Gerry Ryan Inquest

jimmynokia

paddyirishman85 wrote: »

No.

To me it's common sense though. If he isn't pulling in that money, then RTE is losing money because of him. So why pay him a big salary? If they were losing money because of him, they would have sacked him years ago, or moved him to another timeslot. Instead, they give him tv shows. That doesn't happen unless you're doing a good job. It's like any job. If I get paid €500 a week and I earn the company €750 that week, I can request €550 a week and the boss could give it to me because he's still making a profit. He might even give me a promotion in the hopes that I can bring in even more money. If I'm getting paid €500 a week and I'm only bringing in €400, I'm on the dole. Doesn't matter if I'm Gerry Ryan or not, the fact that he was with RTE for so long and was still getting new shows like Operation Transformation has to mean that he was worth that money.

he made the most money cant remember the figures but it well surpassed his fee

MidlandsM

jimmynokia wrote: »

he was caught drink driving wasnt he?

wow......big swing.:rolleyes:

jimmynokia

MidlandsM wrote: »

wow......big swing.:rolleyes:

so do you drink and drive then or condone it or is it a maturity problem

tommyhaas

goose2005 wrote: »

No it wouldn't. His salary should be "whatever competitors can offer + €1". Newstalk or 98 FM or Today FM could barely afford a fifth of Gerry's salary- where would he have gone if RTE cut him down to €120k?

While I agree that Gerry Ryan must have been bringing in the money through advertising etc, and that his show must have been commercially viable to pay him that salery, I agree with what your saying.

The likes of Pat Kenny, Marion Finnucane, Joe Duffy and Ryan Tubridy should be offered say €150,000 at the most. Its not like Sky or anyone are going to come and offer more? They'd have the option of taking that or going to Newstalk/Today FM etc for half of that

Zebra3

paddyirishman85 wrote: »

No.

To me it's common sense though. If he isn't pulling in that money, then RTE is losing money because of him. So why pay him a big salary? If they were losing money because of him, they would have sacked him years ago, or moved him to another timeslot. Instead, they give him tv shows. That doesn't happen unless you're doing a good job. It's like any job. If I get paid €500 a week and I earn the company €750 that week, I can request €550 a week and the boss could give it to me because he's still making a profit. He might even give me a promotion in the hopes that I can bring in even more money. If I'm getting paid €500 a week and I'm only bringing in €400, I'm on the dole. Doesn't matter if I'm Gerry Ryan or not, the fact that he was with RTE for so long and was still getting new shows like Operation Transformation has to mean that he was worth that money.

You never heard of the gravy train? :rolleyes:

Do you think all those parasites that have passed through our national parliament are worth their pay and pensions?

Terry

Monty Burnz wrote: »

I'm calling 'bull****' on that line.

Anyway, even if we were all cokeheads, how would that suddenly make Ryan not a hypocrite?

He was a hypocrite because he told people not to do coke on his show.
He also rallied against those who bring it into the country and the dealers. That's why he was a hypocrite.

OutlawPete wrote: »

He had a whole host of drugs in his system though.

Xanax, sleeping pills etc.

Why is cocaine the one blamed?

Prescription meds are almost as dangerous, if not more so - quite a number of unexplained celebrity deaths seemed to have occured where prescribed drugs can be the only true cause and it seems to be soon forgotten about:

Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, Brian Epstein, Chris Penn, Anna Nicole Smith, Marilyn Monroe, Brittany Murphy etc.

That's just in celebrities circles, but death from prescription drugs is very very common these days and not just from overdoes.

Understand certain drugs are saving people's lives and so needed without question, but there are many many people today on a cocktail of tranquilizers, sleeping pills, anti-depressants etc where that isn't the case.

Over-prescription and inappropriate use of these types of drugs is just rampant as cocaine abuse and just as dangerous, if not more so.

I've been taking xanax for the past 13 years and I'm fine.
You can try to argue for the legality of cocaine all you want, but you will never win.
Xanax, while addictive, is nowhere close to being as addictive as cocaine. It also does not provide an instant high.
It is very closely monitored in Ireland, and anyone taking it on a regular basis is sent into care.

