Tuesday 21 July 2009

RTE has had the wrong name for 43 years.

Hot on the buckle-brogued heels of news that Mayo County Council must change 33 Gaeltacht roadsigns after a local broadcaster noticed some spelling mistakes, comes the revelation that RTE must change its name after it was discovered that it has been wrong for the past 43 years. Again, of course, without anyone noticing.

Pay attention there at the back! RTE will, from now on, stand for Raidio Teilifis Eireann - and not Radio Telifis Eireann. The reason? Well, apparently RadioTelifis Eireann is “grammatically incorrect”, according to those in the know at the tax-soaking organisation. (And before some gaeilgoir points it out, I know there are some fadas missing in my spelling.)

We are very lucky that someone in authority at RTE spotted this shocking inaccuracy, and that gaeilgoir RTE director-general Cathal Goan was “instrumental in pushing through” the essential change (according to the Sunday Times).

No doubt the quality of our lives will improve henceforth - but not, I imagine, the quality of RTE's dire programmes.

All official documentation will be changed accordingly.


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10 comments:

Ella said...

Hi GM, just great, another necessary and urgent use of tax payers money.

Pike said...

The recession can't be that serious, if there is still enough funding left to pump into that sort of ****. Imagine all the documents, signs, stickers - you name it - that have to be changed now. Only in Ireland ... 8-(

Anonymous said...

"And before some gaeilgoir points it out, I know
there are some fadas missing in my spelling"

Isint the accented E in RTE a fairly recent thing as well ?

Is this really Mr Goan(ad)'s biggest priority right now ? I would have thought some consideration of his position would be a more pressing concern given his apalling record to date !

The Gombeen Man said...

Yes folks - I think RTE should really have greater priorities.

I'm really amazed (and that's unusual) at the lack of sensitivity as to how they might be perceived on this. But maybe they're just used to getting away with stuff? They've been doing it for 43 years after all (being a crap station, I mean).

;-)

Anonymous said...

mr GM the good people of ireland have amuch more pressing problem of higher priority as i see it ,getting with uk authorties to smooth the way for the state visit of his highness the king of goatsfor NI that he may visit the fair of puck,this matter calls for effort at the highest levels of diplomacy ,his entourage will probably include a huge delegation of orange men, ihope the lads at irish imigration dont get too shurty

The Gombeen Man said...

Ha ha. I was just listening to all that on the radio Mr BH. Where else, eh?

This stuff about the goat with no passport will make us the butt of jokes the world over.

I'd do a blog on it but I'm rushing out to work :-(

Lew said...

This stuff about the goat with no passport will make us the butt of jokes the world over?

You have me curious now about that, I don't get all the "news" living here.

As to RTE.
I have to say I actually like the station and miss it, if I could get it here I would.
It often has many programs, series and films before the UK and "some" good home grown ones.
(it had when I was living there)

As to the name all I can say is who actually cares?
out of a population of how many million, how many would actually care? I would guess less than 1000? possibly in the hundreds or maybe even less.

What idiots are running things, there is more to life than a missing fada that nobody's even noticed for years.

Imagine what all the money spent on fixing that could do instead.

Anonymous said...

breakingnews gm a passport has been issued for king billy goat phew, diplomacy works wonders big IAN will also travel to killorglin to be with king billy to be sure that therewill be no surrrrender

The Gombeen Man said...

Yes, Ella, Sven. You'd hardly think there was a recession on at all. Ah sure, it's only taxpayers' money.

Podge and Rodge is good, Lew, in fairness. It runs on RTE 2, and is genuinely funny IMO. I look at that and the football (soccer) as the RTE 2 pundits are generally quite entertaining, if I'm honest.

Thanks for that Mr BH - you've inspired me to do a blog on it!

Anonymous said...

Meanwhile over on Radio na Life (Radio station for "Irish speaking community" in Dublin)

http://www.radiowavesforum.com/rw/showthread.php?t=18436