Galway Advertiser 1981/1981_01_01/GA_01011981_E1_004.pdf 

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These two photographs a r e of a C o n n e m a r a f a m i l y and their boat--a Galway Hooker--taken in the docks by Peadar O D u b h d a in 1928. T h e i r c a r g o w a s a b o a t l o a d o f c a r r i g e e n , as y o u c a n s e e in p i c t u r e I . T h e y h a d

l a r g e sacks w h i c h t h e y filled with the carrigeen and a small pulley system which u n l o a d e d it off t h e b o a t . T h e carrigeen was m o s t likely o n its w a y t o K e a n e ' s stores in St. Augustine Street, where they used to

m a r k e t it a n d e x p o r t it. I t had many uses--you could u s e it t o t h i c k e n s o u p s o r stews, to make cough m i x t u r e , t o feed young c a l v e s w h e n t h e y w e r e sick. I t w a s also e s p e c i a l l y useful a b o u t t h i s t i m e of t h e y e a r , because when mixed with l e m o n juice a n d a d r o p of p o i t i n , it c u r e d all k i n d s of hangovers.

T h e second photograph s h o w s o n e of t h e o c c u p a n t s of t h e * . b o a t w i t h a b r o a d western smile. She is w e a r i n g a finely p a t t e r n e d heavy shawl which would be probably w o r t h a great deal of m o n e y today. These p h o t o g r a p h s a r e p a r t of a s e r i e s , s o m e of w h i c h w e have already published. Thomas McDonogh &

S o n s of M e r c h a n t s R o a d have just p u b i s h e d a n o t h e r i n t h e i r series of c a l e n d a r s showing Old Galway scenes. T h e r e are four beautiful illustrations, p r i n t e d in sepia, a notable a d d i t i o n t o t h e series. C l a d a Soft D r i n k s L t d . , of Ballinfoile, Headford R o a d , h a v e also p u b l i s h e d a calendar with a Galway

interest -- showing six victorious Galway Hurling t e a m s . T h e y a r e t h e 1980 All-I re land C h a m p i o n s , t h e National League winners of 1975, the Oireachtas w i n n e r s 1958, t h e N a t i o n a l L e a g u e winners of 1951, the R a i l w a y C u p w i n n e r s of 1947, a n d t h e All I r e l a n d C h a m p i o n s of 1923. T.K.

February. BIRTH O F FENIANISM Though the BBC are obviously p r o u d of w h a t they have d o n e a n d are c o n f i d e n t t h a t K e e ' s w o r k is as c l o s e a n effort a s p o s s i b l e t o a p o p u l a r a c c o u n t of h i s t o r y for a m a s s t e l e v i s i o n ' a u d i e n c e in B r i t a i n , t h e r e are some significant a s s u m p t i o n s a n d decisions about the production which w o u l d s u g g e s t t h a t , in b r o a d political terms, the main aim o f t h e series i n B B C eyes is t o e d u c a t e the British public a n d politicians to come to a c c e p t , in s o m e d e g r e e , t h e l o g i c of a B r i t i s h w i t h d r a w a l from Ireland as a possible f u t u r e s o l u t i o n . A f t e r all, t h e series specifically sets o u t t o consider the history of " I r e l a n d " -- one unit with n o border. N o pretence that " N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d " is s m p l y another "part of the United Kingdom". The attempt to telescope the earlier periods i n I r i s h h i s t o r y in t h e first three p r o g r a m m e s also lay a n emphasis on the roots of t h e d i v i s i o n s a n d strife t h a t have continuing messages for t o d a y . T h u s t h e first p r o g r a m m e took the story down to 1607 -- the Departure of the Earls -- the second entitled, " N o Surrender", takes the story to the Battle of the Boyne, a n d the defeat of Catholic I r e l a n d in 1691 w h i l e t h e third episode "Two N a t i o n s " c o v e r s t h e n e x t 150 y e a r p e r i o d d o w n t o 1845. T h e n , significantly, Kee devotes the entire fourth p r o g r a m m e s to only four years -- the Great Famine, 1845 -- ' 4 9 , m a i n l y b e c a u s e h e sees t h e r o o t s o f m u c h o f w h a t h a s c o m e s i n c e in t e r m s of t h e F a m i n e disaster a n d also because h e wishes to highlight the political significance of t h e Irish a b r o a d arising from postfamine emigration. Thus M r . K e e s a y s , in h i s f o u r t h programme that "It was not surprising that the millions of Irishmen w h o emigrated f r o m 1846 o n w a r d s s h o u l d c o n c e n t r a t e t h e s e e d s of Irish bitterness towards E n g l i s h G o v e r n m e n t in t h e seperate, rich a n d powerful nation across the Atlantic, t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , t o affect profoundly the future