Comparing it to cocaine is akin to comparing caffeine to heroin.

barney4001 wrote: »

Having read through all the pages on this thread and the destruction of Gerry Ryan through drug taking,i sincerly hope that the persons who allegedly supplied Katie French go down for a few years

As opposed to the people who dealt dugs to Anto Farrell?

mloc wrote: »

Ah, but no one has ever died from an overdose of LSD!

No, but they have suffered permanent brain damage. Yipee. LDS doesn't kill you.

stovelid wrote: »

Poor people from families with generational neglect and drug abuse take drugs = scum

Wealthy celebrities take drugs = depressed

Amen.
This is typical AH crap.
If you're por and take drugs, then you are the scum of the Earth.
If you're rich and take the same drugs, then you're a hero. It ****ing sickens me.

Spunge wrote: »

Junkie scum. Bring back the death penalty.

For dead people?
Good plan.

Dudess wrote: »

In fairness, he HAD to pretend to be anti drugs - that would have been more of an editorial policy, not his - and once his show wasn't pretty much based on preaching about the ills of drug use (like Joe Duffy's or Neil Prendeville's) and it wasn't, I wouldn't hold that against him. I used to veer between his and Pat Kenny's shows when I was off, and I thought Ryan was a good presenter (if not endearing as a personality) and definitely preferred him to D'arcy, and anti drugs tirades were very much NOT on the agenda. I've no doubt there were drug-related pieces, human interest stories etc, but of course there were - it was that kind of show, and dominated by an audience that wanted that kind of programme material.

In fairness, he was a user of illegal drugs, who constantly villified those who he bought drugs from.
You can put it down to the editorial view of RTÉ, but he bought into that and was quite happy to follow their view. If he had any integrity, he would not have followed the RTÉ anti drug line.

Then you have the fact that he regularly criticised the gangs of Limerick. They are among the largest importers of cocaine in the country and he was supporting then financially.

mloc wrote: »

Anyone who puts himself forward in the public domain and makes points related to morality is fair game for criticism, dead or alive.

I completely agree.
Unfortunately the libel laws in this country disagree. More later.

Latchy wrote: »

Coke is and always was rampant in tv/ showbiz circles ,that's not to say everybody from the celeb down to the tea lady took it .But you have to be hypocrite and insulting the inteligence of the public to be lecturing on the perils of drug taking while sticking tons of blow up yer nose

He was on £600,000 annual pay and stresses out about his finances .So the solution was to spend another grand on some blow and over the years probably blew a fortune on it , while in hock big time to the bank and according to media reports with abusive texts he was getting , god knows who else . Problem was the bank wasn't lending anymore .

The Conclusion ? .....Gerry was living beyond his means

What a brilliant post and even better conclusion.
Most people won't get that.
Here's a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGEQtBID-HA

jimmynokia wrote: »

i think enough has been said now at this stage we all have our own opinions like it or not good or bad
this thread should be closed now.

IF IT WAS YOUR OWN FATHER WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE HEAR READING STORIES
IM SURE THE ANSWER TO THAT IS NO.....

I'm all for protecting the children of the victims of innocent deaths, but this dude constantly rambled on and on about the evils of drugs.

If anything, his death may serve to show peolle that cocaine will eventually kill you. This thread should remain.

mike65 wrote: »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1337919/This-Gerry-fond-cocaine--16-17-years.html

Written by Gareth O'Callaghan ex RTE 2

Where was he before Ryan died? More later.

Paparazzo wrote: »

Why doesn't Gareth name a few people if its that easy?

More later.

orourkeda wrote: »

A €2000 a week coke habit can't be hidden

It can.
More later.

LZ5by5 wrote: »

Just reading about some writer named Joe Jackson, he's pleading with people inside RTE to come forward with info in order to bring Gerry's dealer to justice. It really sickens me to see this attitude when celebs suffer. It was the same deal with Katy French. Blame the dealer. When Michael Jackson died? Blame the doctor. And now here we are with Gerry's pals, it's not his fault, it's the dealer's. It just goes to show you the sort of bubble celebrities are living in away from the rest of us that they can absolve people of any personal responsibility.

Well said. These people seem to feel they are beyond personal responsibility.


