Subscriber OnlyIrelandIT Sunday Newsletter

RTÉ's existential crisis offers an opportunity for change

IT Sunday: Deaths of two Irish teenagers on Greek island leave school community numb; while Una Mullally argues for a new direction for Dublin’s O’Connell Street

RTÉ HQ in Montrose, Dublin. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Sun Jul 9 2023 - 09:07

Welcome to this week’s IT Sunday, a selection of the best Irish Times journalism for our subscribers.

The continued controversy surrounding governance and culture at RTÉ in the wake of revelations about unreported pay for Ryan Tubridy remained one of the stories dominating the news agenda this week. Fintan O’Toole writes about how RTÉ has now been forced into a situation where it must change or die: “The scandal brings to a head a fundamental problem that, in the usual Irish fashion, has been allowed to fester for decades. That problem is simply stated: the corruption of public broadcasting by commercial interests.

“Because of the way it was set up, RTÉ has to function simultaneously as a public service vital to the democratic life of the Republic and as a subsidiary of the advertising and marketing industries whose sole concern is to sell products and promote brands.

“This split personality means that it has to treat us – the public in public service broadcasting – as both citizens to be informed and engaged and as consumers to be delivered to businesses. The contradiction can no longer be ignored.”

READ MORE

The issues at RTÉ were also the subject of a column by Kathy Sheridan. She writes about how a move by RTÉ chair Siún Ní Raghallaigh to put a knife into the concept of “the talent” amid the recent revelations raises the issue of what we want from our pool of broadcasters. She notes: “The conundrum is that while Irish culture has traditionally discouraged self-promotion, broadcasting demands it. Decent, fairly ordinary journalist/presenters develop a cachet through screen exposure, but also through a bizarre convention whereby other journalists (this one included) seek to interview them, thereby turning them into ‘personalities’, and remoulding them as celebrities ... A solution might be for the rest of us to recognise that in a country with a population about the same size as the province of Barcelona’s, the cult of the personality journalist is a nonsense.”

There was an outpouring of grief in recent days over the deaths of two teenagers from Dublin within 24 hours of each other in separate incidents while on a post-Leaving Cert holiday on the Greek island of Ios last weekend. Andrew O’Donnell (18) died after falling while walking home from a night socialising last Friday week, having become separated from a friend. Just a short few hours later Max Wall (18), a St Michael’s classmate of O’Donnell’s who had been part of a group searching for him, collapsed on a street near the island’s port. Jack Power reports from the island on how the tragic events unfolded, and the effect they have had on one Dublin school community.

This week the Government pressed gently on the accelerator, increasing public spending at a time when the economy is humming along, prompting various economic outfits to predict Armageddon. In order to try to work out which side is right, David McWilliams imagines a conversation between a politician, who wants to spend to fix things today, and an economist, who argues for prudence, about the appropriate course of action for the booming Irish economy.

Elsewhere this week, Una Mullally addresses the “neverending conversation” about how to “fix” Dublin’s O’Connell Street. She writes about how, amid several major changes taking place on the street, there is a large opportunity to develop a cohesive plan for its future. She argues that the street could buck the trend of ad-hoc development taking place elsewhere in the city and become the capital’s “cultural thoroughfare”, taking advantage of the street’s existing “cultural and historical connective tissue“. She says such a plan could prove “revolutionary”.

In the latest edition of Tell Me About It, Trish Murphy advises a reader reflecting on the end of their marriage and wondering why they stayed in it for so long. The reader says: “I was married for three decades and in that time there was an affair (him), a pass at another woman, constant drinking, blame for my loss of libido and mystification as to why I was unhappy.

“I wanted to leave three times but didn’t due to self-esteem issues and lack of family support ... My big question is, why did I stay when I was so unhappy?” Read what Trish has to say here.

In this week’s restaurant review, Corinna Hardgrave visits a new Co Wexford eatery that “excels at what it does best. It is all about old-fashioned hospitality and an evening well spent.” She says that the restaurant “has a certain magic”, with food served in a “stunning room made for celebrations”. Read her full review here.

In this week’s On the Money newsletter, Joanne Hunt writes about how changing your water-drinking habits can result in big savings. She notes how having bottled water as part of your daily routine or weekly shop could see you spending about €550 a year on it, according to estimates. She goes on to explain how there are cheaper, greener and possibly healthier alternatives to bottled water, and some of them are even free. Sign up here to receive the newsletter straight to your inbox every Friday.

Meanwhile, advice columnist Roe McDermott responds to a reader who asks: “Why do I always attract toxic men?” The reader writes: “I’m a 37-year-old woman and I’m honestly going to give up on ever finding a good man. I had low self-esteem as a teenager and in my early 20s, and my first ‘relationships’ were with men who already had girlfriends. Then I had two long-term, serious relationships in my late 20s and early 30s, and both of these exes lied, drank and cheated compulsively ... I’ve just ended yet another relationship with a man who was charming and charismatic when he wanted to be, but could also be distant and never wanted to commit to any future plans. I’m exhausted.” Read Roe’s full advice here.

As always, there is much more on irishtimes.com, including rundowns of all the latest movies in our film reviews, tips in our food section and all the latest in sport. There are plenty more articles exclusively available for Irish Times subscribers here.

We value your views. Please feel free to send comments, feedback or suggestions for topics you would like to see covered to feedback@irishtimes.com, and thank you to those who filled out our recent survey.