T h e first r i p p l e s f r o m t h e c a u s e d m o r e c a s u a l t i e s e v e n the Bermingham n e w R o b e r t K e e 13-part t h a n television series o n Irish b o m b i n g of 1974" t h o u g h History are a l r e a d y f a c t u a l l y t r u e , w e r e n o t well e m e r g i n g in A n g l o - I r i s h received. But even m o r e was Kee's political circles. The difficult "The introductory programme, s u g g e s t i o n t h a t Explosion b r o a d c a s t last week has C l e r k e n w e l l already brought reaction helped t o change British from s o m e Irish historians G o v e r n m e n t policy t o w a r d s w h o w e r e n o t i n v o l v e d in its I r e l a n d : t h e v i o l e n c e o f t h e in 1 9 2 0 -- 21 preparation, while reaction o l d I R A w i t h i n R T E itself is likely t o c h a n g e d B r i t i s h G o v e r n m b e c o m e increasingly bitter ent policy, a n d the I R A of as the i n t e r n a t i o n a l today are hoping by their t e l e v i s i o n c o m m u n i t y s t a r t s v i o l e n c e t h e y will c h a n g e Government t o a s k w h y it is t h a t t h i s B r i t i s h m a j o r series o n t h e h i s t o r y p o l i c y " . K e e c o n c e d e d in h i s of I r e l a n d s h o u l d h a v e been script t h a t " L o o k i n g into u n d e r t a k e n b y a British t h e p a s t c o u l d well b e s a i d t o journalist a n d a British be causing e n c o u r a g e m e n t to them". But he makes the television organisa-tion. point that they d o not need T O O FAIR, BIAS? T e c h n i c a l l y , t h e s e r i e s e n c o u r a g e m e n t in a n y c a s e "Ireland: A T e l e v i s i o n and that " w h a t we have to H i s t o r y " is d e s c r i b e d a s a d o is see h o w it c a m e t o b e joint RTE/BBC c o - so". production -- a splendid MOST IMPORTANT example of the type of " o p e n In other words, the main broadcasting" which was so close t o the h e a r t of D r . trust of the series, described C o n o r Cruise-O'Brien when by BBC-2 Controller of he was Minister for P o s t s , P r o g r a m m e s , Brian W e n a n d T e l e g r a p h s in t h e m i d - h a m , a s " o n e o f t h e m o s t 1970s. C e r t a i n l y t h e genesis i m p o r t a n t series t h e B B C has o f t h e series d a t e s f r o m t h a t T e l e v i s i o n S e r v i c e in its entire e r a b u t s o far t h e r e s e e m s t o b r o a d c a s t h a v e b e e n s o m e c o n c e r n t h a t h i s t o r y " is t o f a c t u a l l y R o b e r t K e e , a u t h o r of The o u t l i n e t h e b r o a d s w e e p o f and the Green Flag w h o h a s n o w I r i s h h i s t o r y p u b l i s h e d a n o t h e r b o o k in r e l a t i o n s h i p o f I r l e a n d w i t h c o n j u c t i o n w i t h t h e s e r i e s , B r i t a i n in t h a t h i s t o r y . It is a has been " t o o fair" t o the personal view, Kee's o w n Irish side by bluntly stating u n d e r s t a n d i n g of t h e story, t h e realities of E n g l a n d ' s b u t it is r e g a r d e d b y t h e B B C sufficiently i n v o l v e m e n t in t h e I r i s h a s b e i n g s i t u a t i o n for t h e p a s t 8 0 0 i m p o r t a n t t o b r e a k w i t h years. T h u s , his sharp another BBC tradition and c o m m e n t s in t h e first continue transmission over holiday p r o g r a m m e suggesting that t h e C h r i s t m a s " T h e a t r o c i t i e s o f t h e last p e r i o d , a n d t o c o n d u c t a few y e a r s a r e n o t h i n g n e w " , s u r v e y o f r e a c t i o n t o t h e o r t h a t " t h e C l e r k e n w e l l p r o g r a m m e s in t h e R e p u b l i c e x p l o s i o n o f 1867 p e r p e t r a o f I r e l a n d , in t h e N o r t h a n d t e d b y t h e F e n i a n s -- t h e in B r i t a i n , t h e o u t c o m e o f f o r e r u n n e r s o f t h e I R A -- w h i c h will b e d i s c u s s e d a t t h e e n d o f t h e series n e x t

