{"id":163797,"date":"2025-11-28T06:46:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T06:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/163797\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T06:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T06:46:07","slug":"ciara-dohertys-striking-interview-with-andrew-mcginley-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/163797\/","title":{"rendered":"Ciara Doherty\u2019s striking interview with Andrew McGinley \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been the setting for many a robust confrontation, but is The Hard Shoulder (Newstalk, weekdays) now seen as a soft touch? Whereas guests previously had to be prepared for a sceptical reception from the likes of Kieran Cuddihy<\/a> or Ivan Yates, there\u2019s no such wariness in evidence as the former Labour Party adviser Fergus Finlay<\/a> is interviewed by the guest presenter Ciara Doherty.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s lovely to be here, not talking about anything controversial or difficult or unpleasant,\u201d Finlay chirps, his markedly carefree mood prompting a friendly rejoinder from Doherty: \u201cWell, we\u2019ll probably get there, knowing you and I.\u201d<\/p>\n

As it happens, the conversation unfolds without any contention, though the prevailing affability is down to the benign subject matter \u2013 Finlay is on to talk about his favourite books \u2013 rather than any kid gloves on Doherty\u2019s part. <\/p>\n

Not that it lacks surprise. Nominating At Swim-Two-Birds, Flann O\u2019Brien\u2019s surreal comic classic, for the show\u2019s regular Bookshelf slot, Finlay says he was initially drawn to the novel\u2019s dissolute undergraduate protagonist when a \u201cmorose, withdrawn, introverted student\u201d himself. \u201cI was not in a good place,\u201d he says, describing the book as \u201ca biography of me\u201d, to Doherty\u2019s mild alarm.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a gently engrossing segment, but it does little to dispel the notion that Newstalk<\/a>\u2019s early-evening show has been adrift since Cuddihy\u2019s surprise exit to host Liveline, on RT\u00c9 Radio 1.<\/p>\n

Again, this has little to do Doherty\u2019s abilities. Best known as a former host of The Tonight Show on Virgin Media Television, she sounds comfortable holding the fort. But in the absence of a permanent replacement for Cuddihy \u2013 Doherty has been alternating with Se\u00e1n Defoe \u2013 there\u2019s a sense of The Hard Shoulder being stuck in suspended animation: the stand-ins aren\u2019t fully able to stamp their identity on proceedings, not unlike with Liveline in the months after Joe Duffy\u2019s retirement.<\/p>\n

That said, aside from a garbled hot-mic moment when her voice unexpectedly blares over the ad break before Wednesday\u2019s show, Doherty performs in steady yet relaxed style, whether she\u2019s hearing the Irish Prison Service whistleblower Noel McGree describe the negative official blowback he experienced following his disclosures, or discussing the virtues of Melbourne with the programme\u2019s regular travel contributor Fionn Davenport. <\/p>\n

Doherty\u2019s most striking interview is with Andrew McGinley<\/a>, whose three children were killed by their mother, Deirdre Morley<\/a>, in January 2020. Morley, who was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, is bringing a legal challenge<\/a> to the scope of the coroner\u2019s inquiry into the killings, a move supported by McGinley, who wants any inquest to examine wider medical evidence and identify contributory factors: \u201cI would love to see something positive come out of Conor, Darragh and Carla\u2019s inquest,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Deirdre Morley, mother who killed her three children, challenges coroner over scope of inquestOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

With the host posing questions suitably sensitively, McGinley speaks of the case in a remarkably calm if clearly pained manner. But when Doherty asks how her guest is doing, his grief is clear. \u201cOne of the hardest things you\u2019ll ever do is stand over your kids\u2019 grave,\u201d he says, choking back his emotions. \u201cIt\u2019s a tough time of year.\u201d <\/p>\n

His tone again changes when discussing the systemic failings he encountered both before and after the tragedy. \u201cI\u2019ve an awful lot of anger,\u201d he says. \u201cChrist, I\u2019m angry.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s distressing to hear such anguish, but, to Doherty\u2019s credit, she doesn\u2019t duck the difficult subjects.<\/p>\n

At the other end of the schedule, Newstalk Breakfast (weekdays) embraces controversy with alacrity, its presenters, Shane Coleman<\/a> and Ciara Kelly<\/a>, using the soapbox of their daily editorial slot to attention-grabbing, if not rabble-rousing, effect. <\/p>\n

