Liam Cosgrave - Radio 1

Sanguine Fan

Just listened to an hour-long interview on Radio 1 with former Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave. I wondered why racing correspondent Colm Murray was the interviewer rather than one of RTE's political journalists. That is, until the final question which was about Cosgrave's love of horses. It was the only part of the interview in which he became anyway animated. Otherwise it was soft soap all the way.

I suppose Cosgrave, who as far as I know has never been interviewed since leaving office in 1977, would never have agreed to a searching interview by someone like, say, John Bowman. What a pity though that Murray could not have persuaded him to open up a bit more about issues like the Paddy Donegan/Cearbhall O Dalaigh crisis.

Liam Cosgrave has had a very interesting career and fair enough if he wants to take all his secrets to the grave. But there is no point in broadcasting an interview like this, other than to fill an hour on Good Friday

hotmail.com

He wasn't keen on interviews while he was in office either by all acounts, the cheek of him. Anyway, I missed the interview, is it online anywhere?

Cosgrave won't talk about contemporary politics either, sounds like a right crank.

He is the earliest surviving TD, having first been elected to the 11th Dail in 1943, as well as the earliest surviving cabinet minister, having served in John A. Costello's second governement as Minister for External Affairs from 1954 until 1957. So any interview is quite interesting, is it online?

Sanguine Fan

hotmail.com wrote: »

He wasn't keen on interviews while he was in office either by all acounts, the cheek of him. Anyway, I missed the interview, is it online anywhere?

I can't find any reference to a download on RTE Radio 1's website. Usually you can listen back to programmes, but this was a one-off so maybe it does not feature.

I would suggest trying again in a day or two. The programme was called 'Colm Murray at Easter', which says it all really. 'Liam Cosgrave bares his soul' obviously was not considered!

Believe me, it is not worth the time. Bland does not even begin to describe it.

coylemj

Sanguine Fan wrote: »

Otherwise it was soft soap all the way.

FFS, the guy is 91, what were you expecting?

IIRC it was Jack Lynch who said that they was nothing as 'ex' as an ex-Taoiseach. By now there is a tradition that ex-Taoisigh do not give controversial interviews or pass comments on current affairs.

coylemj

Sanguine Fan wrote: »

I can't find any reference to a download on RTE Radio 1's website. Usually you can listen back to programmes, but this was a one-off so maybe it does not feature.

I'd agree, given the weekend that's in it I'd say there's not much chance that it will be up on the RTE website as a download until next week at the earliest.

It was pretty bland all right, you would need to be a political anorak or modern historian to be interested in the content, there wasn't really much that wasn't already known.

hotmail.com

coylemj wrote: »

FFS, the guy is 91, what were you expecting?

IIRC it was Jack Lynch who said that they was nothing as 'ex' as an ex-Taoiseach. By now there is a tradition that ex-Taoisigh do not give controversial interviews or pass comments on current affairs.

Garret Fitzgerald?

mulner92

Only heard of him because i've an interest in history, most people my age never heard of him, guess he was always just reserved.

coylemj

hotmail.com wrote: »

Garret Fitzgerald?

Based on the ubiquity of the aforesaid Garret, I doubt it.

What Lynch meant was that ex-Taoisigh were expected to act like old soldiers and simply fade away, Garret certainly isn't following that pattern though he's now being seriously threatened by Mary O'Rourke for the title of the 'retired' politician most often on the airwaves!