Letters to the Editor: Abrupt end to hurling season for some teams

Whatever about fixing the deep-seated ‘ills’ and imbalance of a continuously less than competitive Leinster championship, the Joe McDonagh Cup can be greatly improved by affording it real appreciation and by giving it much more respect.

The ‘Joe McDonagh’ is being run off with indecent haste and earlier than necessary, all so that the finalists can be fed into the ‘resuscitation programme’ of the third placed teams in both the Munster and Leinster championships.

Carlow and Offaly campaigned magnificently in this season’s Joe McDonagh Cup, ultimately playing out a high quality, closely fought final. However, they soon became lambs to the slaughter as their seasons came to an abrupt end against the ‘rekindling’ Liam McCarthy teams.

Consequently both Carlow and Offaly now await the 2024 season with a 10-point and a 42- point defeat, respectively, in the rear view mirrors of this season. Finalists in previous seasons fared little better.

Given due respect, counties such as these should only now be coming to the end of their ‘championship’ in the deserving context of opening games in the concluding stages of the ‘Liam McCarthy’. Then, having won or lost, be allowed to appreciate and reflect on reaching their pinnacle without having to ready for certain hurling demolition within days.

Michael Gannon

Saint Thomas Sq

Kilkenny

Poor scheduling causes games clash

I am eight years old and I play camogie and ladies’ football with St Finbarr’s. I love both sports, and hope to keep playing for many years.

I believe it is terribly unfair that, because of scheduling, the senior players in both sports have to choose which to play this Saturday.

As a fan I too have to choose which game to go to, to cheer on my heroes, which is unfair.

I hope the people organising the matches in the LGFA and the Camogie Association don’t do this again.

Julia Ahern
and my brother Finn Ahern, age 7

via email

Praise for police

On Thursday, June 22, we had to go to Cork Airport to collect our daughter’s car as her flight had to be diverted to Dublin. 

A minor inconvenience but it afforded us the opportunity to meet an extraordinarily helpful member of the airport police. Seán O’Farrell went to exceptional lengths to help us when we discovered our key would not work. 

He is a credit to the force he represents, the uniform he wears and the proud Doheny people in his native Dunmanway. Thank you Seán.

Jim and Catherine Gleeson

Loreto Road

Killarney

Alter imagery to realities of alcohol

I’ve asked the following question of RTÉ news many times. Why is it, when alcohol is mentioned in a news report, we are shown endless shelves of easily identifiable alcohol bottles and taps as visual material? Why not imagery of the devastation alcohol actually causes? With its involvement
in about 80% of public order offences, how is this allowed? Why, at a time when everything is up for review, does this need special investigation?

Gerry Hickey

Psychotherapist

Lower Baggot Street

Dublin 2

Siamsa Tíre season cut short

With disappointment, I heard of the decision to cancel part of this year’s summer season of performances by Siamsa Tíre, the National Folk Theatre of Ireland.

I performed for over a decade with the company and my experiences in the summer season were formative in my development as an artist and remain important to my ongoing research. Previously living in Cork and now resident in Louth, I am always surprised at the number of people I meet who travelled to Kerry to see performances by the Siamsa Tíre from the 1970s to more recent times.

Although the company have indicated that the venue remains open, this suggests a limited understanding of what Siamsa Tíre is, what they have achieved and what the summer season stands for.

As a community company, Siamsa Tíre have pioneered folk theatre in Ireland, entertained audiences for over five decades and performed internationally.

The Siamsa Tíre Summer Season is a flagship. It attracts members to the Siamsa Tíre Academy, which the statement from the company confirms will remain open and recently held auditions for new members.

Without a summer season to aspire to as I did, I wonder what goals they will aim for and if I will be hearing about it in Louth or elsewhere in the future.

Daithí Kearney

Co-Director

Creative Arts Research Centre

Dundalk Institute of Technology

Ireland has role in Defence of Europe

The ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude of those isolationists who pretend that Ireland can and should stay ‘neutral’ is out of line with the challenges of today’s world. Ireland as it stands is the broken link in Europe’s defence line against bad actors whether it is drug smugglers, human traffickers or rogue nations.

We have for the last 50 years been glad to take money from our European neighbours, ie, the EU, but this cannot be a one way street. The Irish nation has a moral obligation to return this support by committing to a stronger Europe and as part of this obligation, a stronger European defence system.

Much of our nation’s future wealth will come from the seas which surround us, but we will have to be able to defend those seas and the infrastructures which will be located there and this will be best served in cooperation with our EU friends and neighbours.

Michael O’Riordan

Rochestown

Cork

Prone on point

Terry Prones’ forensic analysis of the protagonists' ill-conceived responses to the RTÉ debacle makes scrumptious reading — ‘RTÉ’s statement fails to nail down who came up with the method of deception’ (Irish Examiner, online, June 28). This is not me gloating at someone’s possible downfall ... just appreciation of Terry Prone’s insightful summation.

Eileen Regan

Rathfarnham

Committee too hard on RTÉ board

I watched in sheer horror as the Oireachtas media committee interrogated members of the RTÉ board. The adversarial attitude of virtually all of the politicians will ensure a dearth of people who might be willing to attend and inform us of matters pertaining to the public interest in future.

Somebody should tell them — the committee members — to tone it down. It scares me to think what they might do were they given even more power.

Of course the board should know its business. But bear in mind some board members receive in or around €15,000 annually for their trouble. This week’s haranguing is never worth it.

Dee Forbes was brought in to make changes — on a budget. Clearly she did what she could, took risks she shouldn’t have and is hardly anywhere near 100% to blame. But she has gone. It will all blow over, and with no disrespect to the hundreds of less fortunate employees, is it not better to focus on RTÉ getting its act together and saving as much face and credibility as possible in the interests of all?

Armed with the knowledge now available, employees and their unions should be able to protect all employees interests in future.

C Uí Ghloinn

via email

Salary cap at RTÉ

There should be a cap on fees/salaries of €100K per annum for RTÉ’s entire workforce including the broadcaster’s ‘top talent’. These top earners should be employed directly by RTÉ and not be on contracts negotiated by agents.

 Most RTÉ employees — journalists, researchers, technicians, etc, can never hope to earn such vast amounts of money and many are employed on precarious contracts including ‘bogus self-employment’ contracts. These workers, as with the general public have been betrayed by their employers, the RTÉ board and the RTÉ executive.

Finally, and most importantly, this crisis should not be used as an excuse to further delay reform of RTÉ’s funding and further undermine public service broadcasting.

The licence fee should be abolished and instead RTÉ should be funded directly by means of progressive taxation.

Kieran McNulty

Tralee,

Co Kerry