On Wednesday the pair are exercised by news that Dublin\u2019s long-stalled MetroLink<\/a> is to be further delayed by judicial review following objections from residents in Ranelagh: \u201cThere was a collective groan,\u201d Coleman says, not unreasonably. His colleague chimes in, suggesting Ireland has lost the concept of the common good, with individuals holding up infrastructure projects as costs rise.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018I think they\u2019re very brave\u2019: Ranelagh residents react to legal challenge on MetroLinkOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Many listeners, not to mention Cabinet Ministers, would share such frustrations. But Kelly then ramps up the rhetoric. \u201cThe legal system does not serve the people,\u201d she says bluntly. While not quite at the level of the infamous Daily Mail headline that called English judges \u201cenemies of the people\u201d, it\u2019s the kind of slogan that sounds snappily provocative \u2013 Kelly repeats it an hour later \u2013 but one that unedifyingly plays to the populist gallery. <\/p>\n

Coleman laments the lack of legal reform but shies away from endorsing his colleague\u2019s sweeping verdict.<\/p>\n

Kelly\u2019s polemical flourish also overshadows her more considered coverage of the issue. She hears the planning consultant Tom Phillips bemoan the MetroLink judicial review but also make the case more eloquently. He says the Irish system is \u201cincredibly open\u201d to such legal challenges, while lauding the thoroughness of the planning inspector\u2019s 1,600-page report on the project. \u201cIf that\u2019s not dotting the i\u2019s and crossing the t\u2019s, I don\u2019t know what is,\u201d Kelly says admiringly. It\u2019s important to think things through, for sure.<\/p>\n

The need for strategic thinking crops up when Se\u00e1n Moncrieff (Newstalk, weekdays) hears the author Ben Collins<\/a> make the case for a united Ireland. Collins may seem an unlikely advocate for unity, coming as he does from a Presbyterian, unionist background. But he clearly explains the Belfast Agreement and how his experience of studying across the water changed his perspective \u2013 \u201cLiving in Britain made me feel more Irish\u201d \u2013 and lays out the benefits of ending partition in economic terms: \u201cWe can achieve more on an all-island basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Plan for a united Ireland to avoid Brexit-style mess, says author from unionist backgroundOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

As Moncrieff ventures, persuading unionists that their cultural identity would be preserved in a united Ireland is a harder sell. Collins argues that unionists would have more political power in the D\u00e1il than they have at Westminster. <\/p>\n

For the Border to disappear, however, he thinks one step in particular is essential to convince unionists. \u201cThe Irish Government needs to step up to the plate and start preparing for a Border poll,\u201d he says. Given the State\u2019s recent record with planning, that may be a tall order. With just one phrase, the prospect of a united Ireland seems farther away than ever.<\/p>\n

Moment of the week<\/p>\n

As the new presenters of Drivetime (RT\u00c9 Radio 1, weekdays), Katie Hannon and Colm \u00d3 Mong\u00e1in, have struck up a lively partnership, but they\u2019re still learning things about each other.<\/p>\n

On Monday, for instance, they discuss one of most arduous of parental duties, with \u00d3 Mong\u00e1in asking, \u201cAre you right now rushing home from work to make a parent-teacher meeting, with that knot in your stomach?\u201d <\/p>\n

The scene set, he claims that he looks forward to such meetings about his own children more than his parents did when he was a schoolboy: \u201cThere were words like \u2018needs to concentrate\u2019,\u201d he says, chuckling. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo they found that, too, did they?\u201d Hannon shoots back.<\/p>\n

\u00d3 Mong\u00e1in isn\u2019t done, however. \u201cThose teachers who did have to deliver those reports to my parents are now mercifully blessed with a volume and on\/off switch for my voice,\u201d he says airily. Hannon is understandably lost for words.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It has been the setting for many a robust confrontation, but is The Hard Shoulder (Newstalk, weekdays) now…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163798,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[91312,91314,20166,89813,93,91311,61,60,24558,29093,24562,41143,91313],"class_list":{"0":"post-163797","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-andrew-mcginley","9":"tag-ciara-kelly","10":"tag-colm-o-mongain","11":"tag-deirdre-morley","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-fergus-finlay","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-katie-hannon","17":"tag-metrolink","18":"tag-newstalk-radio","19":"tag-sean-moncrieff","20":"tag-shane-coleman"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}