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ANYTHING THAT WIPES out or reduces nearly 25% of a country’s population is not funny. The deaths of a million people or so during the 1840s in our own country is not funny.
War is not funny. Between 1914 and 1916, sixteen million people died and twenty million were injured in a war which was largely needless. World War One was one of the great tragedies in history. It was not funny.
Ben Elton and Richard Curtis did not find the bloodshed of 1914-18 funny. Intelligent men, just as their cast of Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry and Tony Robinson, they were horrified by the period. And yet, they wrote a comedy based in the trenches. A comedy that did not mock the dead or poke fun at dying. What Elton and Curtis created in Blackadder Goes Forth was 30 minutes a week where we laughed at the ineptitude, the poor decisions, the sheer futility of the war – but we never laughed at those who died.
What Blackadder Goes Forth gave us was a respect of those in the trenches who maybe weren’t quite sure of what they were fighting for. It gave us a sense of the fear these men faced. It was a comedy and yet it hammered home a respect for those who had given their lives. The very last episode, the last minute and the closing titles are funny and horrific, and, 26 years after they were first aired, remain poignant.
A comedy about the Great Famine?
Channel Four has commissioned Hugh Travers to write a comedy based on the great tragedy of our nation, the potato famine. People are complaining, a small group protesting. Tim Pat Coogan compared it to making a comedy about Auschwitz or Belsen.
Maybe the programme will be insulting and make a mockery of the dead and the people who suffered. Maybe. Or perhaps it will follow in the tradition of good comedy and give us respect for those who suffered, while also finding humour in the ineptitude and stupidity that led to the situation.
Maybe the fuss is because it’s being made by Channel Four, a British company. Sorry, but RTE does comedy as well as I do brain surgery. Twenty years ago, Channel Four, with the help of Arthur Matthews and Graham Linehan, put three priests and a housekeeper on an island. A lot of people thought it offensive without seeing it. Now it’s a comedy classic. Ireland’s two best comedy programmes, Ted and Moone Boy have both been produced by British companies.
Channel Four can still be a bit of a risk-taker at times. But it had grown up, even since it broadcast Ted. We no longer go to Channel Four late at night expecting something salacious. Instead we go expecting good comedy or drama, or a genuinely hard-hitting documentary.
Our famine was not funny. But there is no reason that, handled properly and with respect and dignity, we can’t have a good comedy programme about the era.
Mark Farrell lives in Kildare with his wife, Carrie, and their dogs.
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I wonder would mass immigration have anything to do with it, no probably not!
@Brian Hunt:
That’s crazy talk,wash your mouth out with soap!
@Kevin Byrne: Oh, look, the journal pulled a sneaky one and let the “bot” skip the queue. Who would have guessed?
@Brian Hunt: Hopefully the Journal or another News outlet will investigate the rise in Leprosy and Aids in Ireland, or maybe dancing with the stars is more important.
@Paul Gorry: Is everyone you don’t agree with a ‘bot’? How does that even work? Weird…
@Jonn: Silly comment, wake up!
@Brian Hunt: if you read the article, then you wouldn’t have to wonder, and would know that various factors are at play
@Paul Bannon: Also scurvy, TB and Bubonic Plague.
@Paul Bannon: The last case of leprosy in Ireland was in 2013 by a Brazilian.
@Kevin Byrne: you’d be first in line you being Russian an all..
@Brian Hunt: No, not at all. They still have one of the best patient to dr ratios in eu, cant blame immigration on everything despite some sectors love to do nothing else but….
@Kev Kerr: So nothing to do with mass immigration Kev, I know I can always rely on you for your wise counsel……not!
@Brian Hunt: obviously population increase is A factor, but one of many
@Brian Hunt: it is one of many factors. Many of those arriving have major medical needs, mental trauma, pre existing illnesses etc. All are given medical cards. As there is no medical assessments at point of arrival it is difficult to quantify. This coupled with the fact that many doctors who train in Ireland leave shortly after finishing their education, both Irish and international students.
Sure ALL OUR IRISH Educated Doctors and Nurses are forced to emigrate thanks to FF, FG, GGP, Liebour and rest of the Mafia in the Dail because none of them are credible to run the country anymore. We lack serious leadership in this country because all I see this place is going down the drain fast by blaming all the Irish people for a lot of the problems this country is facing but the politicians are never to blame because they’re immune from being blamed.
@Kevin Byrne: 1st troll on this article, Kevin. Congratulations..
@Kevin Byrne: great input there kev
@Kevin Byrne: Every day, all day. You’re the most boring c¥nt I witness all week. Sad little bl1t3h
@Tommy: and guess who will replace the country doctors ?
Indian doctors already acting as lords and masters in our hospitals.
@Dominic Leleu: but then, why can they do it and our Irish one can’t. I know a doctor that is going to retirement and can’t find replacement… why ?
Over 10% taken in in under 10yrs is alot, before you consider the housing crisis
Everything Conor McGregor said in the White House on Ireland and immigration is 100% true, regardless of your opinion of the man himself!
@Jonn: McGregor is very fond of the White in any house, but I get your point, john.
