Brolly? Only in the rain
Council rejects move to get GAA pundit back on RTÉ
HE’S one of the most divisive pundits on the telly – and now a politician has tried to use the weight of his local county council to get former RTÉ football analyst Joe Brolly back on the box.
Gerry Flynn of Clare County Council yesterday called on the Minister for Communications to ask the broadcaster to reinstate Mr Brolly – but a colleague retorted that the only brolly he wanted to see at a match was one being used for rain cover.
Cllr Flynn received support from a fellow Independent councillor who invoked the names of former racing presenter Tracy Piggott and former
Nationwide host Mary Kennedy, saying RTÉ was targeting ‘lowhanging fruit’.
But Cllr Flynn’s motion was easily defeated after only two other councillors supported it.
Another councillor dismissively described is as ‘a waste of paper it is on’. Fianna Fáil councillor Alan O’Callaghan told the meeting: ‘It is waste of council time and a waste of council officials’ time.’
He pointedly added: ‘The only time I want to see a brolly at a match is a day that it is raining.’
But Cllr Flynn said that placing the motion had opened up a debate.
He told the chamber: ‘That is exactly what I wanted – because sometimes it takes courage to speak out against some of the sacred cows in our society – and RTÉ fits that description.’
Meanwhile Cllr PJ Ryan – who supported the motion –_said: ‘RTÉ have got too big for their boots, they are taking a massive amount of money from the public.
‘They got rid of poor old Joe, they got rid of Tracy Piggott and they have got rid of Mary Kennedy – all low-hanging fruit.’
But Fianna Fáil councillor Pat O’Gorman told the meeting ‘there is no fear of Joe Brolly; Joe Brolly is well able to look after himself.’
Mr Brolly was removed from RTÉ last year after the drawn All-Ireland final between Dublin and Kerry. The
‘It is a waste of paper it is on’
dismissal of Dublin defender Jonny Cooper prompted the barrister and former Derry footballer to remark that the referee David Gough ‘has clearly been influenced by the propaganda coming from Kerry’.
Brolly later said he contacted Mr Gough to apologise.