Letters: Declan Lynch summed up the sheer thrill of finally getting to watch British TV shows

Irish Independent

19 hours ago

Living in a rural location, the only way for us to receive those channels at that time was through the TV deflector system, an analogue forerunner of sorts to the modern dodgy box.
A supplier positioned a mast on top of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, which received the BBC's signal from Northern Ireland and transmitted it to homes in the area equipped with the requisite aerial and set-top box.
In my mind, I can still hear the heavy clunk of the box's manual dial whenever you switched between BBC1, BBC2, UTV and Channel 4.
The arrival of these extra channels in addition to RTÉ One and RTÉ2 opened our household up to a whole new world of not only entertainment, but, more importantly, information.
It is no exaggeration to equate its impact with that of moving from a black and white to a colour TV set. The picture quality wasn't perfect, but that was a minor inconvenience, all things considered.
Programmes such as Pano­rama and Tomor­row's World brought the gravity, whereas the levity could be found in the long build-up to kick-off on FA Cup final day; catching some of TV-am in the mornings as I ate my bowl of Frosties before heading off to school; or, indeed, on the occasional sick day from school, the sheer novelty of watching Henry Kelly's Going for Gold from the comfort of the sofa at lunchtime.
Happy days.
Enda McEvoy, Mountmellick, Co Laois
Einstein would hate the violence in Gaza
Madam — Eilis O'Hanlon suggests Albert Einstein, as a founder of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ), would be denied co-operation or the chance to visit Trinity College Dublin under the terms of the new dispensation regarding Israeli companies and institutions. But the picture regarding Einstein is much more complicated.
Einstein was indeed one of the founders of the HUJ. He served on its board of governors and campaigned for its funding. But he was not a member of staff. Further, he was not 'proudly Zionist' in the manner Ms O'Hanlon suggests.
He was against the founding of a Jewish state or an Arab state to replace the British Mandate for Palestine. Rather, he was associated with Brit Shalom, a small group of Jewish intellectuals who argued for a binational state in Palestine and were against partition.
More broadly, Einstein was a peace activist and an advocate of global federalism and international law. He would be horrified by the slaughter in Gaza. He would, in all likelihood, be denied entry to the state of Israel.
Conor McCarthy, Monkstown, Co Dublin
It's Israeli policy to forge academic ties
Madam — Eilis O'Hanlon is correct in pointing out the apparent inconsistency in TCD's cancellation of its ties with Israel and its continuing connections with academic bodies in some other dubious states.
However, it must be borne in mind that, from the very beginning, Israeli society was a European population moving, unwanted, into an Asian country. Every part of that society was encouraged to foster the deepest possible relations with their European counterparts.
This motivation was particularly strong in academia, where the country's brightest minds worked to create strong bonds of scientific friendship with foreign institutions.
This was never a normal academic relationship like that between Irish and other foreign institutions. It was a part of Israeli state policy.
Anthony Hanrahan, Renvyle, Co Galway
Why doesn't Trinity cut ties with Russia?
Madam — Eilis O'Hanlon is to be lauded for calling out Trinity College Dublin for cutting its links with Israeli academics and students. Cutting such links serves no purpose other than to build barriers between people.
While TCD has a Department of Russian and Slavic Studies, I don't recall any moves to cut off either Russian academics or students from the college.
Considering Russia has been slaughtering many more people than Israel — and doing it on a grand scale on this very continent — one would imagine that what is sauce for the Israeli goose should be sauce for the Russian gander.
Gerard Murphy, Kilkenny Road, Carlow
Thanks for letting us share views on Gaza
Madam — It is good to see the Sunday Independent giving space to readers' views on what is now a tragic, humanitarian, man-made disaster in Gaza.
Israel's government has shown no limits in what it is doing there and in the West Bank. At the same time, let us not forget the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas in October 2023. The response from Israel has been extreme.
