{"id":30073,"date":"2025-08-29T04:30:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T04:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/30073\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T04:30:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T04:30:10","slug":"rtes-claire-byrne-asks-a-question-that-dispels-any-trace-of-carefree-holiday-vibes-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/30073\/","title":{"rendered":"RT\u00c9\u2019s Claire Byrne asks a question that dispels any trace of carefree holiday vibes \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

As if the skies opening and the schools returning aren\u2019t reminder enough that summer is drawing to a close, up pops RT\u00c9\u2019s<\/a> Claire Byrne<\/a> with a question that definitively dispels any lingering trace of carefree holiday vibes. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe plague: is it back?\u201d the host asks on Wednesday\u2019s Today with Claire Byrne<\/b> (RT\u00c9 Radio 1, weekdays), her tone disconcertingly cheerful considering the disease<\/a> killed off a third of Europe\u2019s population during the Black Death.<\/p>\n

The air of incipient dread isn\u2019t helped by the fact that Byrne is joined by Luke O\u2019Neill<\/a>, the Trinity College Dublin biochemistry professor who was a daily fixture on the airwaves during the dark days of Covid<\/a>. <\/p>\n

As back then, O\u2019Neill is in jaunty form as he parses this new outbreak of bubonic plague, mercifully confined to one person in California infected by a flea bite. \u201cThe good news is antibiotics kill it. It\u2019s not like it was in medieval times,\u201d he explains, lest anyone is tempted to start hoarding toilet paper and quicklime.<\/p>\n

Having allayed fears of impending doom, host and guest move the discussion on to the similarly jolly territory of climate change, with O\u2019Neill suggesting that mosquitoes are likely now present in Ireland because of warmer weather. \u201cI\u2019m delighted to hear this,\u201d Byrne chirps, again displaying a talent for incongruity, \u201cbecause I\u2019ve been telling everyone there are mosquitoes here this summer\u201d.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s left to her guest to relate some actual good news: that any mosquitoes in Ireland don\u2019t carry disease \u2013 so far anyway. <\/p>\n

He also foresees a dividend for tourism as destinations such as Spain and Portugal experience soaring temperatures: \u201cThey won\u2019t be going to Mallorca any more. They\u2019ll be coming to Donegal or Galway in their droves.\u201d At least until they see the prices here, which can be truly frightening.<\/p>\n

Mostly, however, Byrne deals with more prosaic seasonal concerns, whether it\u2019s the logistics of children returning to classrooms or the anxiety of school leavers awaiting college offers. The host is in upbeat mood as she talks to the author and chef Lou Robbie about preparing school lunches, even declaring herself a fan of her guest\u2019s Instagram account, but adopts a more serious approach when discussing Central Applications Office (CAO) offers. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0TV guide: The best new shows to watch this weekOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Indeed, as she notes that a growing population and grade inflation have caused points to increase for many courses, the host sounds more sombre than she did when discussing the potential re-emergence of a deadly pandemic.<\/p>\n

That aside, it\u2019s an enlightening discussion, not just for anxious CAO candidates but also for the general listener. Prof David Malone of Maynooth University outlines how the \u201cpopulation bubble\u201d caused by increased births between 2005 and 2010 has placed pressure on the number of third level places available, with the situation unlikely to improve until 2028. \u201cIf you\u2019re banking on the population going down in the next couple of years, no,\u201d Malone says. That\u2019s assuming the plague doesn\u2019t have other ideas, of course.<\/p>\n

\"NewstalkNewstalk presenter Kieran Cuddihy. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni\/ The Irish Times <\/p>\n

Over on The Hard Shoulder<\/b> (Newstalk, weekdays), Kieran Cuddihy<\/a> is exercised by the shortage of places at another educational level. On Monday the host hears Josh Crosbie report how 40,000 children nationwide are on waiting lists for cr\u00e8ches. Childcare providers point to staffing as a big obstacle to alleviating the problem, with qualified creche workers seeking pay parity with teachers.<\/p>\n

Rather than increasing salaries, however, Cuddihy floats another solution. \u201cThere is an alternative: you get rid of the need for all those qualifications,\u201d he suggests, quietly chuckling at his own divilment. \u201cDo we need to pay creche workers the same as teachers, or are creche workers overqualified in Ireland?\u201d<\/p>\n

