RADIO REVIEW:THE DAY after Ryan Tubridy won the coveted gold prize in Irish broadcasting, a job he may well have for the rest of his working life, Pat Kenny congratulated his successor. On Tuesday's Today(RTÉ Radio One, weekdays), Kenny did something many other giddy commentators did not do. He chose to "commiserate" with Miriam O'Callaghan and Gerry Ryan, reported to be the other contenders. "They had to put up with a lot in the last few weeks," he said. The gesture was well-intentioned, but it might have been more sensitive to stick to the congratulations, writes QUENTIN FOTTRELL
Over on The Gerry Ryan Show(RTÉ 2FM, weekdays), Ryan also congratulated Tubridy, adding, "This is a man of genuine humility." Later that morning, he talked about the idea of happiness with reporter Jenny Huston, starting with an analogy of three Olympic medallists: gold, silver and bronze. They said research has shown that bronze winners tend to be happier than silver as they are thankful that they didn't miss out on a medal, while silver always taste the gold they missed. They didn't say why bronze medallists might be happier than gold. Maybe it's because, from the top of the winner's podium, it's a long way down.
Of course, we all have ultimate control over our own state of mind. Huston said, “You can choose to be dissatisfied.” Ryan added wistfully, “It’s all a question of perspective.” Huston said one mellows with age. “Something happens when you hit 30,” she said. “I could spend my life fretting about the small stuff or just enjoy who I am. I have my health and I have my friends. Things could be so much worse.” Ryan too said he used to fret, adding, “Now I park the stuff that I can’t change.” That should help him now, though we’ll never really know for sure if he did come away with silver or bronze.
On The Ray D'Arcy Show(Today FM, weekdays), Tubridy was on the blower. He plugged a certain British designer of suits he likes to wear, said The Late Late Showjob was a three-horse race and pledged to re-introduce the "one for everyone in the audience" giveaways. Tubridy said he told the brass in RTÉ, "Let's get a decent set in there". Ouch. He said the chat show is like Ireland coming together in the parlour on a Friday night. "Has it been doing that?" D'Arcy asked.
Also on Tuesday, D’Arcy spoke to Olive, a woman who picked up a message in a bottle on a beach near Clifden. In fact, it was six messages in a bottle from transatlantic voyagers on a cruise ship from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Venice, Italy. The letters were dated April 30th, 1999, nearly 10 years to the day since the bottle was thrown overboard. Olive phoned one messenger, Nan McConaughey in Denver, Colorado. McConaughey told Olive she was adopted, never found her biological parents, but believed they had Irish connections, so she was touched the phone call came on Mother’s Day.
D’Arcy called McConaughey on Wednesday. She, her friend and four others they met on the ship threw a wine bottle with six messages overboard during a party on the balcony of her room. D’Arcy vowed to follow up with the other letter writers. McConaughey’s travelling companion on that trip has since died, but D’Arcy said that finding the bottle might lead to a reunion with the other travellers.
“This could be the beginning of a movie plot,” the old romantic in him said.
In another Atlantic-related story, humanitarian Don Mullan told The Tubridy Show(RTÉ Radio One, weekdays) that those of us who worry about growing old should meet Millvina Dean, 97, the last survivor of the Titanicdisaster, who is "a woman of extraordinary dignity". Dean lost her father in the tragedy and, with her mother and brother, they returned to live in England. Mullan, who was on the radio show in April to raise funds for Dean's nursing home costs, returned last Tuesday to say that Leonardo diCaprio and Kate Winslet, who both starred in the movie, had offered financial help.
Bono recited an old poem about Elvis this week, which he wrote in 1995. Elvis By Bono(BBC Radio 4, Wednesday) had background music mixed by Chris O'Shaughnessy and audio clips of the King himself. Here's a taste from Elvis: American David: "elvis didn't dodge the draft/elvis had his own aircraft . . . elvis ain't gonna rot/elvis in a memphis plot." Lower case must be trendy in poetry these days.
Unfortunately, the poem resembled an old Dick and Jane or Dr Seuss storybook, and has already spawned unflattering imitations online. Bono should stick it in a bottle. Its value might appreciate in time.