4 June 1998 Edition
Television: Just not cricket
By Sean O Donaile
Spotlight (BBC1)
The Electric Chair (Channel 4)
Comortas Péile na Gaeltachta (Teilifis na Gaeilge)
Nelson Mandela once said that there is ``no such thing as a normal sport in an abnormal society''.
In fact sport reflects society, with the most glaring example being South African rugby, with the six counties not far behind.
Nationalist soccer teams for decades have been treated in a discriminatory manner by the Irish League - a glance at the histories of Belfast Celtic, Donegal Celtic and Cliftonville is a telling testimony.
Taigs simply weren't welcome at the golf club, the cricket ground or where men played with the funny balls.
The GAA has long been a victim of the Orange state with grants being continually refused, TV coverage only arriving recently despite its hugh popularity, players and supporters harassed on a regular basis, grounds occupied by the military, clubhouses destroyed, goalposts cut down and in extreme cases supporters such as Aidan McAnespie and Sean Browne murdered by British troops and their agents.
Spotlight naively posed the question, ``was the GAA out of step with the mood of compromise?'' and wheeled in the usual suspects to lambast the `GA.
Chris McGimpsey warned the GAA that he was going to take them to the European Court of Human Rights, which wouldn't be a bad idea as it would expose the true nature of the Orange state.
Gay Mitchell (the man who wanted to bring the Olympics to Dublin) uttered much nonsense about ``inclusiveness'' which was followed up with more drivel from the Minister for Sport, Jim McDaid, who is obviously well out of step with the GAA grassroots in Donegal.
Niall Farrell of the ``No'' camp put his finger on the button when he pointed out that GAA president Joe McDonagh was ``under pressure from political sources'' after receiving £20 million from the government.
A repeal of Rule 21 would obviously have given brownie points to Bertie Ahern in the eyes of the unionists, but both he and McDonagh now appear to be ``not au fait with what's happening in the north''.
McDonagh claims that this is the first step, but in fact it's a fudge which was the only option following his misjudgement.
The RUC and Brits can harass us, torture us and even murder us, but they can't take our culture from us.
Gearoid O Cearallain concluded the programme by stating that ``change will come in parallel with change in the RUC/RIR and the removal of the British army''. Judging by the behaviour of the RUC on the Garvaghy Road last Saturday that change won't be for some time yet.
There was yet more sport to be seen on TnaG's Comortas Péile na Gaeltachta last weekend, which is of almost equal importance in the Gaeltachts to the All Ireland.
In another innovative move TnaG have moved into regional news and sport and their camera lenses move well beyond the boundaries of Croke Park and Landsdowne Road.
This coverage gives much needed oxygen to sports in isolated areas and the comortas which was staged in Falcarragh (Cloich Cheann Fhaola) produced some top class football from Corca Dhuibhne in West Kerry to Carraroe in Connemara. Despite their heroics the home side were pipped at the post by Ardara - béidh lá eile ag an bPaorach.
Channel 4's Secret History covered the birth of the electric chair in the 1880s which has since claimed over 4,000 lives and is still looked on as a ``progressive'' manner of ``disposing of murderers.''
Following this gruelling documentary, Thomas Edison has plummetted in my rankings and is now firmly in the baddies corner with Ronald Reagan and all those other ``American Heroes''.
Following his invention of electricity he was outpaced in the Electricity War by the giant industrialist George Westinghouse, whose alternating current (A/C) was superior to Edison's direct current (D/C).
Unfortunately for Westinghouse, alternating current was more dangerous and Edison used every means possible to smear his name and protect his own ego. Americans of the time were not happy with hanging as often victims took half an hour to die from strangulation, the guillotine was too French and a firing squad would associate firearms with execution, which wouldn't be good for business! What better way to define themselves as technologically advanced than the all American electric chair, which Edison was commissioned to design, informing all and sundry in the process that he was using Westinghouse A/C currents.
Following much courtroom wrangling and many frazzled cows and sheep later a Mr Kemler was put in the hot seat. Despite his calmness he was subject to the routine electric chair treatment - vaporisation of the flesh and skull, followed by the horrible smell of boiling faeces, urine and skin, followed by steam from the ears and mouth and flames from his head.
The body took three hours to cool down and four doctors each got a piece of the brain as souvenirs of the big day, after which one of them stated, ``today we live in a higher civilisation''
The electric chair was invented by Edison as a temporary tactic in a battle with Westinghouse, which he ultimately lost as direct current has been completely replaced by Westinghouse's A/C.
