Results 2,461-2,480 of 10,556 for speaker:Niamh Smyth
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: When the creative team was planning this and all the rest, was any consideration given to the impact this might have on the more traditional pantos and musicals we have all been going to for years as kids and parents? Was there any consideration of the commercial impact that might have on them?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: Okay, but to answer my question, was any consideration given to the timing? I was at it by the way, but it obviously clashed with a lot of pantos and musicals around the city centre. I remember there was much discussion in the public domain at the time about the impact this was having on the livelihoods of artists, creators, makers and producers who have been at this for years.
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: But they obviously came from somewhere else. RTÉ was just displacing them.
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: No, what I mean is they must have come from other theatre sets or crews or whatever. RTÉ was displacing something else to put this on.
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: I will go back to my question. Was there any consideration given to the impact this might have on the creative industries already in place? Mr. Coveney will say this was a musical, but we all attend the pantos at Christmastime and in the new year. Was there any consideration given to the impact?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: Did you not think to yourself perhaps there is enough of this?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: Did you never think to yourself or was it never discussed that there is enough of this happening already and you were just duplicating-----
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: If you were to run it again would you still do it in the convention centre?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: How then did you get rid of 9,000 free tickets?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: Does Mr. Coveney agree they are eye-watering numbers to think of? I say that as someone who worked in a much smaller theatre. The idea 9,000 bums on seats were free is an eye-watering figure. It is almost the same as the number of people who paid for tickets.
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: To be honest, if you raise your hand and say this did not work out and we will not be doing it again people could accept that better, but there has been a lot of discussion and maybe-----
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: What did Mr. Coveney mean by the comment he made that there was no material difference to those type of losses to RTÉ?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: I ask Mr. Coveney to put it in another way. Does he think the staff who have been out very vocally and publicly saying they could not get crews to go here and there and that they were working with broken equipment and so on would agree with that comment?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: I totally appreciate that-----
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: -----but to say €2.2 million made no material difference to RTÉ-----
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: -----I have to categorically disagree with you on that.
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: Okay. I have a final question for you, Mr. Coveney. My colleague, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, has alluded to it. Ryan Tubridy was not involved, but was he supportive of the idea.?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: Okay. Thank you. I am now going to ask Mr. Lynch to talk us through the process. Ryan Tubridy has said his goodbyes and we are moving onto a new phase for "The Late Late Show". Will Mr. Lynch talk us through the process of deciding who the host should be?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: Did they apply or how did that come about?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Jul 2023)
Niamh Smyth: Okay. Who draws up that list?