@Jonn: no it wasn’t true, and if you’re relying on someone like McGregor to be your messenger, then there is something seriously wrong with the message
@Kev Kerr: it is true you’re just stuck in your cave with your fake leaders here in Ireland we need a Voice somebody who actually stands out for the normal people of Ireland, as our politicians are just a bunch of liars and everybody knows that the country is going downhill drastically services, immigration money being squandered, and you’re actually backing up these people using our money you should be ashamed of yourself
@Jonn: I wouldn’t put any stock in anything said ahead of or between a pair of rap ists.
@Bren: just because I don’t agree with McGregor, and consider him to be a scu mbag, doesn’t mean that I am a government supporter. There are lots of other politicians who are not in power
@Kev Kerr: You’re an echo-chamber of the government!
Interesting that a journalist can say this today but many people have mentioned the country didnt have services to meet the demands due to the hugh growth in immigration over the last few years only to be branded far right.
@Kevin Byrne:
The trick is to identify as a non gender frying pan at the end of your comment. That confuses the lefties.
@Paul Keenan: hasn’t helped for sure but the reality is that the Irish have been useless for a long long time. IMO it’s pretty granular argument that glides effortlessly through the megaphone but really amounts to little, I know so many people who now travel abroad for healthcare, can’t get specific treatments etc. our government managers do this to maximise profits for the exchequer. We have nothing because of How horrible Irish people are to each other.
@Thesaltyurchin: its not a “granular argument” its simple supply and demand and there has been an explosion in demand for not just GPs but other services etc and the demand is purely driven by population growth
@Paul Keenan: Sorry but its driven by bad services, population growth is just more fuel to burn, at least all the bluster maybe makes us do something about the cr@p infrastructure.
@Paul Keenan: we’re training 200 GPs a year mate, even if all immigration stopped yesterday we’d still be having this problem. Saying the demand is driven “purely” by population growth is just misinformation and if I were you I’d read up more on an issue before forming such a strong opinion.
All them fffg voters don’t care. Neither does fffg. A match made in hell, methinks.
@Paul Gorry: HSE is payin nothing to the trainee nurses – is simply a modern day slavery that government allows.
No wonder nobody will ever want to become a nurse or a doctor in this backward county.
How can they keep getting away with it is unbelievable.
@Lei tatt: what is the going rate for college placements for other courses. Nurses used to get paid when they were training however the nurses union wanted the qualification to be college based rather than work based, can’t have it both ways.
The HSE bears full responsibility for this and until we abolish it completely, nothing will change. The primary reason for the GP shortage in Ireland is that the HSE’s contract terms and payment structures are unattractive, discouraging both new and existing doctors from working in general practice. The HSE sets artificial price caps on the amount of money that GPs can charge patients. This means many doctors simply can’t afford to stay in business or have no incentive to expand their practices. GPs are paid the same rate regardless of demand. Even as patient numbers rise, GPs can’t increase their fees to match the extra workload. In less populated areas, where patient numbers are lower, GPs can’t charge enough to make a living, so they either move to cities or leave the country entirely.
@William Jennings: fifteen years ago the only part of the Irish health system working was gps, enter into government the labour party and woke ideology and hey presto that’s broken too.
@Ger McCarthy: Yes, I couldn’t agree more. When Labour got into government with Fine Gael, they expanded the medical card scheme. This proved to be the final nail on the coffin of Irish healthcare as even GPs weren’t reliable or efficient. It sounded great on paper, more people could access subsidised healthcare. However, this move failed to address the underlying structural issue, the lack of GPs to serve an increasingly large patient base. This led to an increase in demand without any corresponding increase in supply. GPs found themselves overloaded with medical card patients, and because their fees were capped, they couldn’t increase their income to compensate for the increased workload. They believed in the delusional idea of “socialised” GP care, despite nothing in life being free.
@William Jennings:
Leftists are mor#ns, they build nothing and destroy everything, but the Irish only have themselves to blame,they keep voting for them!
@William Jennings: I agree with you. I was unlucky enough to end up in hospital last week. 3 days in a+e with a heart/blood issue. The poor doctors and nurses were brilliant. Flat out working the whole time. To say we’ve a third world system is an understatement. They should all be paid hundreds of thousands to put up with the conditions they’ve to work in. To say the treatment on patients is inhumane is an understatement. Thank you to all the staff.
@Tony Murphy: “To say we’ve a third world system is an understatement”. I think you need to travel more
@William Jennings: €70/ Gp visit and €30 for nurse to take bloods?
@William Jennings: No, we should not price people out of the ability to get healthcare and put market economics into people’s ability to live. That is cruel. While I’m sure there are a lot of structural problems with the HSE that lead to this, I am still doing the research on this topic, every single medical professional I’ve seen interviewed isn’t making a living because of the /housing crisis/ and wants to move away /because they’re overworked/.
@William Jennings: the demand on GPs is an inevitability of the fact that people are getting sick and are asking for help. If you price them out of it by allowing GPs to raise said prices, they’re not exactly going to stop getting sick – theylljust avoid the doctors until they end up in the emergency room or die. By preventing people from accessing this healthcare, You’re just pushing the problem from our overwhelmed GPs to our overwhelmed hospitals. Or pushing people into the cemetery. The demand will always be there. We need to address the issues with supply.