development of Irish nationalist feeling". A n d in h i s fifth p r o g r a m m e o n t h e Fenians Kee states bluntly that "The roots of Fenianism lay in the F a m i n e " . H e also quotes the h i s t o r i c a l l y u n p l e a s a n t fact t h a t within ten years of the execution of the Manchester m a r t y r s , in 1867, a y o u n g Irish M . P . Charles Stewart Parnell angrily defended the M a r t y r s in t h e H o u s e o f C o m m o n s , when he said " I wish t o say as publicly a n d as directly as I can, that I d o n o t b e l i e v e a n d n e v e r shall believe, t h a t any m u r d e r was c o m m i t t e d at M a n c h e s t e r " . POLITICAL CENSORSHIP T h u s the entire t o n e of the series, w i t h its f a c t u a l account of' the use of violence, a n d t h e differing attidudes t o violence in Irish history, comes dangerously near breaching the general censorship provisions under which RTE has been o p e r a t i n g s i n c e 1972. T h e e v e n m o r e specific g u i d e l i nes d r a w n u p by D r . C o n o r C r u i s e - O ' B r i e n in 1976, a n d continued by F i a n n a Fail s i n c e t h e n , a r e likely t o p r e s e n t s u c h p r o b l e m s in t h e c a s e o f t h e 12th p r o g r a m m e of t h e series -- which deals w i t h N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d a n d is due t o be transmitted on 17th F e b r u a r y -- t h a t it m a y be necessary for R T E to commission a different version of the episode. The degree to which continuing political c e n s o r s h i p in R T E h a s n o w led t o a s i t u a t i o n w h e r e even t h e v e r y r e c o r d i n g of h i s t o r y itself m a y b e r u n n i n g i n t o difficulties c a n b e s e e n f r o m t h e fact t h a t t h e B B C p r e publicity distinguished between " R T E ' s newsreel resources" and "all the actuality material on Northern Ireland from the end of the sixties".

principle", even to the degree of serving b r o a d c a s t - , ing organisations abroad with stories a n d picture that they have not been allowed t o b r o a d c a s t at h o m e . SURVIVORS And while we may s o m e t i m e s criticise w h a t is being done to document the history of o u r o w n c o u n t r y and people by our own p e o p l e , it is n e c e s s a r y a l s o t o give c r e d i t w h e r e c r e d i t is d u e t o p e o p l e like U i n s e a n n M a c Eoin whose massive Survivors has now been a b e s t seller for t h e p a s t few m o n t h s . A s t h e title s u g g e s t s t h i s is t h e s t o r y of I r e l a n d ' s struggle as told t h r o u g h s o m e of her o u t s t a n d i n g living people recalling events from the days of Davitt, through James Connolly, Brugha, Collins, Liam Mellows, and Rory O'Connor, to the present time. In close u p o n 500 pages of text a n d p h o t o g r a phs Uinseann Mac Eoin has r e c o r d e d the recollections of m o r e t h a n two dozen of the principal surviving persona lities o f t h e I r i s h W a r o f Independence, -- and the r e a s o n s w h y it failed. Here the Survivors, the m e n a n d t h e girls recall f o r t h first t i m e t h e v i v i d a n d historic epoch through w h i c h t h e y lived; t h e h i g h hopes, the scrambles, the fights, t h e e s c a p e s , p e r i o d s of imprisonment, execut ions; the long weary road b a c k i n t o civilian life, b a c k to an Ireland where the r e a l i t y fell far s h o r t o f t h e dream. It is a s t o r y o f h u m o u r a n d poignancy, of names a n d faces r e c a l l e d vividly o v e r a s p a n o f sixty y e a r s . It is a story of c o n s u m i n g social i n t e r e s t . T h e first d e c a d e s o f pur century are brought to life a g a i n in t h e s e vivid a n d alert recollections.

