A chara, – It is a fact that many women like sport. Indeed they even play some, including Gaelic games. The ladies' football and camogie associations have more than a quarter of a million players between them. You wouldn't know it, however, from reading The Irish TimesSport Review of 2011 in which women's sports did not feature outside of honourable mentions for Katie Taylor and some of our female athletes. (December 28th).
I enjoyed reading about the achievements of the Kilkenny hurlers and the Dublin footballers but would have liked to read about the Wexford camogie team and the Cork ladies’ footballers. Maybe next year you will spare a paragraph or two for the exploits of whatever counties take home the O’Duffy and Brendan Martin Cups in 2012, in addition to the accomplishments of women in other sports. – Is mise,
A chara, – Your News Review 2011 supplement (December 27th) allows Mark Hennessy yet another 800-word piece on the (British) press behaving badly and the Leveson inquiry. “A trade used to questioning,” he concludes, “is not used to being questioned”, though he allows that “Television is already tightly regulated, newspapers are badly regulated, and the web is not regulated at all.”
In contrast, your Review supplement consigns the defamation of Fr Kevin Reynolds by Prime Time Investigatesto a footnote of 37 words which manages to put a positive spin on RTÉ's settlement of the case and its apology. No mention of the tardiness of the BAI and the RTÉ board, or the failure of the broadcaster's internal checks prior to or in the months following that Mission to Prey. The two independent inquiries (private, unlike Leveson) are given five words in your Review. Time, perhaps, for a people's mission to pry. – Is mise,
Sir, – Is it just me or am I the only one who is sick and tired of reading, and listening to, endless reviews of 2011? I want to forget about the year as soon as possible and move on. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I have just read your Culture Review 2011 supplement (December 29th). Now I know that dance is sometimes regarded as the Cinderella of the arts, but apart from three references to it, it seems to have disappeared in a puff of smoke! Happy dancing in 2012! – Yours, etc,