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RTÉ scandal dominated headlines this week – but are we any closer to clarity?

IT Sunday: Latest columns from Fintan O’Toole, David McWilliams, Trish Murphy, Roe McDermott and more

Tubridy committee

Images from the Oireachtas committee appearances of Ryan Tubridy and Noel Kelly on Tuesday. Photograph: The Irish Times

Sun Jul 16 2023 - 08:14

Welcome to this week’s IT Sunday, a selection of the best Irish Times journalism for our subscribers.

The RTÉ pay controversy remained in sharp focus this week as successive days of Oireachtas hearings with key figures dominated headlines. The story ramped up on Tuesday when Ryan Tubridy and his agent, Noel Kelly, appeared before two committees to answer questions around concealed payments.

In the wake of Tubridy’s appearance, Hugh Linehan wrote that Tuesday felt like a peak in the scandal that has engulfed the national broadcaster: “Did Tubridy do enough to save his job? Tubridy made a strong case that he has been badly treated by RTÉ in recent weeks. But Tuesday’s performance was clearly designed to appeal to just one of the three constituencies that matter – the audience.

“Some sceptical viewers may have winced at the saccharine-sweet talk of ‘the most trusted man in Ireland’ and of his natural bond with the nation’s children, but it’s quite possible that this will play well with the older demographic which makes up the core audience for RTÉ One and Radio 1.”

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Fintan O’Toole also examined Tubridy’s comments to the two Oireachtas committees he appeared before on Tuesday. Tubridy’s task in the most important live show of his career, says O’Toole, was to rebuild a relationship of trust to three crucial constituencies: the political system, his employer RTÉ and, most importantly, the public. “And in the end, Tubridy resorted to the Father Ted defence: the money was only resting in his account. He always planned to give it back if he did not do all the Renault shows.”

Rounding up some of the week’s key events, Jack Horgan-Jones asked the key question: “Six meetings, 25½ hours of committee hearings, innumerable words on newsprint, hours of radio and television coverage, and five grand worth of flip-flops later – are we any closer to the truth of what happened with RTÉ's concealed payments to Ryan Tubridy?

“In the round, the answer is yes.”

Reflecting partly on the saga, David McWilliams writes about how Ireland is a country of Insiders (people with a stake in society) and Outsiders (those with no stake, no real claim on power – they are locked out). “Watching the RTÉ saga drag on, the anger it inflames and the emotions it releases, has reignited this division between the Insiders and the Outsiders. The nub of the issue for many of the Outsiders – at least from an economic and financial perspective – is the cavalier attitude to public money displayed by the ultimate Insiders, RTÉ's senior management,” he writes.

Fintan O’Toole, this weekend, is writing about Ukraine, and more broadly highlighting a crucial question: is any given act a potential war crime only when the other side does it? “We must avoid whataboutery, of course. Just because a crime was not punished in one instance, it does not cease to be a crime – and the chief criminal right now is indeed Putin. But, in the case of Ukraine, public support in the western democracies for its struggle to defend itself rests on a clear distinction between right and wrong. Quite simply, the good guys have to behave better than the bad guys.”

When it comes to Irish economic statistics, there’s a hugely confusing mix at play – it can be difficult to understand what’s going on. In his Smart Money column this week, Cliff Taylor sought to explore some of those confusing statistics. “According to GDP figures, we are in a technical recession. However, pre-budget debate warns of the danger of the economy ‘overheating’. But what exactly does this mean and are we really in danger?”

In our GAA section, Joe Canning wrote this week about how, when big games turn against you, Croke Park can be a lonely place, and how baffling changes cost Galway and Clare dearly in semi-finals. “At half-time in the 2015 All-Ireland final against Kilkenny we went in three points clear, having been the better team in the first half. By stoppage time, we were losing by seven. A late goal for us changed nothing. Kilkenny took over and you were left with this feeling of helplessness.

“I imagine that’s how the Galway players were feeling in the second half on Saturday night. They had done most of the hurling for the first half an hour, they had put themselves in a commanding position, and then it all fell apart.”

The Chophouse at Mulligans marks the location for Corinna Hardgrave’s latest restaurant review. In quite a positive four-star review, Hardgrave says pub food seems to be the call of the day, judging by its popularity. “The free-range chicken wings are flying out of the kitchen. Essentially it is a relaxed space for families and friends to get together, celebrate birthdays and catch up.

“In no time at all,” Hardgrave adds, “I’m sure the bright-eyed waiters will be up to speed, bringing great service as well as their charming manners.”

During the week, Trish Murphy responded to a person who is struggling to accept a shift in lifestyle. The reader has a great group of friends, but much of their connection is fuelled by “sessioning” – staying out well into the early morning, “fuelled by recreational drugs”. The reader is growing out of this aspect of life, and wonders if they will lose those valued friendships. “I feel some pressure to go out in the way described, like it has become a part of my identity and belonging. How do I honour my friends and friendships while also honouring myself?”

This weekend, Roe is responding to a reader who is feeling guilt for faking orgasms with her husband. The person writes: “I feel like he will be really hurt and even betrayed that I’ve been lying for so long. I really don’t have any excuse, he has always been wonderful and non-judgmental so I should have been honest. It’s been so long now that I don’t think I can really tell him the truth but I don’t know how I can change things without coming clean.”

In this week’s On the Money newsletter, Dominic Coyle is writing about benefit in kind; which perks qualify, and how to calculate tax after Revenue changed rules on company cars. Sign up here to receive the newsletter straight to your inbox every Friday.

As always, there is much more on irishtimes.com, including rundowns of all the latest movies in our film reviews, tips for the best restaurants in our food section and extensive coverage of the upcoming Women’s World Cup – from analysis and scene-setters, to previews and an examination of what Ireland can expect from the tournament. You can find more articles exclusively available for Irish Times subscribers here.

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