In Europe, political leaders discuss the two-state solution; it has been discussed, forgotten and discussed again for over 30 years. That solution now seems obliterated.
Mary Sullivan, College Road, Cork
Carna protests were not about housing
Madam — Regarding Naoise Dolan's column last week, the US administration is entitled to take policy decisions regarding illegal and legal immigrants.
Regarding housing immigrants in Carna, the issue wasn't about housing. It related to altering the character of an Irish-speaking community already short of services.
The same protest would occur should it be proposed to move 80 people from Wexford or any other county to the area.
PJ Kelly, Carraroe, Co Galway
Programme makers did not distort texts
Madam — As the writer and producer of the documentary series From that Small Island — The Story of the Irish, I wish to take issue with some of the claims made by Eilis O'Hanlon in her review (People & Culture today; online earlier last week).
Ms O'Hanlon is entitled to her opinion. What she is not entitled to do is accuse the programme makers of deliberately falsifying or distorting texts.
She talks at length about our use of a quotation from St Patrick's Confession, a fifth-century text written in Latin by Saint Patrick, which we show on a screen and is voiced by an actor.
'Ego Patricius, peccator rusticicus … My name is Patrick… so I am first of all a simple country person, a refugee, and unlearned….'
She writes: 'Where did that word 'refugee' come from? I looked up a number of translations of Confessio, and not a single one used the word 'refugee' or anything remotely like it. At a guess, the relevant Latin phrase in the original Confessio must be 'contemptiblis sum apud plurimos', which is generally translated as 'most contemptible to many' or 'despised by most'. In deciding, on extremely dubious etymological grounds, to render that as 'refugee', the programme-makers were undoubtedly making a political statement.'
The implication is that we deliberately made up or changed the translation for our own nefarious purposes. We sourced the exact quote used in the programme from the Royal Irish Academy's website on the Confessio, which gives the original text in Latin as well as translations. A Google search would bring you to paragraph 12 in the English translation: '...so I am first of all a simple country person, a refugee, and unlearned'.
This translation is the most authoritative and most recent English translation of Patrick's own words.
Many different translations exist of the same text, particularly in regard to one as well disseminated as this. Earlier translations — for example, that by Professor Philip Freeman in his book, The World of St Patrick, use the word 'exile' to translate the Latin word 'profuga'. One of the synonyms for 'exile' is 'refugee'.
Ms O'Hanlon's 'guess' about the relevant Latin quotation is incorrect. The proper reference is 'Unde ego primo rusticus, profuga; indoctus scilicet, qui nescio in posterum prouidere'. The relevant word here is 'profuga/profugus', which translates as 'exile/refugee'.
I'm not quite sure why she finds the word 'refugee' in relation to Saint Patrick so triggering. It is common knowledge that he was Romano-British in origin.
She accuses programme makers of having a political agenda: 'Sneakily pushing such superficial arguments with licence fee payers' money is why public service broadcasting is no longer trusted as objective by many viewers. It also makes no sense. To imply that people with concerns about mass migration should just pipe down because their distant ancestors came from abroad is as absurd as suggesting that Irish people 8,000 years from now should be bound by 21st-century geopolitical trends.'
We imply no such thing, as anyone who takes the time to watch the series will attest.
Professor Bríona Nic Dhiarmada, Writer and producer, 'From that Small Island'
Think 'tractor snail' and slow right down
Madam — I am a dairy farmer and I would just like to suggest the phrase 'tractor snail' as something to print in people's minds to save lives.
This phrase reflects the true reality of the vast difference in the speed of a car compared with an agricultural tractor.
When you see a tractor in the distance, you should immediately slow down in your car, whether it is on a major or minor road, to prevent an accident or collision that can cause death or serious injury.
Please think 'tractor snail' and slow down.
Michael Flynn, Rathgormack, Co Waterford
I'm from a family of two, but we were big
Madam — According to an article in last Sunday's paper, the days of large families have gone. I was interested in this, as I come from a big family myself. There were only two of us, but we were huge.
