Cut out repetitive Leaving Cert chat
IT’S that time of year again when adults across the country vicariously relive their lost youth by obsessing over teenagers’ Leaving Cert results. It matters hugely to this year’s crop of parents and students, but surely not to the general listener?
The publication of the Leaving Cert results was actually the top story on Newstalk’s Pat-free Pat Kenny Show last Wednesday, whilst RTE Radio One’s Today With Miriam O’Callaghan had not one but two studio discussions on the issue. “Interesting,” murmured Miriam as her studio guest, guidance counsellor Brian Mooney, remarked on the high failure rate in maths. Maybe she was just being polite.
Out of curiosity, I went back into the archives to hear how the subject had been handled in previous summers. Minor details aside, the discussions were practically identical. Last year, Cormac O hEadhra was sitting in for Sean O’Rourke, and he too had a certain Brian Mooney in the studio to discuss the results.
The year before, Keelin Shanley could be heard chewinN g iogevlel r a tLha e wrseos n uHlti s ciwenitd h a nerocniaem other than BridaenstMruomonrey m . Iin e2s0t1 , 5i ,l Smhoadnialey was again stanqduiant g ur in auf t or fuOg’iRt oauturrknen. kIknl studio to discuss the Leaving Cert results was... Brian Mooney. As, indeed, he was in 2014. Perhaps there’s a good reason why Sean always takes his holidays in August, to avoid these repetitious Groundhog Days.
Wednesday also saw George Hook return to his old drivetime home on Newstalk, as he joined Ivan Yates on The Hard Shoulder to talk about taxi drivers. Basically, he’s all for them, and Ivan’s not so keen.
“When I did this programme it was a bastion of calm and common sense,” George began in typically bullish fashion, before berating the host for taking exception to drivers rabbiting on when he’s trying to get some peace and quiet.
“A fella who makes money from talking is actually opposed to the Irish charm of talking,” Hook blustered. “That’s outrageous... I have no idea how Newstalk replaced you with me.” Fingers crossed it’s all part of some rehabilitation to prime time radio, because he’s been sorely missed.
If only the same could be said for Waiting. A pilot of this all-female comedy sketch show, written by Fiona Looney and starring Deirdre O’Kane, Rose Henderson and Caitriona Ennis, was broadcast on RTE Radio One late last year. According to the continuity announcer ahead of Sunday evening’s show, it “proved such a success that a six-part series was funded by the BrWoaadtcca stIi ng of Ireland”. HNaircd e y wBuocrk k sis f oy n ou thceaRnTgEeP t laity.er until DTehc e mpbreo r b3le0 m ; rtwei.iteh/pWlaayeitring is thaS t ix itN’satjiuosn t s nRoug t bv y er is y of n u3nPnlya.yeIrt’s dautendti , l amateurish, lacks edge. ThD e eaceumdbi en r c1e6;attv3th.i e /pthlaeyaetrre whSeim re pli y t Nwigae s llr a eic s oor n deB d BC cliePalaryly erwasn’t laughing much either. The word “hoop” got a giggle; otherwise the spectators might as well have not been there.
Again, the eternal question remains unanswered: namely, why, in a country awash with funny people, RTE is so useless at commissioning comedy.