Joe Jackson has told us that he knew of Ryan's coke habit.
Why didn't he try to help him?
By all accounts they were friends.
If a friend of mine was addicted to an illegal and harmful substance, I'd try my best to help them. Shame on you, Jackson, for exploiting Ryan's death for your own gain.

This leads me to my next point.
Censorship in Ireland.

A few people in this thread have criticised boards and the papers for not allowing others to speak about Ryan's coke addiction.
The problem lies in the fact that we do not have free speech in Ireland.

We can call him a coke head now because the dead can't sue, and because it has been proven, but had he survived the OD, we would still be prohibited from saying it was coke related.
You can't say that in the papers here, and that is because the government prevent it through libel laws.

We all know what's going on, but we're not allowed to speak about in public because we can be sued for it.
Because boards.ie is registered in Ireland, it is subjected to Irish libel laws.
Were I to say that a certain member here is doing coke on a regular basis, then boards would be sued. The same applies to newspapers and the telly.
Without actual proof, the media organisations are open to being sued.

One last thing. Those of you pushing for the legalisation of cocaine on the basis that alcohol, caffeine and nicotene are legal are seriously deluded and need to seek help.
One dose of any of the above will not leave you intoxicated. One line of cocaine will leave you intoxicated.

Come back in 2 years and make the same argument.
When you grow up, you see the light.

OutlawPete

Terry wrote: »

I've been taking xanax for the past 13 years and I'm fine.

I was talking about people being on a cocktail of medications and accidental overdosing is becoming more and more common, frighteningly so.

Terry wrote: »

Xanax, while addictive, is nowhere close to being as addictive as cocaine.

Many experts in addiction have said that Benzodiazepines are more addictive than cocaine, I have no idea if they are correct in their assertions or not - but it is quite common for that claim to be made.

In the book Medication Madness by Peter Breggin, he goes in detail about why he holds this opinion.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Terry wrote: »

One last thing. Those of you pushing for the legalisation of cocaine on the basis that alcohol, caffeine and nicotene are legal are seriously deluded and need to seek help.
One dose of any of the above will not leave you intoxicated. One line of cocaine will leave you intoxicated.

What difference does that make?

goat2

easyeason3 wrote: »

Ah here mate, there's so much wrong with everything you have said I don't know where to start.
It doesn't mean anything to me anyway. He could have snorted an ant farm for all I care.

i hold my hands up, i apolagise to all, i had not read newsprints, now i have, i am surprised that a person of his character took drugs to cope, its sad, that he paid to keep crime alive, sorry once again, i had thought that he had taken little and seldom

eddie the eagle

Terry wrote: »

Xanax, while addictive, is nowhere close to being as addictive as cocaine.

I have to disagree with you on this. i was bet into both at differant stages of my life and found coming off benzos a lot lot more difficult than coke. maybe not as instantly addictive as coke but the hold of them are fierce

Terry

OutlawPete wrote: »

I was talking about people being on a cocktail of medications and accidental overdosing is becoming more and more common, frighteningly so.



Many experts in addiction have said that Benzodiazepines are more addictive than cocaine, I have no idea if they are correct in their assertions or not - but it is quite common for that claim to be made.

In the book Medication Madness by Peter Breggin, he goes in detail about why he holds this opinion.

Benzos are highly addictive and dangerous. I will not dispute that fact. However, one dose of a benzo ( let's say a 0.25mg xanax) does not have anywhere close to the effect that a single dose of cocaine does.

Peter Shallow Hawk wrote: »

What difference does that make?

A cup of coffee, a pint of beer, a cigarette and a line of coke.
You're not stupid. Stop pretending to be.

eddie the eagle wrote: »

I have to disagree with you on this. i was bet into both at differant stages of my life and found coming off benzos a lot lot more difficult than coke. maybe not as instantly addictive as coke but the hold of them are fierce

Yes, the hold is strong, but the addiction qualities are not the same.
Coke is a greedy drug. You always want more and more, and that just after your first few lines.
4 in the morning and you're ringing around for more.
That doesn't happen with benzos.

wil

Terry wrote: »

A cup of coffee, a pint of beer, a cigarette and a line of coke.
.

