The Irish Examiner view: The loss of two links to our past
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The death of Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh gave the nation pause yesterday.
The outpouring of sadness at his passing was deep and authentic. Part of that comes from sheer familiarity, the long-standing awareness of that unmistakable voice.
Part of it comes from what readers associated with that voice. Ó Muircheartaigh offered an inimitable soundtrack to great Gaelic games over many a summer afternoon.
Sport is one of the magnificent trivialities that many of us use to mark the passing of time; the death of one of its most significant heralds is itself a watershed.
The news of Ó Muircheartaigh’s passing had yet to be assimilated when we learned of the passing of another RTÉ stalwart, Tommie Gorman, at the age of 68.
Gorman’s career in journalism included a period working for RTÉ in Europe before becoming the national broadcaster’s northern editor for 20 years, a testing assignment.
Yet it is no exaggeration to say that, for many readers, their most familiar association with Gorman will also be a sporting one: His famous interview with Roy Keane in 2002, when he quizzed the Corkman on his departure from the Republic of Ireland squad on the eve of that year’s World Cup.
It was the story that gripped — and divided — the entire nation, and Gorman got the scoop every journalist dreams of when he sat down with Keane, who became emotional during the course of the interview.
The emotional response to these two men passing away on the same day comes with another emotional nuance, the breaking of a link with the past.
Whether that includes the Railway Cup games Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh attended in the 1950s, or the furore about a World Cup which took place over 20 years ago, the past becomes more remote for all of us when we lose those who told us of those events.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh siad.
The Cathal Crotty case continues to cast a shadow over Irish life, and little wonder.
Outrage has been expressed since Crotty walked free from a court last Wednesday, after he received a fully suspended jail term for attacking Natasha O’Brien on a Limerick street.
Crotty then boasted on social media about the attack.
Ms O’Brien said she felt deflated by the judgement when the court case concluded, but has since been heartened by the reaction: “Now that I have the nation backing me, it’s amazing.
“It’s just great to be able to use my voice and hopefully make a difference, because that’s why I’m talking about this and I’m sharing my story — so that people can relate to me and be angry and direct their anger at the right people.
“Keep coming forward, because we’re only going to make an impact.” Ms O’Brien’s most valuable point comes at the end, when she encourages people to keep coming forward to make an impact. The widespread support being expressed for her is laudable in itself as a gesture of solidarity, but she is correct in pointing out that it can also be a springboard to effect real change.
And that change is absolutely necessary. Violence and abuse take a huge toll on women. As reported in this newspaper today, such behaviour can have effects which are “... chilling and ranged from exhaustion, isolation, and hopelessness to serious injury, suffering miscarriages, poverty, feeling a loss of identity, suicide ideation, hyper-vigilance, and homelessness”.
That is why it is so important to use the outrage and revulsion fuelling the demonstrations of support for Natasha O’Brien.
Those demonstrations cannot simply be expressive of sympathy. They must also be engines of change. Legislative and sentencing changes will not happen overnight, but the process of changing them has to begin.
Tragedy was averted earlier this week in Cork city when two young men from Mexico City dived into the Lee and saved a woman from drowning on Monday night.
A spokesman for Cork City Fire Brigade later hailed the two men as heroes, commending them on their bravery in entering the water to save the woman.
The evening before, there was an incident at Fountainstown, Cork, when two women got into difficulties in an area known for its strong and dangerous currents.
The alarm was raised but a young man grabbed a lifebuoy, dived in, and swam with the two women to the far side of the channel, where they got ashore safely.
It is a relief to read that these incidents were resolved safely, and those involved in the rescues are certainly to be commended for their bravery. In the Fountainstown case, the local coast guard was alerted but credit to the young man involved for acting on his own initiative.
The recent advent of good weather has probably turned many more people’s attention to swimming than at any other time this year, and a long, damp springtime has no doubt sharpened appetites for the beach.
However, the incidents this week in Cork should serve as a stark reminder of the potential dangers of our beaches and waterways, and our eagerness for a cooling dip should be balanced by an awareness of the risks involved.
Only last week, Water Safety Ireland issued an appeal to schoolteachers, parents, and guardians to prioritise water safety education, and that appeal could not be more timely. We cannot always rely on the presence of heroes such as those who saved lives this week in Cork.