Madam, – Gerry Ryan was the personification of the politically incorrect, but fearlessness and popular support made him an untouchable thorn in the rump of the national broadcaster. He will be missed when others are long forgotten. May he rest in peace. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I may be the only one in Ireland to think that the adulation of the late Gerry Ryan in The Irish Times, and elsewhere, has been excessive. The Romans believed De mortuis nil nisi bonumbut the Romans only wished this to apply to the patricians in a society which accepted slave ownership, death as entertainment in the gladiatorial arena, and excruciatingly cruel forms of punishment for those deemed to be enemies. I have no wish to speak ill of Gerry Ryan as I never chose to listen to him or to watch any of his programmes; his particular brand of broadcasting had no appeal for me.
However, I’d like to point out that the late Dermot Morgan, who died in his mid-40s, was an original talent whose satirical view of Irish politics and society was unappreciated by RTÉ, although it was enjoyed by a large number of listeners who had an inkling that Dermot Morgan was laying bare the shallowness and hypocrisy of contemporary Ireland. Mr Morgan had to emigrate to develop his career in a more tolerant society than ours. He did not seem to gain the unctuous flattery of the coterie that has dominated the media for the past few days and he was not richly rewarded by the national broadcaster during his Scrap Saturday time in his native country.
Now, as they say in the US, “Enough already” in regard to Gerry Ryan. May he rest in peace and may those nearest and dearest to him grieve for their loss without the distasteful histrionics of others. – Yours, etc,