Sir, - Am I the only one who thinks that the RTE documentary (August 21st), entitled The Butter Road, was badly produced, poorly presented and generally embarrassing to watch? The programme notes promised a journey into times past along the old Butter Road from Kerry to Cork.
What I saw and heard was two people (Aiden Stanley and Jasper Winn) travelling along a modern road on a spring cart (followed by a tail of traffic in places), babbling banalities most of the time and shoving their "traditional country butter" wrapped in a cabbage leaf and polythene under people's noses. The evocation of times past was left to sepia footage of a farmer herding pigs and someone driving a carriage.
Just to emphasise the inanity of it all, we were even treated to a visit to a shop during the journey in which Mr Stanley, approaching the counter in stilted fashion, requested in an even more stilted voice: "Can I have a bar of fruit and nut for Jasper Winn, please". To which Jasper Winn responded by looking at the counter and asking in a surprised tone: "Is that today's paper?" Nevertheless the best lines had been saved until almost the end when, on arriving at the Cork Butter Exchange after a totally uneventful, nondescript and boring three days, our heroes were greeted with: "What a fantastic achievement!"
I have already read one review which described the presenters as "eccentric" - the use of the word being intended as a term of endearment. Might I suggest that these particular documentary makers review the current reruns of Radharc presented by the late Fr. Joe Dunne for some tips on good, solid subject presentation.
However, I suspect that what Mr Stanley and Mr. Winn intended to make was not a documentary about the Butter Road, but a programme starring Mr Stanley and Mr Winn. This it must be said, they achieved, although stardom is a dubious term in the context. Stardom, after all does imply something bright. - Yours, etc.,
Blackrock,
Co. Dublin.