After a summer when RTÉ Radio 1 retreated from current affairs in favour of light entertainment, Ryan Tubridy finds himself at the centre of accusations that the station is 'dumbing down'. John Byrne interviews Ryan Tubridy. Analysis
by Harry Browne
Ratings fall as RTÉ struggles to cope with the post-Gaybo era.
I spent the past week travelling the country speaking to tourists and people involved in the hospitality trade in an effort to find out what was going on in this pretty important sector. What I found surprised me on a couple of fronts.
I have taken to the streets for various causes over the years: a woman's right to choose, immigrants' concerns, lesbian, gay and bisexual rights, and AIDS issues. As the US turned steadily more reactionary I grew accustomed to backing lost causes, none more distressing than my opposition to G W Bush's invasion of Iraq. Friends and I picketed in San Diego, Washington, DC and Manhattan, opposite Hillary Clinton's offices and later on First Avenue where hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers joined millions worldwide on 15 February 2003, to oppose the war.
This weekend NEAR fm 101.6 the licensed community radio station for the north east of Dublin celebrates 10 years on air.
Even by the standards of a culture that doesn't know or care about the difference between celebrity and notoriety, Nektarios-Sotirios Voutas appears to have pulled a pretty sick stunt to insert himself into the story of the jet crash in Greece.
President Bush has done so much for women. Not at home, of course. Women in jeans in America may have their rights eroded by an administration where faith trumps science, but women in burkas? The president can't talk enough about how important their rights are.
She has been called the Rosa Parks of the anti-war movement. Cindy Sheehan has been camped outside President George Bush's Texas ranch since 7 August.
For anyone interested in the peace process, the next few months are going to be interesting ones. In my opinion, while public attention may wane at times, the vast majority of people want the process to succeed. This is not to say that everyone sits on the edge of their seats waiting for the next twist in the developing situation. On the contrary, the process has not been like that for some time. Although certain events, such as the arrival home of the Colombia Three, have the capacity to cause some excitement, the process has become something of a slow dance.
Over the next few days thousands of lucky Leaving Cert students will receive CAO offers of places in third level. If their experiences over coming years are anything like mine, they will have times of unprecedented freedom, meet great friends and have doors opened to them that will change their lives. While they might not be the best years of their lives, they will be the best years they have had so far.