Another Black Week for Irish Public Life

The events of a woman's death in Enniscorthy as revealed in the media from Tuesday on are deeply distressing. No-one should suffer a death like that in a civilised society, and it is right, fitting and proper that all avenues are investigated to find out if wrong was done, and that if wrong has been done, that wrong should be punished to the full extent of the law.

What should not be happening in a civilised society five years into the 21st Century is the media wallowing in the details of the unfortunate woman's death as we've seen this week. The mock press conferences that have occured should have been ignored by a responsible media, who would do well to remember that the Public Interest is not at all synonymous with that in which the Public is Interested.

Today FM's grotesque and shocking news reports on Tuesday morning, describing in nauseous detail the state of the woman's corpse when her body was discovered, were broadcast when parents were giving their children breakfast. Whoever is responsible for such a stunning lack of judgement should be bounced out of their job forthwith. Whoever in RTÉ is responsible for leading the radio news all day yesterday with yet another bizarre self-serving family statement also has to seriously consider what his, her or its priorities are. This grotesque voyeurism serves the nation badly, and is sickening just to think of. And this is being written before tomorrow's Sunday papers are published, which I fully expect to plumb even greater depths of horror. May Christ pity and spare my poor sad country if it's all come this, if this is all we're worth.