The electric chair is still sizzling however, and casts a dark shadow over the memory of Edison.
Spotlight (BBC1)
The Electric Chair (Channel 4)
Comortas Péile na Gaeltachta (Teilifis na Gaeilge)
Nelson Mandela once said that there is ``no such thing as a normal sport in an abnormal society''.
In fact sport reflects society, with the most glaring example being South African rugby, with the six counties not far behind.
Nationalist soccer teams for decades have been treated in a discriminatory manner by the Irish League - a glance at the histories of Belfast Celtic, Donegal Celtic and Cliftonville is a telling testimony.
Taigs simply weren't welcome at the golf club, the cricket ground or where men played with the funny balls.
The GAA has long been a victim of the Orange state with grants being continually refused, TV coverage only arriving recently despite its hugh popularity, players and supporters harassed on a regular basis, grounds occupied by the military, clubhouses destroyed, goalposts cut down and in extreme cases supporters such as Aidan McAnespie and Sean Browne murdered by British troops and their agents.
Spotlight naively posed the question, ``was the GAA out of step with the mood of compromise?'' and wheeled in the usual suspects to lambast the `GA.
Chris McGimpsey warned the GAA that he was going to take them to the European Court of Human Rights, which wouldn't be a bad idea as it would expose the true nature of the Orange state.
Gay Mitchell (the man who wanted to bring the Olympics to Dublin) uttered much nonsense about ``inclusiveness'' which was followed up with more drivel from the Minister for Sport, Jim McDaid, who is obviously well out of step with the GAA grassroots in Donegal.
Niall Farrell of the ``No'' camp put his finger on the button when he pointed out that GAA president Joe McDonagh was ``under pressure from political sources'' after receiving £20 million from the government.
A repeal of Rule 21 would obviously have given brownie points to Bertie Ahern in the eyes of the unionists, but both he and McDonagh now appear to be ``not au fait with what's happening in the north''.
McDonagh claims that this is the first step, but in fact it's a fudge which was the only option following his misjudgement.
The RUC and Brits can harass us, torture us and even murder us, but they can't take our culture from us.
Gearoid O Cearallain concluded the programme by stating that ``change will come in parallel with change in the RUC/RIR and the removal of the British army''. Judging by the behaviour of the RUC on the Garvaghy Road last Saturday that change won't be for some time yet.
There was yet more sport to be seen on TnaG's Comortas Péile na Gaeltachta last weekend, which is of almost equal importance in the Gaeltachts to the All Ireland.
In another innovative move TnaG have moved into regional news and sport and their camera lenses move well beyond the boundaries of Croke Park and Landsdowne Road.
This coverage gives much needed oxygen to sports in isolated areas and the comortas which was staged in Falcarragh (Cloich Cheann Fhaola) produced some top class football from Corca Dhuibhne in West Kerry to Carraroe in Connemara. Despite their heroics the home side were pipped at the post by Ardara - béidh lá eile ag an bPaorach.
Channel 4's Secret History covered the birth of the electric chair in the 1880s which has since claimed over 4,000 lives and is still looked on as a ``progressive'' manner of ``disposing of murderers.''
Following this gruelling documentary, Thomas Edison has plummetted in my rankings and is now firmly in the baddies corner with Ronald Reagan and all those other ``American Heroes''.
Following his invention of electricity he was outpaced in the Electricity War by the giant industrialist George Westinghouse, whose alternating current (A/C) was superior to Edison's direct current (D/C).
Unfortunately for Westinghouse, alternating current was more dangerous and Edison used every means possible to smear his name and protect his own ego. Americans of the time were not happy with hanging as often victims took half an hour to die from strangulation, the guillotine was too French and a firing squad would associate firearms with execution, which wouldn't be good for business! What better way to define themselves as technologically advanced than the all American electric chair, which Edison was commissioned to design, informing all and sundry in the process that he was using Westinghouse A/C currents.
Following much courtroom wrangling and many frazzled cows and sheep later a Mr Kemler was put in the hot seat. Despite his calmness he was subject to the routine electric chair treatment - vaporisation of the flesh and skull, followed by the horrible smell of boiling faeces, urine and skin, followed by steam from the ears and mouth and flames from his head.
The body took three hours to cool down and four doctors each got a piece of the brain as souvenirs of the big day, after which one of them stated, ``today we live in a higher civilisation''
The electric chair was invented by Edison as a temporary tactic in a battle with Westinghouse, which he ultimately lost as direct current has been completely replaced by Westinghouse's A/C.
The electric chair is still sizzling however, and casts a dark shadow over the memory of Edison.