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THE BROADCAST WATCHDOG has partially backed a complaint that FM104′s nightly phone-in show stigmatised Irish speakers as fanatics like the Taliban.
In a complaint to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), Muireann Ní Mhóráin complained Chris Barry’s Phoneshow from last June caused her “great offence” as an Irish speaker.
She said that was because the presenters – Barry and his then-colleague Thomas Crosse – and callers repeatedly said Irish was “rammed down your neck at school” and that Irish-speakers “piss people off”, with many labelled “nutters” and “fanatical”.
Ní Mhóráin, the head of state agency An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG), which provides support to Irish-language schools, complained the programme was neither objective nor impartial.
She said it carried the message that people who worked in Irish as she did were “just being bloody awkward”.
Ní Mhóráin also took offence at a contributor’s comment that it was “a middle-class thing” for parents to send their children to Irish schools and they did it because they “think they’re higher than other people”.
She said she went to an all-Irish school, as did her children, but didn’t believe they were “higher” than others.
In defence
FM104 didn’t respond directly to her complaint, but later told the BAI the comments about Irish being “rammed down your neck at school” implied the truism that students currently had no choice but to learn their native tongue.
The station said the presenters balanced the programme with text messages in favour of compulsory Irish lessons and Barry also supported those who enjoyed the language – just not as a mandatory school subject.
It was also clear that comments about some Irish speakers being “insane” were only about a fanatical minority, it said.
FM104 also defended the use of the term “Irish language Taliban” which had previously been used to describe some members of Conradh na Gaeilge and their protests outside the Dáil.
In its decision, published today, the BAI said the show presented a range of views and “the robust nature of the discussion” was in line with audience expectations for a phone-in show.
But it partially upheld the complaint, adding that Barry “consistently interrupted contributors who did not agree with the editorial position of the programme” – that mandatory Irish education was unhelpful.
That included labelling one person “an awkward son-of-a-bitch” and making critical comments about callers after they finished their contributions.
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Haven’t we become so dependent on everything electric? When we had power outage in our old house we had at least an Aga. We had our own well, meaning no water. That was inconvenient but you could work around it as you were out of the house for most of the day anyway. We could still cook, wash and stay warm. Now most houses don’t have the solid fuel option anymore; it’s terrible for the elderly and families with small kids. All the oil in the tank is of no use then. One can only hope they have families to go to, or someone calling by till power is restored.
Or they could buy a generator……
Well I think a camping stove or something like that can very easily get somebody over the line for the day or two they are without power….
Have to go out in it later today but for now nice n warm here @ home chilling out in Front of d telly n a warm tv3 studio ha
Oh what a night!
We have blue skies
Not much good to the people who have no electricity…
Solar panels would be useful
Also leave thousands of trampolines flying!
have your say