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SOME TDS HAVE criticised the Taoiseach’s decision to roll the Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht portfolios into one department.
Today, Micheál Martin was elected Taoiseach of the 33rd Dáil, and his new Cabinet was appointed.
One standout department reshuffle was that given to deputy leader of the Green Party Catherine Martin.
Making the Cabinet appointments announcement in the Convention Centre this afternoon, the Taoiseach said:
“A free, independent and professional media is vital for our democracy. We have set out our commitment to helping not just our public service media, but our professional media as a whole to be able to have a sustainable future.
“Deputy Catherine Martin will lead our work on this as a matter of urgency. She will also lead the critical work of helping to restart and strengthen key elements of what makes us unique as a nation – our arts, our teanga náisiúnta, our sports, and our tourism.”
However, the portfolio has been described by some as the jumble drawer of the Cabinet, with people quick to point out that acronym for Martin’s Department is going to be lengthy.
A number of politicians today raised some serious concerns about why areas such as tourism, sport and the arts, which will all require a great deal of support as the country exits the Covid-19 restrictions, was handed to one minister.
One Fianna Fáil TD said Catherine Martin is now the “Minister for Normal People and Senior Hurling”, while another said it did not offer much hope to the Gaeltacht areas that they had been tacked on at the end.
They questioned whether each brief would get the attention it deserves.
One concerned TD was Tipperary’s Mattie McGrath who said today’s Cabinet means that once again, rural Ireland will be left behind.
He said Martin was now the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht “and sure whatever you’re having yourself when the pubs open on Monday”.
He noted that she could have power over greyhound racing, hare coursing and horse-racing, which McGrath said would not sit easy with his constituents.
“They are an industry of rural Ireland. I say hands off – the people of rural Ireland won’t tolerate this, we’ve lost enough,” he said.
Others such as the Arts Council and Screen Ireland welcomed Martin’s appointment. Dr. Annie Doona, Chair of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland:
“We look forward to working with the Minister to ensure the industry can recover from the current crisis and return to live-action production as safely as possible, in line with the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business.”
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Ok there’s a few errors here. Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. But stood in Chicago for election. Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana. Joan Cusack was born in New York but raised in Evanston, Illinois and her brother, John, was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois. Seriously, who does your research for these articles? Hillary Clinton was born in Chicago though if you want to to run with that.
Can’t argue much of that! Although Evanston is more a less Chicago, just a suburb of Chicago, but that aside. BILL MURRAY!!! was also from there. Billy fecking Murray, how could you leave that man off any list. Wouldn’t wish Gary, Indiana on my worst enemy, horrendous place.
You could have give us Home Alone, Kenan & Kel, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Married with Children, Al Capone, Steve Carell, Cindy Crawford, Walt Disney or Michael Flatley but you decided to give us the Cusacks :(
They could even have said Kanye West.
@Eugene Molloy: If it has not clicked yet, I think the Cusack connection is about the Irishness of it all…….
@William Kavanagh: The Irishness of Deep Dish pizza, Chewing gum, House music and Jackson must be at a stretch then, probably like the Tom Cruise connection
Smashing Pumpkins
Goose Island beer!
@The Magnificent Wat a band. Siamese Dream still in my top 5 albums of all time.
@Eugene Molloy: Cusack…. I said Cusack…. And Cruise is Irish, the church of scientology ordered it and held a shotgun to my head while typing this.
@Jonny. Absolutely rockin!
Michael Jackson was born in Gary Indiana
Micheal Jackson is from Gary Indiana
Deep dish pizzas are just wrong.
and Fall Out Boy guys.
And radioactive man
They can hold on to the deep-pan pizza. It’s like a mix of pizza and apple tart. Brutal!
Wrigleys did not invent chewing gum. They weren’t even the first manufacturers in the States.
Michael Jackson is not from Chicago. Barack Obama is also not from Chicago. Do you people do any research before you vomit this stuff all over your screen?
How on earth did BILL MURRAY!!! not get on that list, from a suburb of Chicago but Chicago all the same. Chicago Bulls of the 90′s were pretty spectacular too and not to mention The Blues Brothers, The Chicago Outfit, run by non other them Al Capone. Someone half asleep doing this one!
The blues brothers
The Blues Brothers! Shiiiit! They still owe you money fool!
Broad shoulders and excellent chop houses
Dion O’Bannon
have your say