Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

“DO WE need the Seanad? Do we need 166 TDs?” Those were questions asked by journalist and author Tim Pat Coogan at the opening of the Parnell Summer School in Avondale, Co Wicklow yesterday.

Now in its 20th year, the summer school which celebrates Parnell’s political legacy, will this year debate, The Role of the Media in Politics and Society.  Before welcoming attendees in front of Parnell’s family home at Avondale, academic director and former head of RTÉ Radio One Eithne Hand said: “Putting the media under the spotlight is timely. The church and the banks have come under scrutiny, but the media also needs to be scrutinised for its role in politics and society.”