.pinpoints once again the absolutely vital type of w o r k which recording such s u r v i v o r s , o n t a p e o r o n film n o w is, a n d the criminal n e g l e c t in c e r t a i n a r e a s . EVERYONE'S FRIEND A n o t h e r g r e a t m e m b e r of the F o u r t h Estate, from a slightly later e r a , Terry O'Sullivan, also passed away at the week-end. A n y b o d y familiar with T e r r y ' s w o r k in t h e Evening Press k n o w s j u s t h o w g o o d a friend h e w a s of G a l w a y a n d the West of Ireland. But then Terry O'Sullivan was e v e r y b o d y ' s friend. W h e n first t a k e n ill o v e r t w o y e a r s a g o , h e c a m e t o G a l w a y for a w e e k t o r e c o v e r after getting o u t of hospital. A quick phone-call to the Great Southern Hotel to w e l c o m e h i m , a n d wish h i m well, led to a lunch a p p o i n t m e n t during which we went b a c k over old m e m o r i e s . S h o r t l y after t h a t Terry returned to Dublin a n d t o his night-beat. A n d t h a t w a s t h e last t i m e w e s a w h i m a l i v e . A i r e o i m i d a r fad u a i n n e. L e a b a i m e a s e n a n a o m h g o r a i b h aige! C o m p i l e d by Nollaig O G a d h r a .

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T h e fact t h a t s o m e o f Ever since G e r r y Collins sacked the R T E A u t h o r i t y those w h o told their tales to Eoin were dead in 1972 the station Mac the time they management has operated a between code of political censorship recorded their m e m o r i e s o n w h i c h it freely a c k n o w l e d t a p e a n d t h e p u b l i c a t i o n o f g e d , c a n interfere w i t h t h e t h e b o o k itself is, in o n e n o r m a l criteria of news a n d sense, a s h a r p r e m i n d e r of c u r r e n t affairs c o v e r a g e . just h o w quickly the last of R T E staff a n d u n i o n s h a v e l i n k s w i t h t h e e r a c o - o p e r a t e d in t h i s w h i l e I r e l a n d ' s r e - b i r t h a s a n a t i o n disappearing. It m a i n t a i n i n g " o p p o s i t i o n in a r e

OF SOUVENIRS AND GIFTS Retailers s t o c k i n g S o u v e n i r s a n d Irish Gifts for t h e t o u r i s t t r a d e a r e Invited t o O u r T r a d e S h o w a t T h e Imperial H o t e l , G a l w a y , 6th, 7th, 8th, January, commencing 3 p.m. on 5th. W e offer y o u a c o m p l e t e r a n g e , i n c l u d i n g Irish T r a d ional Jewellery, Colleen Dolls, Key Rings, C o n n e mara Marble Pottery, Printed Tea Towels and Calendars, Tea Shirts, Handkerchiefs, Woven Badges and much more. If a n i m p o r t a n t p a r t of y o u r retail b u s i n e s s is s u p p l y i n g T o u r i s t Gifts, W e a r e t h e s p e c i a l i s t s u p p l i e r s for y o u
T r a d e enquiries t o : Shannon Distributors L t d . , Carrick House, S I South William Street, Dublin 2.

Telephone: 776449/776756. j