Over to You

Are you interested in one week's work placement in The Irish Times? Transition Year students can learn first-hand about the workings of this newspaper if their submission is published in Media Scope's weekly Over to You column. Just send us a 200word piece on a media-related topic.

Aengus Brady, St Macartan's College, Monaghan

When are we going to realise that the Irish nation is a racist one? The Taoiseach, of all people, who recently gave £1 million toward an anti-racist campaign, recently acknowledged this fact.

And racism not just in the form of skin colour or religion. We tend to view refugees as inferior to ourselves and most of us ignored their attempts to enter our country in the recent past. Whereas other countries accepted thousands upon thousands, Ireland could just about manage a few hundred. It's not as if this island is over populated. Before the Great Famine there were over eight million in Ireland. And when over a million starving Irish people needed to emigrate to survive, other countries allowed them in. Shouldn't we do the same today? s refugees?

The Irish media has covered the plight of refugees in great detail, so it's not like the public are unenlightened. Every man, women and child should look forward to the future with open hearts, because in a few decades Ireland will be very much a multi-cultural society. And I for one am looking forward with great hope to the new world.

Avril Walsh, Seamount College, Kinvara, Co Galway

As a student studying history for the Leaving Cert, I found the television programme Seven Ages both enjoyable and informative. The history course can sometimes be void of personal experiences and reactions; through Seven Ages, the student can fully grasp the situation of a certain time and its consequences.

I think history programmes such as Seven Ages should not be underestimated, especially for those who have not studied history. The number of students taking history has dramatically decreased, and I believe the Government should introduce measures to make history more approachable, as it has done to the English course. An effort to fund more enlightening programmes like Seven Ages on Ireland's turbulent history would be welcome.

Seven Ages does not overwhelm the viewer with indigestable facts, but acknowledges that people with a hazy knowledge of Irish history are watching. Even for those who consider themselves conversant with that history, it is still a treat as a rare insight from people who have lived through the changes.

Write to media scope by posting your comments to Newspaper in the Classroom, The Irish Times, 11-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 , or faxing them to (01) 679 2789. Be sure to include your name, address and school, plus phone numbers for home and school. Or you can use the Internet and e-mail us at mediapage@irishtimes.ie

media scope is a weekly media studies page for use in schools. Group rates and a special worksheet service (see `faxback', right) are available: FREEPHONE 1800-798884.

media scope is edited by Harry Browne.