As the host acknowledges, this may not be a good idea, but he says he\u2019s raising it in the interests of debate. When one childcare worker texts to defend her profession, however, Cuddihy sounds more combative, as he points to the children minded in home settings: \u201cIs it your contention that those kids are going to be held back in school because they haven\u2019t been exposed to this amazing utopian atmosphere of education?\u201d To hear such superciliousness from the usually personable host comes as a disappointing jolt.<\/p>\n

In mitigation, Cuddihy is self-aware enough to admit that his contentious proposal has \u201copened a can of worms\u201d. More crucially, when he returns to the issue the following day it\u2019s in a spirit of investigation rather than provocation, as he talks to Elaine Dunne of the Federation of Early Childhood Providers and to Alison Pasquier, a primary school principal.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Three sporting events to watch this week: Your handy guide to sport on televisionOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, Dunne disagrees that childcare workers are overqualified, highlighting the importance of training in understanding child development. Speaking from a teacher\u2019s perspective, Pasquier testifies that \u201cearly education isn\u2019t babysitting, it\u2019s laying the foundation of learning\u201d. While noting that \u201cthere\u2019s lots to be gained from being at home with mum\u201d, the principal emphasises that new pupils from early-education settings are more practised at socialisation and sharing.<\/p>\n

None of which solves the shortage of childcare places. Dunne says there\u2019s a scarcity of cr\u00e8ches in some areas and an oversupply in others, which only serves to highlight the jerry-rigged nature of Ireland\u2019s childcare system, where Government-funded early-education schemes are bolted on to a private system facing the pressures of a business. <\/p>\n

Either way, what starts out as gleeful mischief-making by the host turns into a valuable examination of the sector, raising more questions along the way.<\/p>\n

Cuddihy is in more wistful form on Wednesday, during Jessica Woodlock\u2019s report on the first day of school for junior infants in Co Louth. \u201cThat\u2019s lovely to hear,\u201d he says of the contributions from teachers and parents. But, as the host notes, this day represents a landmark of another kind: \u201cThese are Covid babies.\u201d<\/p>\n

With children born during lockdown now reaching school age, the ramifications of the restrictions of their early years are becoming clear. The child psychologist Dr Elaine McCarthy tells Woodlock that this generation, having often been confined to home, can have higher levels of separation anxiety as well as greater challenges with behavioural and developmental issues. In short, many are \u201cless ready\u201d for school. Even amid the usual emotions that accompany the end of summer, the legacy of Covid continues to plague us.<\/p>\n

\"NewstalkNewstalk presenter Anton Savage. Photograph: Cyril Byrne\/ The Irish Times Moment of the week<\/p>\n

A broadcaster of the hail-fellow-well-met school, Anton Savage<\/b> (Newstalk, weekends) is even more clubbable than usual when he chats to Fiachna \u00d3 Braon\u00e1in<\/a>, the Hothouse Flowers<\/a> guitarist, on Saturday. As he recalls his life with the band, \u00d3 Braon\u00e1in reminds listeners that he\u2019s a radio natural himself: he can be heard earlier that morning as guest host on RT\u00c9 Radio 1\u2019s Rising Time<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Savage<\/a> sounds enthused by his guest\u2019s anecdotes, even when he\u2019s bemoaning the lack of family communication when touring in the pre-internet age. \u201cBut I assume you were neck-deep in booze and groupies,\u201d Savage quips. \u201cErm, knee-deep,\u201d \u00d3 Braon\u00e1in replies, a tad coyly. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t have time for that, because you\u2019re heading off to the next town.\u201d What happens on the road …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As if the skies opening and the schools returning aren\u2019t reminder enough that summer is drawing to a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30074,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[23901,23898,64,18,23902,23903,19,17,23900,23899,5287,1181,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-30073","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-anton-savage","9":"tag-claire-byrne","10":"tag-covid-19","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-fiachna-o-braonain","13":"tag-hothouse-flowers","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-kieran-cuddihy","17":"tag-luke-o-neill","18":"tag-newstalk-radio","19":"tag-rte","20":"tag-technology"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}