Thoughtful dialogue

There is an easy intelligence about Andy O'Mahony's Dialogue (Saturdays 6.30pm, Radio One). The guests are provocative, Andy is clever, without having to show off his cleverness (unlike you-know-who). Respectful interchange between two thoughtful people is the hallmark of the programme, so different from most talk-radio, where there is usually a disrespectful interchange between thoughtless people.

Last Saturday (29 July), Andy's guest was John Devitt, of whom I had never previously heard. They spoke interestingly about education, avoiding the didacticism that often marks discussion of "worthy" subjects.

His previous guests have included Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, the Irish-language poet, talking about the Irish language and why she had chosen that medium to express herself; Richard Sennett, an American sociologist, author of The Culture of the New Capitalism, surveys major differences between earlier forms of industrial capitalism and the more global, ever more mutable capitalism of today; and 88-year-old Edna Healey, wife for 60 years of the former deputy leader of the Labour Party in Britain, Denis Healy.

Andy clearly prepares for these programmes for he is informed and oh so languidly intelligent. Why is he not on a prime slot in the schedule. He used to be on the Sunday Show one time wasn't he? My mother remembers him shouting at guests then. Surely not? But if even so, he no longer shouts – we need more intelligent discussion like his on the main menu.

Andy's guest next Saturday (5 August) is Jacqueline Rose, author of The Question of Zion. Bet it will be the best-informed discussion on the Middle East conflict all week on radio.

I have been critical of Tom McGurk in this column over the last few weeks. Not just in solidarity with my aunt in Skibbereen who may have been jilted by McGurk (although she has been jilted by so many in her life that it isn't clear why she should take it out on McGurk). Critical of his booming laugh at himself (alas not with the proper perspective). Critical of his rightwing politics. But, in fairness, isn't he the best of the mid-morning presenters there are around. Better than Orla Barry on Newstalk, better than the two he replaces, Ryan Tubridy and Pat Kenny. Not as good as Gerry Ryan, but who is?

He did an excellent interview with the Israeli ambassador to Ireland on Monday (31 July). The poor man dug himself into an awful hole in his defence of the slaughter at Qana. He said the villagers had been warned to leave their homes and flee and implied it was their fault for getting themselves killed when Israel decided to target a civilian area.

There was a wonderful interview the following morning with the father of Merrian Carver, a 40-year-old woman who disappeared from a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska in 2004. He told the story of how a steward reported her missing for five days to his supervisor and was told, "Just do your job and forget it." At the end of the cruise, cruiseline officials boxed up her belongings and disposed of most of them. The Royal Caribbean cruise line made no attempt to contact the FBI or her family when she turned up missing and had not used her room. p

? More Details of crime, abduction, sexual assault and murder on cruiselines can be found on www.internationalcruisevictims.org.