As the issue of refugee accommodation reaches crisis point, Pat Kenny (Newstalk, weekdays) shows his nose for the hot topic with his lead item on Wednesday, as he hears about unexpected developments at a rural Irish hotel sending ripples of uncertainty through the local community. “It’s not easy here today, to be truthful with you,” says one of Kenny’s guests, choking back the emotion. And this is the good news story of the day.
Kenny is speaking to hotelier brothers John and Francis Brennan about The Irish Times report on their surprise decision to sell their luxury hotels in Kenmare, a “bittersweet” move by their own admission: John audibly tears up about the impact of the sale on the 110 members of staff. Still, the host rightly treats the item in a lighthearted manner. Understandably, given that more uncomfortable fare is to follow, namely the blockade by residents of Inch, Co Clare, of a hotel used as a refugee centre.
Events in Clare are covered with conspicuous even-handedness by Kenny. He talks to Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe, who says that “we are where we are because of lack of information sharing”, almost as though protesters had no agency in preventing access to the men in the hotel. In fairness, Crowe stresses that the many refugees who have arrived in Clare in the past year are “100 per cent welcome”, while warning off far-right activists coming from Dublin, where asylum seekers had their tents burnt out during anti-immigrant protests the previous Friday. Even so, the deputy’s primary concern is the “void of accuracy” when it comes to official communications.
Kenny also talks to Deirdre Garvey of the Irish Red Cross, who thinks “we all collectively need to step up” when it comes to sheltering people seeking international protection, pointing to Ireland’s own prodigious rates of emigration down the years. The host, in turn, voices bafflement at the long journeys made through Europe by many refugees: “Why do they fetch up in Ireland when they pass through countries that are safe?” It’s imperative that the host ask uncomfortable yet valid questions, but the notion that some asylum seekers are here for economic reasons appears to have become a bugbear of late. At a time when refugees are facing hateful attacks, there are perhaps more urgent topics to pursue.
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People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy suggests fighting should stop immediately. The deputy, Kenny insists, wants Ukraine to ‘roll over’ for Putin. There’s no doubt where he stands on some issues
That said, Kenny reserves his real outrage for the grinding war in Ukraine, covering Russia’s invasion with an unflagging conviction and condemnatory thoroughness. As well as discussing Ukraine’s constitutional arrangements and interviewing reporter Luke Harding about the war to date, the host is indignant when – during a debate on refugee accommodation – People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy suggests that fighting should stop immediately. The deputy, Kenny insists, wants Ukraine to “roll over” for Putin. There’s no doubt where he stands on some issues.
Amid all that, Kenny’s conversation with the Brennans seems less like froth and more akin to a tonic. Never one for understatement, Francis describes the prospect of parting with his hotel as “selling my lovely baby”. But there are telling moments as well. Asked if he ever had to dodge the gaze of the local bank manager after the 2008 crash, John drily replies: “You’d be lucky to find a bank manager.” It’s an observation that speaks to the sense of abandonment felt by many in rural Ireland as banks and post offices disappear. In such circumstances, resentment at cackhanded official communication on other matters pertaining to the community maybe shouldn’t be a surprise.
Overall, however, the tone of the interview is optimistic, as when John Brennan praises the “cosmopolitan” atmosphere of Kenmare, with its diverse population and lovely setting. As Kenny surveys a troubled landscape, it’s an encouraging reminder that Irish hospitality still prevails.
A welcoming air pervades the Anton Savage Show (Newstalk, Saturday), and not just because Francis Brennan pops up here too. Savage is a determinedly breezy presence, whether discussing current affairs with journalists, getting expert advice on lifestyle matters or – as with Brennan – weighing up the merits of different fruit sandwiches. (Brennan doesn’t mention the then-unannounced sale of his properties, though in hindsight, his wistful riff about wild strawberries has an elegiac undertone.)
Savage duly sifts through the proposed legislation, but equally allows his guest make alarmist claims without too much pushback
For the most part, Savage’s upbeat irreverence strikes the right note for the start of the weekend. Like Kenny – for whom he stands in on Monday – he is well-informed, though appears less eager to show off about this than his station colleague. Instead, he uses his knowledge to guide listeners through comparatively esoteric subjects such as the current strike by American screenwriters, imbuing his conversation with striking writer Josh Gondelman with an absorbing accessibility.
Sometimes, however, the host’s approach comes up short. Interviewing Sarah Hardiman of Free Speech Ireland about concerns over the government’s impending new hate speech bill, Savage duly sifts through the proposed legislation, but equally allows his guest make alarmist claims without too much pushback. Concerns about state overreach into private views are of course important, but Hardiman paints a proto-totalitarian scenario where off-colour memes are met with “a knock on the door” – “People are going to be treated as drug dealers, that’s no exaggeration,” she says, exaggerating for effect – while claiming the law will be used to “silence political dissent”, on the basis that it may prevent hate speech against migrants.
Savage disagrees, saying the legislation doesn’t restrict public discourse, but aims to prevent mobs greeting refugees. “It’s a convenient excuse for coping with the homeless crisis in this country,” Hardiman replies tartly. Savage leaves it at that, but with far-right protesters having burnt out tents of asylum seekers the night before, his guest’s statement sounds tin-eared, to put it mildly.
Overall, however, Savage makes for companionable yet stimulating listening, as his recent uptick in audience numbers attests. At the very least, he strives to be accommodating to everyone.
