TV review: Mrs Robinson is a good social document — but falls short as a biopic
It's easy to admire her conviction, her fearlessness in facing down her sneering political rivals, her genuine compassion for weak and vulnerable people and her energy in taking on a new role as a grown-up Greta Thunberg to remind us that we don't get to negotiate with nature.
But there is a veil there, an over-earnest sternness that makes parts of Mrs Robinson (RTÉ One and RTÉ Player) an awkward watch.
Richard Branson pops up early on in this documentary film to point out that our former President likes to party and is full of fun. There isn't enough of this on view.
I'd much rather watch Mary do Rock The Boat than reel off another worthy speech to a conference full of well-heeled people who have flown half way around the world to hear that they shouldn't be flying half way around the world.
It's engaging in parts. She felt she wasn't as good looking as her four brothers, so she decided to 'be as smart as I can be.'
The story of how she met her husband Nick while studying law in Trinity is nice without being interesting.
She talks about her time in late 60s Harvard without a single anecdote that could have brought it all to life.
One bolt from blue was that her parents didn't attend her wedding to Nick Robinson because he wasn't suitable. (Apparently a Protestant cartoonist wasn't what they had in mind.)
The show picks up when the focus moves to her campaign to improve reproductive rights for women, followed by her legal role in the David Norris case that eventually decriminalised homosexuality in Ireland.
But it's more a social document about 1970s Ireland than a personal biopic.
Her almost accidental election as President, when Brian Lenihan's campaign imploded, is a good story if you haven't heard it before. But you probably have.
(Although it's almost worth it for the man on the street who said it's hard enough living with a woman without having one as president, a decent reminder of the journey we've made here in the last 30 years.)
Every now and again, the veil lifts. Her tears remembering the community spirit she felt during a visit to West Belfast, her anger in a speech about hunger in Somalia, these gave us a glimpse of Mary Robinson the person.
I actually believe Richard Branson. I bet Mary Robinson is great craic in private. There just isn't enough of her in Mrs Robinson.
Read More
Mary Robinson's accomplishments and controversies chronicled in new documentary
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Get set for the presidential election, the dirtiest in Irish politics
Politics is a dirty game, but it doesn't get grubbier than the presidential election. The race for the Áras has suddenly got more interesting with the news that Michael Flatley is to seek a nomination to run. The Irish-American dancer will make a bid as President, his High Court case over his Castlehyde mansion heard last week. But if the Riverdancer goes for it, he needs to be prepared for the toughest and roughest contest in Irish politics. Campaigns are known controversies, scandals and shock revelations. Fake tweets, mud-slinging, smears and anonymous letters are all part of the game. Front runners - such as Brian Lenihan in 1990 and Sean Gallagher in 2011 - were taken out at the last minute. Celebrity candidates such as Eurovision singer Dana and charity boss Adi Roche were put through the wringer. Dana recalled it as a "a truly terrible time", while Roche described it as "mental torture". Even two-term Michael D Higgins was deemed "too old" and his predecessor Mary McAleese was called a "tribal time bomb". David Norris' bid was one of the biggest surprises, with the senator being pummelled throughout the campaign until he was eventually forced to stand down. Political pundit Ivan Yates described entering the race as "a punishment beating - it's open f***ing season on your life". David Norris pulled out of the presidential race Since the role was created by Eamon De Valera in 1937, it's been controversial. De Valera, who served two terms as president himself, once joked: "I wanted to create a nice quiet job without too much work in my old age." In 1973, there was a poignant battle between Fine Gael's Tom O'Higgins and winner Erskine Childers, whose families were on either side of the Civil War. Erskine's father had been executed by the Free State authorities, while his rival's uncle Kevin O'Higgins was the justice minister who signed the orders. But it wasn't until the 1990s that the contest got really intense. Labour candidate Mary Robinson was believed to have derailed her campaign when she gave, what was then, a controversial interview with Hot Press magazine. She told the publication that she would officiate at a stall selling contraceptives, which led to a newspaper calling the interview "the longest suicide note in history". Mary Robinson Her team initially said she was misquoted, but then the journalist Liam Fay produced an audio recording of it. Then Mary Robinson was subjected to a cutting personal attack from Fianna Fáil politician Padraig Flynn. He accused her of having a "new-found interest in her family" as part of her public persona in pursuit of the presidency. But it was all nothing compared to the scandal that engulfed her rival, Fianna Fáil's Brian Lenihan Snr. He gave an interview with an academic researcher of how he had been involved in controversial attempts to pressurise President Patrick Hillery not to dissolve the Dáil in 1982. But in an RTÉ interview, he said: "I want to say I'm absolutely certain on mature recollection I did not ring President Hillery. And I want to put my reputation on the line in that respect." It led to Fianna Fáil leader