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A STAPLE OF the airwaves on RTÉ Radio 1, broadcaster Cathal Mac Coille signed off on his last edition of Morning Ireland today.
The presenter and journalist has had a long career in the Irish media, starting off with RTÉ in the 70s and had stints with TG4 and the Sunday Tribune newspaper.
He was a regular on Morning Ireland for four years, from 1986 onwards. After a hiatus, he returned to the RTÉ show, where he was featured since 2001.
“That’s almost it from us,” Rachael English said at around 9am this morning, before listing the usual credits for the show.
Then, Mac Coille said: ”Because this is my last Morning Ireland, I want to say a big thank you to my wonderful colleagues because of all they’ve done for me and with me for the last 16 years.
And of course, I want to thank you – the listener – for listening. That’s what matters most.
English added: “I know you don’t want any fuss so I promise no fuss – well maybe just a tiny bit of fuss just to say – it’s been our absolute privilege to work with you.
Listeners will know your professionalism, your diligence, your determination, your good humour, [and] your fondness of hurling. They mightn’t be as familiar with your decency and kindness, traits that are always welcome but are particularly welcome at 5.30 in the morning.
So, on behalf of your colleagues and on behalf of all of our fantastic, loyal listeners I’d just like to say thanks. My gosh we’re going to miss you.
Finest hour?
Mac Coille has interviewed dozens of politicians over the years, but there may be one that sticks out in particular.
Almost seven years on, the infamous interview with the Taoiseach of the day, Brian Cowen, remains one of the enduring political moments of recent times.
In September 2010, Brian Cowen was forced to deny that he was “either drunk or hungover” after a decidedly lacklustre performance when speaking to Mac Coille on Morning Ireland.
The Taoiseach had been up late at the bar during the Fianna Fáil think-in, and spoke with an unusually deep voice during the interview.
Cowen also mistakenly referred to the Croke Park agreement as the Good Friday agreement during the encounter.
The story was picked up by news outlets around the world. Even Jay Leno took a pop at the Fianna Fáil leader on the Tonight Show.
It is expected that veteran Six One News anchor Brian Dobson will take over from Mac Coille on the most popular radio programme in the country.
In typical fashion, Mac Coille gave no hint that it was his last show in a series of early morning tweets.
Cathal Mac Coille / TwitterCycling in to do @morningireland I checked the time on my phone and took my only selfie ever, by accident.
— Cathal Mac Coille (@CathalMacCoille) July 28, 2017
Like life. pic.twitter.com/YHBVZ2oezR
Tributes
RTÉ later released a statement, with further tributes made to Mac Coille.
Jon Williams, managing director of RTÉ News and Current Affairs, said: “His greatest legacy is the generation of RTÉ journalists who were shaped by working with Cathal.”
Williams said Mac Coille imbued them “with his values of decency, curiosity and rigour” and added that he will “always be part of the RTÉ family”.
His colleague, Aine Lawlor, said that she had asked a colleague what Mac Coille was like when it was announced he was coming back to Morning Ireland in 2001.
That colleague, David Hanley, told Lawlor: “He’s quite mad you know. But he is quite brilliant as you’ll see… he’s also rather nice.”
Lawlor also called Mac Coille a “quiet, brilliant man” who was the “soul of the programme”.
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Gave up at neo liberal
@SFNutters: the words were too difficult for you? Maybe you might have better luck with this: https://www.cjfallon.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/photo41.jpg
@SFNutters: what an awful article. Full of non-supported arguments, logical fallacies and sweeping generalisations. Turgid stuff. Frankly, we should be measuring things because then we can improve or discard them. The fact that Mary (Jane/ Joe / John) grew up in an area and has a heart DOESN’T necessarily make him/her the right person to help those in need. The author admits addiction is a complex subject but wants only simple solutions delivered by simple people. It was hard to read and complete nonsense.
@lambda sensor: don’t know why you’re trying to discuss it with him. He said he didn’t read it. I do agree that it was full of nonsense, though.
@SFNutters: , Don’t you know anybody with basic level English who would read it for you and explain the the difficult words.
@SFNutters: great bit of stuff
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: their getting plenty of thumbs up
Plenty of accusations in that article but no examples, case studies or even a full explanation of the alledged cons of either ‘professionalism’ or a ‘managerial’ approach. Reads as a politician who is writing merely to draw attention to themselves without actually achieving anything.
@Vocal Outrage: here’s an example. Medical care is privatised in the US. Insulin costs far more than all or most other countries. People are dying. I live in Denmark. Have to have a minor hernia operation. From the time I seen the doctor until my operation next week. About 5/6 weeks. Won’t cost me a penny apart from what I’ve paid in tax. I’m thankful I don’t live in America.
