the Republic that was established here after the Easter Rising, 1916. And I'll bid you farewell for now."

And with that, my lovely Sémí, with blazing speed, cleared out of the Caillí at the Smugairle Róin.

"Saafe home" I said after him, although there was every possibility that he was out of earshot by then. But rest assured that we will be returning to that topic again soon.

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Lá na nAithreacha!

Fathers Day!

by | 2023/06/21 | Personal

Lá na nAithreacha

My North Star!!

I always call on him during my life,

When I'm in need,

Or whenever I'm in danger

And I need to be strong..

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When I have a burning question,

Or whenever I feel sick,

When someone is saying something offensive to me,

Or when things are not going well.

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On such occasions he comes to me,

And he puts me at my ease,

He takes the burden of my troubles from me,

And I'm not worried in the least anymore.

In this little poem, I try to express the specific characteristic of fatherhood, regarding the support our fathers give us through life's difficulties. By the way, our mothers also support us, but today my emphasis is on the fathers!

As for my own father, he supported me whenever I struggled as a boy growing up. Although I had no problem with my learning ability, I had quite a few other problems. As a teenager I was an utter weakling, and I also had asthma. Therefore, I was no use at hurling. That's a big disadvantage, especially when you're attending Kieran’s College, Kilkenny. I was left out of the heart of things and so I was very lonely. I was a boarding school student at the College, and I had to quickly develop my personal independence. Because I was an weaakling, the bullies always picked on me. My self-esteem was under attack with that behavior. But I was ashamed and I didn't say anything to my father. His support would only make the situation worse, because my father was a teacher in the same College. Anyway, I remained silent. You'd think my dad wouldn't know what was going on, let alone give me any help. But, you wouldn't be right!

I still don't know how my father found out what was going on. He found a creative solution for my situation. The bullies never hit me, because then they would be kicked out of school for misbehaving. But the bullies were still harassing me, using words instead of closed fists. It would have been better for me if it was physical harassment, no doubt. My father also realized that the greatest danger was psychological damage, and devised a solution to combat that.

The solution to the problem?

My father suggested positive and creative strategies for me, without pretending that they had anything to do with the bullying that was going on. I had no clue about it, either! My father emphasized the things I had a particular passion and talent for and told me there was nothing I couldn't do. He gave me courage whenever I was down and gave me a lift. Never yield, he said, to anyone you compete with, because he has the same doubts as you. My father awakened and encouraged my love of reading, although I already enjoyed learning everything at school. He opened the doors to many opportunities for me, and I ran through them fearlessly.

What about the bullies? When they realized they couldn't have the same effect on me anymore, they stopped bothering me and had to find new victims who would be easier to terrorize.

That was a very clever solution because my father managed to kill two birds with one stone. First of all, he defeated the bullies, because fresh meat was no longer available to them. Secondly, he built up my self-confidence by clearly showing that he trusted me completely. That positive attitude stayed with me from then on up to this day. With that very positive attitude, I am not afraid to try anything I want to do in my life. That way, I learn and develop every day. I am deeply indebted to my father Peadar Bairéad for that, God bless him.

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Daonáireamh 2022!

2022 Census!

by | 2023/06/14 | Current Affairs, National News, Politics

2022 Census!

The figures regarding the use of the language were recently published, based on the 2022 Census. There was a 2.55% drop in the number of people speaking the language every day outside the education system, from 73,803 in 2016 to 71,968 in 2022. There was a 2.18% drop in the number of people speaking the language every week, from 111,473 in 2016 to 109,099 in 2022. I see from the government only lip service instead of a comprehensive plan to achieve an increase as opposed to a decrease of Irish speakers. These statistics are eye-opening for us, without a doubt.

I have a few words!!

The number of people who speak Irish rose by 0.6% of the population from 39.8% (1,761,420) in 2016 to 40.4% (1,873,997) in 2022. But of those people, only 10% said that they speak Irish very well , and another third saying that they speak Irish well. The rest (55%) who speak Irish said they are not able to speak it well.

In the Gaeltacht?

The number of people in the Gaeltacht who speak Irish increased, from 63,664 in 2016 to 65,156 in 2022 (an increase of 2.3%). But the number of people in the Gaeltacht who speak Irish every day has decreased from 20,586 in 2016 to 20,261 in 2022 (a 1.6% drop).

Analysis

What is going on at all? On the one hand, things seem to be improving. But on the other hand, the figures say that things are getting worse. Which is correct?

In my opinion, one need not be right and the other wrong. Analysis is necessary to make sense of these figures.

I think that the number of people who speak Irish is increasing because the revival of the language is taking place in the country and people want to improve and practice their Irish if possible. But for the most part people cannot speak Irish in the normal activities of life, because there is not enough infrastructure operating in Irish available to them. And that is the basic reason that there is a decrease in the number of speakers of Irish. Therefore, it is clear that the government's policies regarding the Irish language are not working well, despite the will of the public. What a pity that is!

Recommendations

I was at a loss as to what to do, when I received a 'WhatsApp' message from my loyal friend, Micheál Ó Máirtín. It was a sound bite from the program 'An Saol Ó Deas', with Helen Ní Shé interviewing Irial Mac Murchú. Although the number of speakers of the Gaeltacht decreased overall, the number of speakers of increased in the County Kerry and County Waterford Gaeltachts. Irial is the CEO and director of the television production company, Nemoton, and has a particular insight into the issue of Irish spoken in Gaeltacht na n'Déise in Waterford. Here is a summary of a few points he was discussing. The Gaeltacht na n'Déise was almost on its deathbed in the seventies, said Irial, when a kind of revival came. According to Irial, the cornerstone of that revival was the San Nicolás secondary school. The school was established in the fifties and in the seventies the number of pupils grew significantly. A certain generation, even though they themselves were raised in English, decided to raise their children in Irish, and there was still enough Irish in the environment that it worked out well. After a while, the stain of poverty was no longer on the language, and gradually a new generation could be seen, including teachers, lawyers, nurses and the like, who were brought up with Irish. The support of the local organizations helped with these efforts and especially the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), because they made Irish classes available to people and did their business through Irish in the Gaeltacht. Therefore, the GAA fostered a natural environment for people to speak Irish. Gradually there was a comfortable environment for people to be able to do everything through Irish.

Conclusion

We do not need to rely on the government to revive our language. We can do it ourselves! We have already had great success with Irish primary schools, and now it is time for us to establish secondary schools wherever we can. Then, we have to put public pressure on the local bodies to encourage them to be able to use Irish as well as English. We will be able to recreate the success of the Gaeltacht na n'Déise in other places like that, by collaborating together!

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