Letters to the Editor: Mystery over RTÉ’s footage of the 1991 Tall Ships Race in Cork
The Polish vessel Dar Młodziezy at Cobh in July 1991 — just one of the magnificent vessels that took part in the Tall Ships event in Cork. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive/Richard Mills
The fact that she states “she knew nothing of pay scandals” casts yet another serious shadow over the governance and responsibilities of those in the upper echelons of management of the national broadcaster.
Some years ago I had occasion to write to Moya Doherty [twice], following the refusal of the then DG, Ms Dee Forbes, to respond to three formal complaints from me to the station surrounding its non inclusion of the Tall Ships Race to Cork in the 1991 edition of the Reeling in the Years.
I received five lines from Ms Doherty, stating that she had, more or less, no control over all functions of the DG, Ms Forbes.
So I kept digging, and discovered that many hours of RTÉ’s coverage of the event, was fully edited and ready for broadcast, and sent each day to RTÉ by Tom McSweeney. Bingo, so where did all this highly historic footage disappear to?
Well, therein lies another headache for RTÉ’s new DG, Kevin Bakhurst, as I wrote to him on his appointment, and wished him well, and landed this king size hand grenade into his lap, concerning the disappearance of the up to 12 hours of broadcast quality footage of the second biggest event in the history of the state, coupled with such an insult to the people of Cork.
It saddens me greatly that our friend; our chairman, international sailor, and leader, Ted Crosbie, sadly passed away without ever seeing a re-run of the magnificent maritime spectacle that he created.
So, I am now calling Mr Bakhurst in time with a request for an immediate update on his search for the truth concerning this extremely serious matter. Cork needs answers. Cork needs its maritime history restored, now, irrespective of what it takes.
Perhaps Mr Bakhurst could feel free to respond publicly through the good offices of the Irish Examiner.
Implementing reform is never easy, but this board has upheld its commitment to address the legal structure problem; implemented greater operational verticality, improved governance and oversight; and hired security guards to protect ICA employees at national events (as mandated by employment law).
Most members would not know how very fortunate the ICA is to have this group of courageous, gracious, and dedicated women fighting for the long-term welfare of the organisation. Judge this board by its actions, not by the relentless stream of negativity from its opponents. Actions speak louder than words.
Sean O’Brien speaks of ‘religion’ as though it is a monolithic entity — ‘Religion’s role in long-running war’ (Irish Examiner, Letters, October 23).
Religion at core is an all-encompassing worldview that seeks to explain our purpose in this world, our relationship to the supernatural and afterlife. In a sense it is similar to secular philosophical schools of thought which ask similar questions. Beyond that, it as meaningless to talk of whether religion is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ as it is to talk of whether politics are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ — the terms are simply too broad. There’s obviously a world of difference between say, Christianity and the human-sacrificing religion of the Aztecs; between constitutional monarchies and autocratic dictatorships. It is the same with ideologies. When Marx described religion as ‘the opium of the people’, he was stating his view that religion kept people in a suppressed stupor. We might observe that Socialism is ‘the cocaine of the people’ — a heady rush of rhetoric and rebellion followed by a severely depressing comedown once sobriety and reality return.
To suggest ‘religion’ is at the core of the conflict in Palestine / Israel is to greatly overstate the case. Mr O’Brien makes much of the Islamic fundamentalism of Hamas, or the supposed theocratic nature of the Jewish Israeli state. But the reality is most Israelis are secular in outlook, apart from Orthodox Jews. And for the vast majority of Palestinians, the reality of living in poverty, degradation, and hopelessness has far more to do with their actions than any religious outlook.
In the same way there was once an attempt to characterise the Northern Troubles, which trundled on for over 30 years, as a ‘Catholic v Protestant’ spat — as if the UVF and (Marxist!) PIRA were really fighting over whether the Pope was the head of the Church Church and issues like transubstantiation; and as if Protestants and Catholics couldn’t be found elsewhere on the planet living in harmony.
The real consequence of this view would have been to overlook the socio-economic and political roots of the Troubles instead. The reason most of the media haven’t picked up on the religious theme in Palestine is not, as Mr O’Brien suggests, because they’ve somehow overlooked it, but because it isn’t a significant factor.
I am enraged by the knee jerk, fawning support of Israel. The Israeli state brought this war on itself, it is singularly responsible for the bloodshed.
I should know, I converted to Judaism years ago after extensive study of its principles. So I am not an antisemite, I am deeply opposed to the evil behaviour of the Israeli state towards the Palestinian people and their culture.
Is it beyond us to realise that easing population pressure might lead to the point where our land could carry the problems that climate change is creating. Why must the reverse happen? The packing of our land with ever more people means that ensuring future problems seems political policy.
