Mary O'Rourke and Newstalk

juuge

What is it with Newstalk and Mary O’Rourke?
Practically on a daily basis Mary is wheeled out to appear on various programs on newstalk. Why?
Does she have relations working there or what? She certainly doesn't need the fee!
You would think that we were short of political commentators in Ireland when in fact there is a wealth of people newstalk could draw from for almost every issue under the sun. But no! let’s drag out Mary again. In any of the contributions from her that I’ve heard she seems to be treated very gently as though she is a kind old granny figure when in fact she is a hardened old political animal from a Fianna Fail dynasty who’s mantra is ‘the party before the country’.
Maybe newstalk are pro Fianna fail or maybe they are not and they use O’Rourke to show herself up for what she is!.

JonathanAnon

yeah, she's always on with Eamonn Keane on any FF related issue. I dont really have a huge amount of respect for her... She can speak with wanton abandon now, only because she's probably going to retire after the next election, so she doesnt care anymore if she pisses people off within the party. She would never have been this brave while in Cabinet.

I feel that she now has an "I can say what I like" attitude now cos she has nothing to lose. Why wasnt she always this honest? I think that this is why they "wheel her out" cos they know that she is likely to come out with anything, even if embarrasses her nephews.

FlutterinBantam

Anyone who puts any credence of what that woman says is an idiot.

Mark my words, she is setting herself up as a pundit of some description in later years.

Anyone listening to her would be led to believe that she had nothing to do with politics in the last 20 years.

But of course she will be elected again should she chose to go forward:mad::mad:

Crazy stuff.

dh0661

She's always in the bath on an any station that's on a low budget.

triv88

I rememeber a kid from den tv,who wanted to be a journalist,attempt to interview her,she kept being difficult and started to become intimitdary when she did not like the questions,and turned them on the kid.Not a nice person

imme

maybe she's the only FFer who answers the phone to Newstalk these days. Also she's not a minister, junior minister, leader of the Seanad, so she should have loads of time on her hands. If you want a conspiracy theory, her nephew Conor Lenihan (junior FF Minister) used to work for Denis O'Brien, who owns Newstalk effectively.

juuge

She's on the Marian Finnucane show this morning telling us all how she used to spend her holidays with JOD in kerry and that she remains a great friend of his. Is she purposely missing the plot - or what?

imme

juuge wrote: »

She's on the Marian Finnucane show this morning telling us all how she used to spend her holidays with JOD in kerry and that she remains a great friend of his. Is she purposely missing the plot - or what?

she's being treated like royalty by Marian, why is she on, she's got nothing to say

Seillejet

To me there is a lot like her out there though. My country aunts are of the same ilk. I remember cringing as a kid when they came to Dublin or we went abroad with them. O Rourke still reminds me of that unhappy time in my childhood.

imme

she's so out of touch, it's unreal

Kaizer Sosa

triv88 wrote: »

I rememeber a kid from den tv,who wanted to be a journalist,attempt to interview her,she kept being difficult and started to become intimitdary when she did not like the questions,and turned them on the kid.Not a nice person

I actually remember seeing this. It was disgusting how she laid into some poor Transition Year student for not researching his interview better. The poor kid was almost in tears. I've never liked her since then. Also, she was on Celebrity Bainisteoir and she acted like such a diva it was unreal. Now, I know it might be wise not to judge our politicians from their appearances on reality tv but tbh, it says a lot about her when she chooses to do this rubbish instead of focussing on her job.

JonathanAnon

Jeez I remember that interview with the student as well. She was really rude and arrogant.

I think it's due to the fact that she was a school teacher and she carries that eminence and authority out of the classroom to her normal life. She always seems to talk down to people or with more aggression than is polite, as one would do to an unruly student.

Agreeing to do the Celeb Banaisteoir and then pulling out, because she was supposedly "too busy", demonstrates her arrogance also. It came across that she had more important things to do, and she should have never agreed to do it if she wasnt going to stick the course.

washiskin

She fairly snapped the snout off the other female contributors on The MF Show yesterday alright.

TarfHead

JonathanAnon wrote: »

yeah, she's always on with Eamonn Keane on any FF related issue .. cos they know that she is likely to come out with anything, even if embarrasses her nephews.

I thinks 'Kebabs' Lenihan is well capable of embarassing himself - doesn't need his Auntie to do it for him - The Wide Angle may still have a podcast of the time he rang the show to complain.

And this lazy assumption that she has some special insight because they share DNA. I think it unlikely that Brian Lenihan confides in her.

juuge

I see Mary and her nephew Brian managed to get a show all to themselves courtesy of Miriam O'Callaghan on RTE - The Lenihans are truly the Royal family of Ireland.

Liam Byrne

juuge wrote: »

She certainly doesn't need the fee!

:eek: What "fee" ?

Please tell me that politicians don't get paid even more when they're brought on-air to explain their actions ?

Might explain why they're screwing up so much, though; more calls for them to come on to explain said actions.