Population increases means their should be more GPs. The fact there are not means the government planned for this.
Government acts like we’re still in the 2000s.
Another ‘benefit’ of mass illegal invasion…
@Kieran Conroy: but who is to blame the government? Of course in my eyes they are asleep at the wheel as per usual, only in it for their own interests, as everybody knows but everybody is afraid to say it and speak the truth, time for changing in Ireland out with all these corrupt politicians.
@Kieran Conroy: the vast majority of the population increase is due to the economy, and the jobs created as a result. Nothing to do with an “illegal invasion”
@Kieran Conroy: the problems with health and housing already existed before “mass immigration” stop stirring up hate
@Mike B: Maybe these problems did already exist but they have been made much worse with the mass illegal invasion of mainly young men who should be handcuffed and deported TODAY. All of them. Every last one.
@Kev Kerr: Yea. Right…LOL
@Kieran Conroy: the information is freely available on line. All you need to do is search for it
@Kev Kerr: but what are they doing
@Chutes Idiot: you have been peddling this multi account trolling for far too long now – time to wake wakey and find something more productive to do with your time
@john o connor: what do you think they’re doing? They’re working, in all sorts of roles, in hospitality, healthcare, tech, the list goes on
And I hope people don’t find a surprising this country has been run so badly for so long, that it’s inevitable that this was going to happen. The politicians are living in the clouds and I’m glad Conor McGregor stood up yesterday and spoke some truth about it we need a voice here in art and somebody to express how the population feels rather than a bunch of clowns Acting on our behalf the so-called government a bunch of liars destroying Ireland, changes drastically needed and I hope the people of Ireland will stand up now for our rights
Labour party take a bow,
That’s because they allowing to many people into the country who are also going to GPs
Yet telling the world, Conor does not speak for us
Stop flooding the country with chances, who all get medical cards then.
@Gary Condren:
I go to the local pharmacy every month and pay €80 for various medications. This is the maximum payment under the drug payment scheme. Every time I go I’m surrounded by foreigners getting whatever they need. 3 Euro please… 4.50 please … I feel like a mug in my own country.
Another thing not exactly helping is GPs expanding their services into Aesthetics. People in need of medical care cant get an appt for a week because slots are booked up with Botox and Chemical peels.
@Brendan Whyte: i imagine it’s barely a fraction of the system, but it frustrates me massively that every time i have a cold or a sniffle, I have to make an in person appointment with my doctor in order to get a sick note for my job.
That is a noddle scratcher, what changed? Mmmmmm
GP’s are useless , they open the book to describe a medications , they are brainless to diagnose a cancer or MS, self immune disease, they are waste of time and money ,waiting list at consultants are months long , because of the GP slow minds
@sakk sa: stop visiting your local witch doctor.
@Kieran Menon: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/apr/13/nhs.cancer1
@sakk sa: the GPs aren’t like that because of some uncontrolled stupidity, the GPs are like that because they’re overwhelmed and because the system overwhelms them further.
All the immigration stuff aside + the fact we only train 200/250 GP’s max a year(the same amount retire or take that time off sick every year) there are very few GP’s who work 70 hours a week anymore (why should they). Very few single handed practices are left where they do work those hours which would actually be the equivalent of 2/2.5 GP’s these days. As many female GP’s are joining as male GP’s and female GPs usually marry upward socially (I.e. other doctors) and therefore don’t need to work the income or the hours that a single doctor household would. (This is a generalisation but in population cross sections even if this was true 30 percent of the time, which it is, all the lack of hours working means less patients seen). The scary truth is we are in a MASSIVE crisis….getting worse
@N.F. Court: great comment. Add to this the increase in demand, from more people with medical cards, immigration, people having more disposable income to pay, older population etc and we have arrived at the current situation. Demand is only going to increase so more training places are needed to meet it.
You can’t even get a GP in an urban centre as none are taking on new patients
We need to address the root cause issue and that is it needs to be made easier to get into medicine in Ireland, there needs to be more financial help for students in order to study and make this a career.
It’s nothing to do with immigration or any other crazy conspiracy theories. It’s to do with the fact that it’s extremely hard to get into medicine and some people would rather prefer to be a YouTuber instead.
We need to increase the GP training places much more. The primary medical degree takes 6 years of hard work and study followed by 4 years GP training, balancing work and exams. Unless we improve the working conditions for doctors we will lose valuable staff , one of the best in the world.
Do I (a) read and attempt to comprehend this article or (b) jump to the comment section and say something about ‘mass immigration’ and ‘open borders’?
@Jack Hayes: do both, influx of people is mentioned though… And not for the green green grass I’m afraid….
My GP showed me his patient number. Between him and his wife, they have 33,000 patients to provide care to. We absolutely need initiatives to entice GPs to come to Ireland, whether Irish graduates or not!
Good luck if looking for a GP outside Dublin, midlands just impossible.
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