Tyrone statement on RTE boycott

eigrod

I'm not sure about this at all and I'm finding myself getting really peed off with Tyrone on all of this.

In my view, RTE, like the whole nation, had an outpouring of grief towards the Harte family throughout the tragedy.

Mickey Harte stuck his nose in where it ill belonged and now they've taken the hump. I'm not buying the lack of respect thing at all. Looks to me like they've had to trawl through the events surrounding the Brian Carthy letter to find something to justify their immature carry-on since then.

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=152914

Tyrone explain RTE boycott
05 August 2011

A statement released by the Tyrone County Board says a lack of sensitivity shown towards the Harte family and Michaela's husband John McAreavey during a morning radio interview has led to them withdrawing co-operation with the national broadcaster.

The statement which was released this afternoon is on behalf of the Tyrone senior football management and players.

Mickey Harte has refused to deal with RTE since the beginning of this year's championship with the GAA trying to bring the two parties together without success.

Ahead of this weekend's high profile All-Ireland quarter-final involving Tyrone and Dublin, which will be covered by RTE 2, the O'Neill County have explained the reason behind their stance.

It relates to the period when a number of intercounty managers wrote to RTE about their concern over the lack of matches which Brian Carthy was commentating on. Mickey Harte was interviewed on Morning Ireland about the issue, and the manner in which that interview was handled has caused offence within Tyrone.

The statement in full reads:

"A number of weeks ago the Senior Football Manager in conjunction with several other GAA managers wrote a letter marked Private and Confidential to two senior people within the RTÉ organisation. In this letter Mickey Harte expressed his own and a number of other managers' concern at the disproportionate absence of Brian Carthy from his role as a radio commentator. The contents of the letter made their way into the public domain and the managers' concerned can categorically state that they were not the source of that leak.

"Due to the portrayal of the said letter, at least one other broadcaster within the organisation acted in a most insensitive manner in the choice of their programme dialogue in a morning radio show soon after. Inappropriate references to the fact that the Tyrone manager Mickey Harte was associated with the Dali Lama conference in Limerick and the choice of the song "Pretty Little Girl from Omagh" will give you an indication of the complete lack of sensitivity the presenter in question afforded the Harte family and Michaela's husband John McAreavey, in what remains for them a very difficult time.

"We hope that this statement clarifies for the general public why Mickey Harte, his management team and the players have chosen not to co-operate with RTÉ at this time. "

eyescreamcone

Mickey Harte is as entitled to his view as anyone.
Of course anyone is entitled to the view that he should stick to what he does best!

Stinicker

Who cares about what he thinks, the man is a bigot and one of the first things I learned when I joined the organisation is that GAA is bigger than any one man. His family has had it tough but RTÉ were very sympathetic in their broadcasting of the story and gave it much more airtime than it deserved. There was an Irish guy killed in the Caribbean this week and it got a brief mention on the news, no more no less.

Temp Barry

Stinicker wrote: »

Who cares about what he thinks, the man is a bigot and one of the first things I learned when I joined the organisation is that GAA is bigger than any one man. His family has had it tough but RTÉ were very sympathetic in their broadcasting of the story and gave it much more airtime than it deserved. There was an Irish guy killed in the Caribbean this week and it got a brief mention on the news, no more no less.

Why do you think Mickey Harte is a bigot?

I think he's wrong in this instance, but from all I know of him I'd regard him as a very decent man.

rossie1977

imagine if tyrone won the all-ireland and rte wouldn't be able to broadcast the celebration in the teams hotel after

Stinicker

Temp Barry wrote: »

Why do you think Mickey Harte is a bigot?

I think he's wrong in this instance, but from all I know of him I'd regard him as a very decent man.

Since he came out opposing the use of condoms, putting his religious views ahead of peoples sexual protection. Thats why. GAA people tend to steer from such controversial topics and the GAA is no place for religion or politics.

adrian522

I don't see what the big deal is, manager interviews are usually ****e anyway so we may be better off without them.

Managers should only come out for interview when they have something to say !!

bruschi

Stinicker wrote: »

Since he came out opposing the use of condoms, putting his religious views ahead of peoples sexual protection. Thats why. GAA people tend to steer from such controversial topics and the GAA is no place for religion or politics.

do you know the meaning of the word bigot? Hes extremley religious, so you dont like him for that? ridiculous carry on, it just makes you seem like the bigot.

"a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion".

as regards to his stance on the "sketch" RTE radio had, I think he is dead right. It was as ridiculous and unfunny sketch, and playing the 'Pretty little girl from Omagh' song in the background lacked a lot of class.