Stick a breakfast roll in front of that lot and there you had the celtic tiger plan diet.:(

laugh......./fail

OutlawPete

Terry wrote: »

Benzos are highly addictive and dangerous. I will not dispute that fact. However, one dose of a benzo ( let's say a 0.25mg xanax) does not have anywhere close to the effect that a single dose of cocaine does.

People are on a lot more than that though.

Also, as I said - I am more referring to the cocktails of drugs that people are on (Gerry being one) and then look down their nose at someone doing coke and for all the wrong reasons (right reasons being that they are funding criminals).

Strange that this should come up, story just broke on RTE on Benzo addiction.

I am not a journalist, honest

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1214/sedatives.html

jackiebaron

Mr.David wrote: »

We're all part of a situation that allows drugs to exist.

Big difference between them existing and choosing to use them.

Choice.

Indeed. We're all part of a situation that allows us to drink alcohol everyday and go to work pissed and wreck the place or drive drunk...but we don't. Choice!

mloc

Terry wrote: »

Benzos are highly addictive and dangerous. I will not dispute that fact. However, one dose of a benzo ( let's say a 0.25mg xanax) does not have anywhere close to the effect that a single dose of cocaine does.

I'll agree that cocaine is a seriously addictive drug. It is however incorrect to say that it is more addictive than benzodiazepines.

From a clinical perspective, the two most dangerous addictions to treat, in terms of withdrawal, are alcohol and benzodiazepines. They both require more monitoring and treatment than heroin or cocaine.

The dangers arise from the circumstances under which people become addicted; cocaine is, in general, a social drug which can come with it's own issues in terms of avoiding use. Benzos, on the other hand, are generally prescribed and monitored. This can prevent dependency, but dependency does occur; in general, taking benzos for a period of two or more weeks will likely lead to dependency, although this can be dealt with by tapering dosages instead of stopping cold (which, unlike cocaine, can be very dangerous).

It is possible, in some cases, for some people, to take either drug occasionally and not develop dependency.

senordingdong

wil wrote: »

Stick a breakfast roll in front of that lot and there you had the celtic tiger plan diet.:(

laugh......./fail

And a helicopter lets not forget.

jackiebaron

I always like to do the mathematics behind this.
A gram of coke costs, what, 50 euros?
So Ryan was snorting 2000k worth a week.
That's 40 grams.

Now that's on average 6 grams a day.
If you cut a gram into 4 lines, those are fairly substantial lines so that's 24 lines a day this guy was doing.

In other words he was doing a line everytime a heavy smoker would have a cigarette. I'm a smoker. I smoke a pack of twenty a day. I think 20 a day is a heavy smoker. 10 a day is a moderate smoker. 5 a day is a light smoker and anything less is a "social smoker"
30 or 40 cigs a day is Ivor the Engine!

so in essence Ryan was snorting all his waking hours.

Blizzard of Oz!

senordingdong

jackiebaron wrote: »

I always like to do the mathematics behind this.
A gram of coke costs, what, 50 euros?
So Ryan was snorting 2000k worth a week.
That's 40 grams.

Now that's on average 6 grams a day.
If you cut a gram into 4 lines, those are fairly substantial lines so that's 24 lines a day this guy was doing.

In other words he was doing a line everytime a heavy smoker would have a cigarette. I'm a smoker. I smoke a pack of twenty a day. I think 20 a day is a heavy smoker. 10 a day is a moderate smoker. 5 a day is a light smoker and anything less is a "social smoker"
30 or 40 cigs a day is Ivor the Engine!

so in essence Ryan was snorting all his waking hours.

Blizzard of Oz!

Well he was an addict.

Furthermore, his mass, coupled with the amount of time he has been on the stuff, I would think are huge contributing factors.
Oh and the 'stress' too, don't forget the huge stress he was under.

sbsquarepants

goose2005 wrote: »

No it wouldn't. His salary should be "whatever competitors can offer + €1". Newstalk or 98 FM or Today FM could barely afford a fifth of Gerry's salary- where would he have gone if RTE cut him down to €120k?

