PatrickOD ... I went looking for this last night but it does not appear to have made the RTEplayer yet.
I did however watch the first of these programmes which provided a very useful overview but I was made cross by the emphasis place on Michael Higgins's age. Indeed, I was moved to send off the following letter to the Irish Times this afternoon:
Dear Sir,
I am disconcerted to see Michael D Higgins’s age being raised as a matter for concern in the presidential race. Interviewed by RTE’s Miriam O’Callaghan on Primetime she seemed to feel that this was a question on which he needed to be pressed, as if his longevity necessarily insinuated a frailty that might impact on his effectiveness in the role. Such questioning strikes me not only as wholly discriminatory, but gives no pause for the considerable virtues of maturity.
Had the chance arisen on her recent state visit, would Ms O’Callaghan have thought to suggest to Queen Elizabeth that at 85 she was a bit over-the-hill; and in her own later years would she not hope to be still putting the questions in the front line of political interrogation.
We’re all living longer and it is only right to adjust the perceptions we hold of our older citizens. Certainly, it never occurred to my late father, TP McKenna, that he should stop acting just because he had reached some arbitrary cut-off point. As long as he could still give a performance and retain the lines he was available up until his final screen appearance, aged 79.
With age comes wisdom, not to mention a gravitas that would be entirely appropriate to the office of President and Mr.Higgins would be well advised to rise above such redundant concerns.
Yours etc.
Stephen McKenna
Blackheath, London
I did however watch the first of these programmes which provided a very useful overview but I was made cross by the emphasis place on Michael Higgins's age. Indeed, I was moved to send off the following letter to the Irish Times this afternoon:
Dear Sir,
I am disconcerted to see Michael D Higgins’s age being raised as a matter for concern in the presidential race. Interviewed by RTE’s Miriam O’Callaghan on Primetime she seemed to feel that this was a question on which he needed to be pressed, as if his longevity necessarily insinuated a frailty that might impact on his effectiveness in the role. Such questioning strikes me not only as wholly discriminatory, but gives no pause for the considerable virtues of maturity.
Had the chance arisen on her recent state visit, would Ms O’Callaghan have thought to suggest to Queen Elizabeth that at 85 she was a bit over-the-hill; and in her own later years would she not hope to be still putting the questions in the front line of political interrogation.
We’re all living longer and it is only right to adjust the perceptions we hold of our older citizens. Certainly, it never occurred to my late father, TP McKenna, that he should stop acting just because he had reached some arbitrary cut-off point. As long as he could still give a performance and retain the lines he was available up until his final screen appearance, aged 79.
With age comes wisdom, not to mention a gravitas that would be entirely appropriate to the office of President and Mr.Higgins would be well advised to rise above such redundant concerns.
Yours etc.
Stephen McKenna
Blackheath, London
He was bland, very keen to land blows on Martin McGuinness' chin and fluffed it really. He nearly managed to lose his temper with Dana, which must be some sort of record. 
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