@Dave Thomas: but not an example of the accusations being made in the article, that’s just an example of neo-liberalism with no reference to Ireland
Did she get the tattoos to match the dress, or the dress to match the tattoos?!?!?
@Maximus Decimus Meridius: not the greatest of comments there!
Exactly. Too many publican TDs pretending addiction ISN’T their business….
@The Risen: Ditto, and if addiction issues were solved there would be a fair few charlatans out of work along with a small cohort of genuine workers
Professionalisation and metrics are vital tools in ensuring government funding is put to the best use. Community projects and those they serve can only benefit from proper standards and controls. Those who resist will not survive. What will their service users do them Ms Ruanne ?
Neo liberalism = cut throat self employment with little reward and insecure retirement for the masses.
@Gav Murphy: I think you’re mixing up neo-liberalism with libertarianism. The later fits better with your description whereas neo-liberalism is defined academically as a ‘third-way of politics’ in that it is a middle ground between the right and the left
@Vocal Outrage: It’s meaning has changed over time. Thatcher and Reagan were hardly ‘middle ground between the right and left’ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism
Sadly it is a business – some many hangerson, all the €€€s go to the councilors and clinic and not the victims – just like the homeless racket
@Peter Buchanan: correct, it is a business. People working in the field need to be paid, premises need to be paid for, services need to be paid for & all the funds need to be accountable. The service users are not objects but they are customers in the sense that high numbers are needed to receive high funding. It’s a business just like medical, phara or any other service being provided.
@Mark Dowling: there is a book called RGM recovery group movement$$%%%%%$$$
@Aine Power,
I smell a tad of begrudgery there,I dont the
writing is particulary well written but she is entitled to her oppinion .
Sick of these absolute hypocrites, take a senators salary and can’t write an absolute original article, I have a PhD from Trinity and it’s like a second year essay. Its trite full of quotes from other people.
@Aine Power: Brilliant! So what you have just decreed is that you have a phd and it like a second year essay. It must beg the question? How did manage to receive the PhD?
@Aine Power: thanks for clearing up your intellectual qualifications I await your life story in relation to your journey to PhD land …some people rise to the challenge and serve the people and earn the salary all be it via the alternative route of life experience
@Aine Power: hope you got someone to proof read your PHD.
I think the point she is trying to make is that “cost effective” or neoliberal measurement of addiction issue is likely to measure just the tip of the iceberg
its difficult to understand and measure, and thus easy to ignore or underestimate the complexity of addition as a medical, but mostly psycho-social problem. (addition, almost always runs with, mental illness, poverty, homelessness, unstable families or other personal trauma, physical illness, .. Etc..)
Thus risks attributing not enough of the resrouces to the wrong places, needed to tackle this issue.
Hands on, frontline workers should be given the opportunity to identify needs & suggest resource allocation. Not just some detached person in an office who 2
measures the problem & allocates resourced based on predetermined “check list” of “key performance indicators”, designed to keep down costs is likely to produces good “measured outcomes” which don’t translate into good care on the ground.
@Señor picante: if a politician is going to write an article thr reader shouldn’t have to ‘think the point she is trying to make’, the point they are trying to make should be clear and unambiguous with the reader expecting to think about the substance of the arguments made, not the point of the article itself
The person taking the drugs or whatever is the primary person responsible for their dilemma. There is no point in blaming anyone else. Socialists never seem to grasp or acknowledge that some people are the sole authors of their own misfortune.
I don’t have a degree or PhD but I believe I have a small degree of common sense and reasonable experience of addiction problems. The senators article for me is full of big words with little meaning without some concrete examples of her argument.
Addiction treatment is not a business but it must be run like a business, but where or how we measure the success is very difficult because the treatment of addiction to individuals is an ongoing treatment and can last a number of years success and statistics of a business tend to be yearly based.
Social care now
I agree with most of the criticisms of Sen Ruane’s statement.
In a spirit of debate, I would like to know in detail the alternatives that she proposes. It’s easy to be against something! It’s more challenging to propose alternatives in detail.
Tattoo s on a senator.im appalled.
You need to have walked a 100m in her shoes to understand difficulty in life..addiction…recovery and bettering of oneself …fancy phrasing and wine sipping bullshit just does not qualify as opinion
@Brotherofthebrush: as someone above highlighted, everyone is entitled to their opinion, just because you may not agree with it does not diminish that right
Well said Lynn. Thanks
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