Couldn't agree more! If these so called "stars" were worth anything approaching the money they are paid, surely there would be a que of national and international rivals waiting to snap them up. What RTE "star" has ever gone on to do anything, anywhere else? I can't think of a single one.
They are as a rule overpaid, under talented gob****es and gerry ryan was one of the least talented, most overpaid of the lot.
Where else would have paid him anything like that? If i ran RTE there would be wholesale slaughter of these egomaniac a$$holes and their inflated pay cheques.

sbsquarepants

jackiebaron wrote: »

I always like to do the mathematics behind this.
A gram of coke costs, what, 50 euros?
So Ryan was snorting 2000k worth a week.
That's 40 grams.

Now that's on average 6 grams a day.
If you cut a gram into 4 lines, those are fairly substantial lines so that's 24 lines a day this guy was doing.

In other words he was doing a line everytime a heavy smoker would have a cigarette. I'm a smoker. I smoke a pack of twenty a day. I think 20 a day is a heavy smoker. 10 a day is a moderate smoker. 5 a day is a light smoker and anything less is a "social smoker"
30 or 40 cigs a day is Ivor the Engine!

so in essence Ryan was snorting all his waking hours.

Blizzard of Oz!

You're forgetting economies of scale and guaranteed repeat business, i reckon you could double your numbers at least, that's some strain to be putting your body under!

Qualitymark

The Phoneshow on 104fm doesn't seem to have a 'Listen Back' feature, or am I missing it? Any way of hearing the show again?

@Terry - the Examiner leads today on scary figures about Xanax (at least, when I googled the generic name they gave, Xanax and Valium came up as two of its forms):

http://examiner.ie/home/deaths-linked-to-common-anxiety-drug-soar-139493.html

Deaths linked to common anxiety drug soar

By Evelyn Ring
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
USERS of a commonly prescribed drug to treat anxiety and depression have been warned of its addictive and potentially fatal effects after a report revealed soaring misuse rates and identified it as a factor in 31% of all drug-related deaths.

The National Drug-Related Deaths Index, co-ordinated by the Health Research Board (HRB), also shows drug-related deaths in which benzodiazepines were implicated increased from a total of 65 in 1998 to 88 in 2007.

North Dublin had the highest rate of death at four cases per 100,000 population, followed by the southern area at 3.1 cases.

The report also reveals a huge increase in the number of cases seeking treatment for misuse of the popular prescription sedative.

The latest HRB figures show that cases treated for problem benzodiazepine use increased from 1,054 in 2003 to 1,719 in 2008 — a 63% increase.

Benzodiazepines are prescription drugs legitimately used to treat a range of conditions such as anxiety, depression, insomnia and seizures.

While they are considered safe for short-term use, there is a risk of overuse, abuse and dependence when used for longer periods.

Almost all deaths where benzodiazepines were implicated involved the use of more than one substance.

The substances most frequently implicated in death alongside benzodiazepines were alcohol and opiates.

HRB senior researcher Dr Suzi Lyons called for greater awareness among prescribers and users of the potentially fatal effects of benzodiazepines when used with other substances.

"An overdose of benzodiazepines can cause respiratory depression, coma and death," said Dr Lyons, who pointed out that very few deaths were reported from taking the drug on its own.

And, she said, while the actual number of cases under 18 years of age was small, an increasing proportion of both new and returning cases between 2003 and 2008 were in this age group.

The study, using the HRB’s National Drug Treatment Reporting System, shows that just 1% of cases were under 18 years of age in 2003 but, by 2008, it had risen to 13%.

"This has implications for health promotion and drug awareness campaigns, as well as service provision for this vulnerable group," she said.

Tony Geoghegan, the director of Merchants Quay Ireland — a voluntary organisation for homeless people and drug users — said there was a huge black market in benzodiazepines because of a shortage of opiates.

Mr Geoghegan said people tended to mix drugs — if they are taking heroin or cocaine, they are also taking benzodiazepines and may be drinking alcohol as well.

"The message must be got out there of the danger of mixing benzodiazepines with other drugs and for people not to take drugs while on their own," he said.

The HRB figures also show that twice as many men died as a result of misuse of benzodiazepines than women in the period 1998 to 2007, with the proportion highest in the younger age group.

More than half (54%) of women who died from misusing the drug were over the age of 40, compared to over a quarter (27%) of men.

And while the actual number of people reporting benzodiazepine as their main problem drug is small — increasing from 76 in 2003 to 167 in 2008, there has been an increase of 120% over the period.