I had thought the whole Brian Carthy thing was a bit OTT, and that Harte was being ridiculous, but this is a different situation.

Also, having met him, he was an extremely nice person, and he is also a top quality manager.

adrian522

I don't see what the big deal is, manager interviews are usually ****e anyway so we may be better off without them.

Managers should only come out for interview when they have something to say !!

Syferus

I'm happy because for once we get to hear what losing managers and players think on The Sunday Game! The amount of times they just skip over the losers' interviews has become ridiculous.

keane2097

Tbh, it's pretty obvious this is just reverse-engineering a justification for the fairly embarrassing Brian Carthy based media boycott.

StephenHendry

unbelievable that mickey harte is still sticking to his guns over carthy, can't see why as carthy is pretty bland as a commentator,

daddydick

Murray's 'comedy sketch' was completely unprofessional and was having a right dig at Harte over his position on Brian Carthy.

Whether Harte was right or not on the Carthy incident (and I think he was wrong), for the letter marked private and confidential to leak out was a disgrace and for someone inside the organisation to make a comedy sketch about it isn't nice either.

I won't even begin on the 'Pretty Little Girl from Omagh' parody - completely horrible taste and completely insensitive.

RTE need to apologise for this and hopefully everything will move on.

k mac

daddydick wrote: »

Murray's 'comedy sketch' was completely unprofessional and was having a right dig at Harte over his position on Brian Carthy.

Whether Harte was right or not on the Carthy incident (and I think he was wrong), for the letter marked private and confidential to leak out was a disgrace and for someone inside the organisation to make a comedy sketch about it isn't nice either.

I won't even begin on the 'Pretty Little Girl from Omagh' parody - completely horrible taste and completely insensitive.

RTE need to apologise for this and hopefully everything will move on.

+1 could not agree with above poster more and i also thought harte was wrong over the carty incident, but the john murray sketch ( and i use that term loosely cause a sketch is supposed to be funny ) was a absolute disgrace.

Temp Barry

Stinicker wrote: »

Since he came out opposing the use of condoms, putting his religious views ahead of peoples sexual protection. Thats why. GAA people tend to steer from such controversial topics and the GAA is no place for religion or politics.

Didnt hear about him going public on that!

No reason why a GAA person can't have a personal view on religion and politics. Plenty of GAA people have run for public office, and there's many a team down the years that have had priests as mentors. Doesnt mean they are intertwined in any way of course.

If you think those views are bigots, then you must believe everyone who follows the rules of the Catholic Church to be a bigot!

As an aside, according to the rules of the Catholic Church, the way unmarried people protect themselves, is by not doing the deed!

vicwatson

I'd be one of the first to knock RTE for good reason, but there is no reason at all here for this craziness. I thought RTE were fair, and if anything, offered too much coverage of the death of his daughter purely as he was a sweetheart of RTE's, so I don't know where Mickey Harte is coming from when he said RTE had been insensitive.

What has Mickey Harte and other GAA managers got to say about who presents radio commentary - surely it's none of their business in the first place? They should have kept their noses out of business - RTE is the Irish Republic's national broadcaster - not Tyrone's

corny

daddydick wrote: »

Whether Harte was right or not on the Carthy incident (and I think he was wrong), for the letter marked private and confidential to leak out was a disgrace and for someone inside the organisation to make a comedy sketch about it isn't nice either.

I won't even begin on the 'Pretty Little Girl from Omagh' parody - completely horrible taste and completely insensitive.

Thats it in a nutshell. Hope some bridges can be built on this but Micky Harte doesn't strike me as a man to be backing down any time soon. RTE need to apologise.

Temp Barry

corny wrote: »

Thats it in a nutshell. Hope some bridges can be built on this but Micky Harte doesn't strike me as a man to be backing down any time soon. RTE need to apologise.

RTE said they apologised to him personally, shortly after the offending radio program was aired.

"RTÉ Radio 1's John Murray Show presents, each morning, a satirical and humorous synopsis of the day's big news stories. On June 9 the programme covered a widely reported controversy involving Mickey Harte.

"RTÉ understands and appreciates that the item offended Mr Harte. It is never RTÉ's intention to knowingly offend any individual, and RTÉ sincerely regrets any offence caused. This sincere regret was immediately and personally communicated to Mr Harte by RTÉ management.