Noel Kelly, Doonbeg, Co Clare
Trust in the BBC will never be recovered
Madam — I largely agree with Declan Lynch that the BBC offered us brilliance; the plays, documentaries, sport and the full entertainment day in, day out for adults and children. But that was then.
In February, the BBC apolo­gised and admitted 'serious flaws' over the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone, when it emerged it was narrated by the son of a Hamas official. Where once there was objectivity and impartiality, now the director general had to apologise for 'the significant and serious damage done to the corporation'.
Recently in Dublin, Gerry Adams was successful in his defamation case against the broadcaster. I doubt the trust placed in the BBC will ever be recovered fully.
Ena Keye, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
Transport abroad put ours to shame
Madam — I am in total agreement with Brendan Langley (Letters, June 8).
I have travelled quite a bit and lived overseas and I marvelled at how well things worked, from health services to housing to public transport.
I often asked myself if our politicians ever went anywhere or saw anything that made them ask: 'Could we do that at home?'
We have a great country with great people; it's a pity our politicians, with a few notable exceptions, let the side down.
Paul Mullan, Navan, Co Meath
Jail overcrowding was predictable
Madam — It has been reported that the head of the Irish Prison Service is concerned at the level of prison overcrowding, with its attendant dangers for staff and prisoners.
How has this grim scenario come to pass, given government have been aware of rapidly rising population levels for the past 20 years and have not got round to building any new prison spaces?
It says it all that the last prison opened (other than an exten­sion to Limerick Women's Prison) was Cloverhill in 1999, while in the interim both St Patrick's Institution and Shanganagh have been closed.
Michael Flynn, Bayside, Dublin 13
Brolly's hatchet job on O'Rourke unfair
Madam — As an Armagh man, from just across the Blackwater River, I'll admit I've no great love for Tyrone GAA ('Tyrone have no plan for the modern game', June 8). But even I can't stand idly by while Joe Brolly launches a demolition job on Malachy O'Rourke in these very pages.
Joe casts Malachy as some sort of managerial medievalist, all blanket defence and no imagination, then crowns himself with glory by reminding us that the U20 manager Paul Devlin once held him to 1-4. Only Joe could slip in a humblebrag mid-execution.
Malachy O'Rourke is a decent man and a proven manager. He deserves time, not theatrics. If Tyrone people ever tire of Malachy, they'll be spoilt for choice — I've no doubt Joe would happily step in as his successor, clipboard in one hand and column deadline in the other.
Enda Cullen, Tullysaran, Co Armagh
Policing toilets is just not workable
Madam — E Bolger worries that 'one man' with a gender recognition certificate might make toilets or changing rooms mixed-sex (Letters, June 8).
On a practical level, the Gender Recognition Act has no effect on these services. If your correspondent believes men are abusing this system, the solution would require not just repealing the act, but posting security at every toilet to demand ID or birth certs of every person trying to enter.
That simply isn't workable and, as such, the bureaucratic consequences of the act are irrelevant to these examples.
The alternative is to mind one's own business and leave people alone to use the toilet in peace, as we have done without any adverse effect since 2015. Just wash your hands please.
Bernie Linnane, Dromahair, Co Leitrim
Trump is a felon, so stop him travelling
Madam — With Donald Trump proscribing people from many countries, stating many are criminals or terrorists, surely it follows that as a convicted felon, Trump should be banned in a similar manner from entering many countries?
George Coe, Gowran, Co Kilkenny
US has the facility to remove Trump
Madam — There is a facility in the US constitution — if an American president proves himself or herself unfit for that position, they can be removed by legal means.
Surely the time has come to invoke this. How bad does Trump have to be before Congress decides to remove him?
Susan Bevan, Dublin 8
A little joke for the day that's in it
Madam — Father's Day reminds me of a quip from Tommy Cooper, along the following lines: 'My father was a famous magician, you'll all know his name... it escapes me for now.'