Almost two-thirds reported using benzodiazepines on a daily basis and most cases treated for problem use had been using the drugs for up to six years.

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Jonniealan

Moralizing on the radio in the morning and snortin charlie in the toilets of some of the citys pretentious nights spots with the pseudo elite in the evening. In fairness, as tragic as it is, its also pathetic. For anyone in there 50's with adult childeren not just pretend shock jocks.

It just confirms this idea that celebs in Ireland Dublin in particular are compleletly disconected from normal society, and most wouldnt have it any other way. seperates them from the plebs.

This sorry episode just goes to show how week minded most celebs are.

Bendihorse

If he was doing that amoung of coke, how come his septum/nasal passage didn't erode or collapse a la Kerry Katona or Daniella Westbrook?

Mike 1972

LOL at the fanboys who reckon Ryan wasnt a hypocrite because he had "no choice" but to come out with all this anti-drug user guff.

He did have some alternatives
1) He could stick his neck out and tell the truth. (It would have taken some balls though and probably detrimently affected his career to the extent of not being able to keep his family in the manner to which they became accoustomed pay off his dealers)
2) Not admit to personal use but call BS on the whole media consensus on the war on drugs (career wise it could also be detrimental but on the other hand it could have enhanced his reputation as a "shock jock". certainly he wouldnt have been short of publicity although the gutter press would probably have gone out of their way to dig up/fabricate evidence of personal use)
3) Say as little as possible on the topic and tone down the rethoric when one does feel pressured to say something (The easy option perhaps but at least one still gets to keep some of their self respect).

Until we get more people in public life prepared to put their balls on the line we are never going to have honest debate in this country regarding drugs and everything the media comes out with on the subject is going to be bull$h1t. And the naked emporers subjects will continue to live in denial.

Jake Rugby Walrus666

Bendihorse wrote: »

If he was doing that amoung of coke, how come his septum/nasal passage didn't erode or collapse a la Kerry Katona or Daniella Westbrook?

Comparing Daniella Westbrook's septum with Uncle Gerry's septum is like comparing a new born lamb to a thorough bred race horse.
G Ryan had a big power-house of a nose (jewesk?) that could withstand years of abuse - still coming back for more; and still up for delighting us with his nasaly incantations and prevarications after breakfast every morning

nacho libre

The tragedy is that he had great insight into his father's shortcomings, yet it would seem from hearing the testimony of his partner he had similar foibles.

Bendihorse

So we take it this habit he was going on for years, what was different about the time he took it and it killed him?

Was it a combination of coke with another drug that caused a bad reaction? Was it the sheer volume he consumed in that sitting? Was it 'bad coke'?

I dont understand how someone can be such a seasoned campaginer and for it to just brown bread him all of a sudden...

Lumen

jackiebaron wrote: »

So Ryan was snorting 2000k worth a week.

Assuming he put all that up his own nose.

Ash.J.Williams

Bendihorse wrote: »

So we take it this habit he was going on for years, what was different about the time he took it and it killed him?

Was it a combination of coke with another drug that caused a bad reaction? Was it the sheer volume he consumed in that sitting? Was it 'bad coke'?

I dont understand how someone can be such a seasoned campaginer and for it to just brown bread him all of a sudden...

He didn't die as a direct result of taking coke in one session, more than likely he died from 20 years of coke use, bad diet, alcohol and lack of exercise. The prolonged coke use would have worn his heart out and it just gave up on him.

Dyr

jackiebaron wrote: »

I always like to do the mathematics behind this.
A gram of coke costs, what, 50 euros?
So Ryan was snorting 2000k worth a week.
That's 40 grams.

Now that's on average 6 grams a day.
If you cut a gram into 4 lines, those are fairly substantial lines so that's 24 lines a day this guy was doing.

In other words he was doing a line everytime a heavy smoker would have a cigarette. I'm a smoker. I smoke a pack of twenty a day. I think 20 a day is a heavy smoker. 10 a day is a moderate smoker. 5 a day is a light smoker and anything less is a "social smoker"
30 or 40 cigs a day is Ivor the Engine!

so in essence Ryan was snorting all his waking hours.

Blizzard of Oz!

Presumably he was'nt bogarting all the coke he bought..