A chara, – Derek Mac Hugh (Letters, July 26th) bemoans the fact that two different channels of the State broadcaster offer the daily news in Irish – the first language of this State – and wonders if this duplication may be partially responsible for RTÉ's recent losses.
While I applaud Mr Mac Hugh’s concern for protecting the taxpayer, I wonder if he has not missed a much richer seam of potential savings: the reckless duplication of the news in English on RTÉ1, RTÉ2, RTÉ News Now, Radio 1, 2FM, and Lyric, as well as multiple independent channels operating throughout the nation. If a few minutes of Irish on RTÉ 1 are contributing to the company’s deficit, as Mr Mac Hugh alleges, I shudder to imagine how much these wasteful English language programmes must be costing.
Surely, in the interests of the Irish taxpayer, Mr Mac Hugh should first call for the cancellation of these duplicate services in English? After all, he can always get the news as béarla from the BBC.
– Is mise,
RORY CROTTY
Douglas
Corcaigh.