"RTÉ wishes to clarify that it did not leak the contents of the letter referred to in today's statement by the Tyrone GAA Senior Football Management and Players. RTÉ treated the correspondence as private and confidential, and was mindful of the need for discretion in all public statements it was called upon to make.

"It is RTÉ's hope that, in the public interest of all those who follow gaelic games, the matter can be resolved."

28064212

Temp Barry wrote: »

No reason why a GAA person can't have a personal view on religion and politics. Plenty of GAA people have run for public office, and there's many a team down the years that have had priests as mentors. Doesnt mean they are intertwined in any way of course.

If you think those views are bigots, then you must believe everyone who follows the rules of the Catholic Church to be a bigot!

The problem is not his personal views. The problem is he backed a book which called for the banning of all condoms. That's pretty reprehensible

However, I haven't seen any direct quotes from Harte about it. The author (who is a... well, words that won't earn me an infraction are hard to come by) seems delighted to claim him as a total supporter, but I haven't seen anything directly from Harte one way or the other

bruschi

vicwatson wrote: »

I'd be one of the first to knock RTE for good reason, but there is no reason at all here for this craziness. I thought RTE were fair, and if anything, offered too much coverage of the death of his daughter purely as he was a sweetheart of RTE's, so I don't know where Mickey Harte is coming from when he said RTE had been insensitive.

What has Mickey Harte and other GAA managers got to say about who presents radio commentary - surely it's none of their business in the first place? They should have kept their noses out of business - RTE is the Irish Republic's national broadcaster - not Tyrone's

thats not the issue here, its about a sketch done on radio about him

keane2097

So they say now, although it coming long after RTE already apologised for the sketch makes that ring just a touch hollow, no?

Like I said, it's pretty obvious this is an attempt to distance themselves from the Carthy rubbish that was getting nothing but derision from pretty much all corners.

It's a pretty sordid use of the tragedy in the Harte family tbh, quite unsavoury.

whiteknucles

Bloody hell guys open your eyes to what's really happening here - Harte is building a seige mentality for his team to beat the shyte out of the Jackeens on Saturday - it is all psychology.

bruschi

keane2097 wrote: »

So they say now, although it coming long after RTE already apologised for the sketch makes that ring just a touch hollow, no?

Like I said, it's pretty obvious this is an attempt to distance themselves from the Carthy rubbish that was getting nothing but derision from pretty much all corners.

It's a pretty sordid use of the tragedy in the Harte family tbh, quite unsavoury.

yeah maybe, but no one ever gave any reason as to why they were refusing interviews, so I dont know. and to be honest, I think it is grossly unfair to be saying Harte is using his daughters death to wrangle his way out of a situation.

I thought the Carthy thing was a load of crap, but having heard the Murray 'sketch', it was a horrible thing to listen too, in all aspects of it. Just because RTE apologised doesnt mean its forgive and forget.

whiteknucles

Murray is even worse than G Ryan Line open for "humour" anyone remember G Ryan's sketches ? Farting is funnier.

keane2097

The timing is super-dooper suspect, and I personally don't buy it as being anything more than a tactic in the AI run in, but that's just me

bruschi

keane2097 wrote: »

The timing is super-dooper suspect, and I personally don't buy it as being anything more than a tactic in the AI run in, but that's just me

is this not their first 'live' game since June though?

media will be present and I agree, it gives them an excuse not to talk to them, and therefore leave all the hyping for the Dubs.

copacetic

daddydick wrote: »

Murray's 'comedy sketch' was completely unprofessional and was having a right dig at Harte over his position on Brian Carthy.

Whether Harte was right or not on the Carthy incident (and I think he was wrong), for the letter marked private and confidential to leak out was a disgrace and for someone inside the organisation to make a comedy sketch about it isn't nice either.

I won't even begin on the 'Pretty Little Girl from Omagh' parody - completely horrible taste and completely insensitive.

RTE need to apologise for this and hopefully everything will move on.

My memory is that the weekend that the boycott started Harte himself claimed it wasn't over Carthy it was over not getting a response to the letter they had sent to RTE.

He also explained basically what was in the letter, Eg
http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/managers-to-boycott-rte-over-treatment-of-carthy-508039.html


http://www.examiner.ie/sport/top-managers-in-carthy-stand-off-with-rte-157018.html

Harte was one of several high-profile team bosses who turned down RTÉ for post-match radio and tv interviews after Tyrone’s Ulster SFC win over Monaghan on Sunday, explaining yesterday the action was in response to RTÉ "ignoring" a letter sent a fortnight ago seeking a meeting to discuss Carthy’s position.