Charlie Haughey firing him a week out from the election. It triggered a sympathy vote for Lenihan, who nearly caught up with eventual winner Robinson. She made a veiled reference to Flynn's jibe when she later thanked the women of Ireland who voted for her and, "instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system". Chernobyl children's charity boss Roche had a particularly bruising time in 1997. Anonymous letters were sent to national media outlets which falsely alleged her brother Donal de Roiste had IRA connections. Some were followed up by phone calls, saying: "Do we want somebody so close to the Provos in the Aras?" The smear campaign against Roche's campaign was vicious and entirely baseless. Dana was taken out with an attack on her family during her second attempt at the presidency in 2011. Accusations were made against her brother, John Brown, in the middle of the campaign. Dana (Image: BBC) She called the claims "vile, malicious and untruthful". He was acquitted of historic child sexual abuse charges in 2014. At one stage, it was suggested her car tyres had been knifed and there was a plot to kill her. She said afterwards: "No, I don't regret anything I've done but that was a truly terrible time." Former senator David Norris withdrew from the presidential campaign following the controversy over letters he wrote to the Israeli authorities seeking clemency for his former partner in relation to a serious crime. It finally led the academic and gay activist to pull out of the race, dramatically quoting Samuel Beckett: "Ever tried. Ever failed. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." Perhaps one of the biggest surprises in a presidential election was the takedown of 2011's front runner Sean Gallagher. Cavan entrepreneur and Dragons Den star Gallagher was set to walk into the Áras when it all went drastically wrong. Standing as an Independent, he was the favourite until he was unable to answer questions about his Fianna Fáil past. At the time, the party's brand was toxic, after the financial crash bailout, recession and persistent accusations of cronyism and corruption. The tweet that downed Gallagher's 2011 presidential campaign was fake news before the term had entered the public's consciousness. Gallagher was set to win. But in the final TV debate, before a live studio audience on RTÉ, a malicious tweet was read out by Pat Kenny, which falsely claimed a man had given him money for a Fianna Fáil fundraiser. Former presidential candidate Sean Gallagher (Image: Colin Keegan, Collins, Dublin) A momentarily panicked Gallagher said he had "no recollection" of "an envelope". To many people, that response was an unfortunate reminder of previous Fianna Fail scandals. His campaign could not recover and he ultimately lost to Michael D Higgins. However, Gallagher later received substantial damages and an apology from RTÉ over the false allegations. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
RTE reveal massive Sunday Game Live viewing figures for Kerry's All-Ireland triumph over Donegal
A peak audience of 1,033,000 viewers tuned in on RTÉ One to watch Kerry clinch their 39th All-Ireland SFC title, according to the national broadcaster. 2 The RTE live broadcast of the final peaked at 1,033,000 viewers 2 RTE Player also had huge figures with many watching the game on the online streaming service Kerry pulled clear when it mattered most and stamped their authority on the contest, despite Jim McGuinness' men put up a fight, but they simply couldn't cope with the From the off, the three-time Kerry's win secured their 39th All-Ireland today as they broke Donegal hearts again in a pulsating football final at Croke Park. read more on gaa And the fans were in awe, too, as the ' Sunday Game Live' averaged 933,000 viewers, grabbing a reported share of 76% share of all TV watchers. The action drew 378,000 streams on Later that night, 'The Sunday Game' highlights show on RTÉ2 pulled in an average of 175,000 viewers with a 22% share, It also drew 34,400 streams on RTÉ Player. Most read in GAA Football Fans were also glued to RTÉ's social media, where The Sunday Game content racked up 6.73 million video views and more than 705,000 engagements on social media. The standout post across all RTÉ platforms was footage of President 'Sad to see him go' - GAA fans emotional seeing Michael D Higgins attend last men's All-Ireland final as President
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Over one million watch Kerry's win over Donegal in All-Ireland final
A peak audience of 1,033,000 viewers tuned in to watch the conclusion of RTÉ One's coverage of this year's All-Ireland SFC final, where Kerry defeated Donegal to win a 39th title. The Sunday Game Live programme drew an average audience of 933,000 viewers as the Kingdom ran out deserving winners by ten points. The RTÉ One audience represented a share of 76% of those watching television at the time. There were 378,000 streams on the RTÉ Player, encompassing The Sunday Game Live and Irish language commentary of the game on Sunday Game Beo. The Sunday Game's highlights programme on RTÉ2 was watched by an average of 175,000 with a share of 22%, while there were 34,400 streams on RTÉ Player. Up for the Match on Saturday evening drew an average audience of 309,000 and had 44,000 streams on the RTÉ Player. Fans were heavily engaged with The Sunday Game across RTÉ's social media platforms with video views reaching 6.73 million and over 705,000 engagements. The top performing piece of content across all RTÉ social channels and platforms was President Michael D Higgins, in what was his last appearance attending a men's final as head of state, greeting the players before throw-in.