RTÉ’s flagship Sunday Game programme did not carry any interviews either with Laois manager Justin McNulty or Kildare manager Kieran McGeeney after their respective Leinster championship games in Croke Park on Sunday against Dublin and Kildare. It has since emerged the former Armagh teammates are among a group of eight signatories to the letter posted to RTÉ.

"We sent some correspondence to the effect that we are very much dismayed and alarmed at the absence of Brian Carthy from major commentary roles at the moment," Mickey Harte told the Irish Examiner.

Nobody knew about any letter until Harte told the national media, claiming now that it was private is a joke.

Harte explained they had sent their letter to RTÉ on May 23, saying: "We stated those very things I have spoken to you about and asked them — respectfully I might add — if they would give us a chance to have a chat with them to elaborate on how we felt.

"Not only did we not get a response, we didn’t even get recognition that our letter arrived. The letter was sent by recorded delivery, guaranteed next day and had to be signed for to be received. So, I don’t think it has been lost in the post."

Rebel1977

I agree with Mickey Harte, the man has been through a hell of a lot this year and that clown in rte had some cheek it's so insensitive.

Warper

Who cares -if he doesnt want to talk to RTE, thats his choice. He can do his talking on the field where it should be done.

Mountainlad

Any links to the sketch?

It may be a case that Mickey Harte doesn't want do interviews in light of what happened with his daughter, which would be understandable though if that were true I can't see why he wouldn't just say it, so there is a possibility that this is purely to stop talk about his team and keep it centered on himself.

You'd have to say it is hard to believe what the Tyrone GAA statement said is true because the contradictions are there.

Mountainlad

whiteknucles wrote: »

Bloody hell guys open your eyes to what's really happening here - Harte is building a seige mentality for his team to beat the shyte out of the Jackeens on Saturday - it is all psychology.

Have to say though I don't see how it's siege mentality. How could he build Dublin up to be involved in this in anyway? Is it because RTE HQ is in Dublin? Don't buy it I'm afraid.

Brain Stroking

Expect Dublin to get every decision tomorrow lads

DeepBlue

Brain Stroking wrote: »

Expect Dublin to get every decision tomorrow lads

I don't think RTÉ are reffing the match. :pac:

quintain

I heard the sketch and thought it was deeply insensitive, I could see how Mickey was offended and hurt.

I also think Mickey is as hard as they come and he's not for turning.

I also think that Mickey's support of Carthy was ill-advised and looked naive and in fact stupid for meddling in things that were none of his business and that he could not and should not be able to influence.

But mostly I think John Murray is an ass, how RTE give him the national airwaves for an hour every morning is copletely beyond me. But his competition is Ray Darcy, Ryan Tubridy and Ivan Yates so I often hear some of his show on my way to work.

maestroamado

I have been an admirer of Mickey Harte and believe he has probably been one of the the best managers of recent times.
I think for himself he is foolish to be going on with this childish stuff as he was totally wrong to get involved in the Carthy and rte thing as rte management do not get involved in the selection oy the Tyrone team.
While i am no great admirer of rte i agree with them on the Carthy appointment as when "Michael" was there it was a question of the "tail waging the dog" as his his commentry was excellent but you would think he was working for the gaa and not rte. I believe that rte did not want this suituation and at the end of the day it was their call.

manster

Link to sketch?

val_jester

manster wrote: »

Link to sketch?

It has been removed by rte from their website and from youtube.

Whatever your thoughts are on the whole carthy issue or harte himself, I think its fair to say that rte made a very bad error of judgement with this sketch and especially the choice of song. No matter what they say about apologising straight away, they should never have done it. How they couldn't see that it would upset the harte family is beyond me.

buckwheat

So what's the conclusion? Is it over Carthy or the sketch? Also does anyone have a link to the offending piece or has it been deleted?

ballsymchugh

keane2097 wrote: »

So they say now, although it coming long after RTE already apologised for the sketch makes that ring just a touch hollow, no?

Like I said, it's pretty obvious this is an attempt to distance themselves from the Carthy rubbish that was getting nothing but derision from pretty much all corners.

It's a pretty sordid use of the tragedy in the Harte family tbh, quite unsavoury.

agreed. what more can rte do if they apologise and it's not accepted. they called him personally after they received the letter from him. what do they do now?

phil

Saying RTE made an error of judgement about the sketch is like blaming Mickey Harte for an off the ball incident made by a Tyrone player. Irrational in the extreme

copacetic

ballsymchugh wrote: »

agreed. what more can rte do if they apologise and it's not accepted. they called him personally after they received the letter from him. what do they do now?

As keane2097 says if anything the timing of this press release seems to be calculated by Tyrone. They themselves seem to be the ones trying to make sordid use of the tragedy for pitiful reasons.

Based of the report in today's times Murray himself spent a long time talking to Harte two months ago and Harte had accepted it wasnt deliberate.

Not a word about it from Tyrone since then the day before their biggest game of the year they release this silly statement. Sad.

On the way out the door to the game now, will be interested to hear what Tyrone people actually think of it all.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0806/1224301949710.html

An RTÉ source said the statement came “out of the blue” as head of radio Clare Duignan and Murray had apologised for the incident as soon as it was made known to them that Harte had taken offence and they believed it was the end of the matter.

Murray said he apologised during a lengthy conversation with the Tyrone manager three days after the sketch was broadcast and that Harte had accepted the use of the song was inadvertent and not intended to cause offence. Tyrone GAA spokesman Damian Harvey said their decision to release the statement in advance of the match and not any time in the last two months was to clarify that the boycott was not just about Brian Carthy. “It’s much broader than this.”

Poly

manster wrote: »

Link to sketch?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIv4xTS_H9E&feature=player_embedded

Mountainlad

Poly wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIv4xTS_H9E&feature=player_embedded

I suppose it's probably not a good idea to do a sketch poking fun at someone who has suffered a big loss this year on national airwaves but in fairness aside from the song choice I didn't actually think it was that unreasonable or in bad taste.

And it is Harte's right not to speak to RTÉ if he so wishes, but like I don't think people can complain about the view questioning the sincerity of the claims made in the statement all things considered.

Poly

Mountainlad wrote: »

I suppose it's probably not a good idea to do a sketch poking fun at someone who has suffered a big loss this year on national airwaves but in fairness aside from the song choice I didn't actually think it was that unreasonable or in bad taste.

And it is Harte's right not to speak to RTÉ if he so wishes, but like I don't think people can complain about the view questioning the sincerity of the claims made in the statement all things considered.

The letter he sent to the management of RTE was marked private and confidential, this fact, as well as the song means they were purposely targeting Mickey because he dared to question RTE.

DeepBlue

Poly wrote: »

The letter he sent to the management of RTE was marked private and confidential

So what? If he can't stand by his demands on RTÉ in public then he has no business making them in private.

Mountainlad

Poly wrote: »

The letter he sent to the management of RTE was marked private and confidential, this fact, as well as the song means they were purposely targeting Mickey because he dared to question RTE.

I know the benefits RTE would have seen in making it public, but I'm sure Harte knew it himself when he sent it.

LeoB

quintain wrote: »

I heard the sketch and thought it was deeply insensitive, I could see how Mickey was offended and hurt.

I also think Mickey is as hard as they come and he's not for turning. .

I hope Mickey Harte does not turn. i agree he is one tough man but maybe at the end of this championship he will have something to say.

quintain wrote: »

I also think that Mickey's support of Carthy was ill-advised and looked naive and in fact stupid for meddling in things that were none of his business and that he could not and should not be able to influence..

Mickey Harte has struck me as a very decent man, very honourable. Brian Carthy is very close to the Harte family and has been for a number of years, he was at Micheala wedding. This is the type of man Mickey Harte is and fair play to him. Brian Carthy for his part is a very nice man, popular among the managers and players for his friendly approach to his job and the respectful way he deals with people. I have seen this at first hand.

quintain wrote: »

But mostly I think John Murray is an ass, how RTE give him the national airwaves for an hour every morning is copletely beyond me. But his competition is Ray Darcy, Ryan Tubridy and Ivan Yates so I often hear some of his show on my way to work.

Spot on there. He tries to be funny but is anything else but funny. He should be stuck doing jingles, or parking cars

Finally On Mickey Harte, ONE THING FOR SURE HE NO BIGOT. Mickey is a deeply religious man and he believes in the church and its teachings. He deserves respect for pinning his colours to the mast at a time when an awful lot of people are choosing to walk away. I think it says a lot about the man that he has the courage to stand up and say it, on any subject.

Stinicker

Did anyone from Tyrone speak to BBC as they were also broadcasting the match? I was watching on RTE though.

ballsymchugh

.

ballsymchugh

saw mickey harte giving them an interview alright, didn't wait to see if any players spoke.

sliabh beagh

heard a mickey harte interview on one of the radio stations goin home from the match. sounded very depressing for the poor man. lets hope that the RED HAND can lift him.