Admin Comment by Joe Gannon on January 2, 2015 at 9:13pm

Sure, lets do a nice Great Hunger musical too with lots of happy songs about rotten potatoes, typhoid and joys of pleasure cruising on a coffin ship. Maybe we can toss some dead babies over the side of the ship during the chorus. If we're going to shit on the pain and suffering of our ancestors, lets really go for it.

Comment by Gerry Regan on January 3, 2015 at 10:46am

I support efforts at communicating concern, even dismay, at artistic renderings, but I'm wholly uncomfortable with efforts to quash a work of art, particularly one that hasn't even seen the light of day. 

Comment by Neil F. Cosgrove on January 3, 2015 at 11:38am

Gerry, I  respect your point, but I am uncomfortable with people expressing their outrage as being "censorship" or "quashing".  Mr Travers and TV Channel 4 have the right to express themselves (and they have a considerable advantage over the rest of us in having a TV network at their disposal), but freedom of speech goes both ways and those who are horrified at this "comedy concept" have an equal right to express their outrage.  Respectfully, I would argue that just as one does not have to wait to put ones hand into a fire to know its a bad idea so to is a comedy based on people starving.  We also have to recognize that as with all rights, when exercised they come with responsibilities and consequences and that is not censorship, that is called accountability.  

The broader question I have to ask is if this comedy was based on the Holocaust or African Slavery would it for a moment be considered? If they were  would people who were outraged at those "artistic concepts" (and count me as one who would be) be equally accused of censorship and have people running to the defense of the shows creators?  Why is Irish suffering and Irish Defamation held to a different standard than other heritages?

Comment by Neil F. Cosgrove on January 3, 2015 at 12:14pm

Gerry I will also throw out one more thought.  As sincere and fair minded as your "wait and see what develops " recommendation is, could you not see if that approach was adopted and then months from now when the first episode of this "comedy" is shown people then expressed their  outraged the PR Flaks at TV Channel 4 saying "We are really surprised at the controversy that our episode of "Hunger" has caused.  When we first floated this concept months ago in January 2015 we received no negative response.  Having made considerable investment  in the shows development we intend to continue the show.   We ask people to be patient and watch further episode of the show and see what develops"

Comment by Kelly O'Rourke on January 3, 2015 at 4:27pm

That's a fair point, Neil.  Maybe they are floating it to see what reaction people have to the idea.  They're certainly getting publicity! 

Comment by Patdee Mullarkey on January 4, 2015 at 8:03am

"I am uncomfortable with people expressing their outrage as being 'censorship' or 'quashing'.  Mr Travers and TV Channel 4 have the right to express themselves (and they have a considerable advantage over the rest of us in having a TV network at their disposal), but freedom of speech goes both ways and those who are horrified at this 'comedy concept' have an equal right to express their outrage...Why is Irish suffering and Irish Defamation held to a different standard than other heritages?"

Well said, Neil.

Comment by John W. Hurley on January 4, 2015 at 11:18am

This guy is just taking a page out of the book of Sinead O'Connor, Kevin Meyers and others: seek as much publicity as possible by being as arrogantly contrary as possible to beliefs you know that other people hold sacred; then once you have the spotlight change your statements through "clarification" or stick to them and pretend to be a counter culture rebel. The really strange thing though is that so many Irish born people do this but the only sacred cows they really, REALLY despise are all the native Irish ones: the language, the Catholic religion, the Famine, the men and women who fought for the creation of a democracy in Ireland....I remember reading a few years back that Ireland had one of the highest rates of mental illness in Europe and given the scars of history I don't doubt it. But one of the sad side effects of abuse is this kind of self-hating where people actually begin to find it both fun and funny to hurt others in this way but claim that it is somehow just for the sake of humor or that, as with Kevin Meyers, they are playing the role of stimulating important questioning and debate in Ireland's brainwashed national consciousness. It's just a cheap gimmick made by people born and raised in Ireland but who are really, in many ways, little more than tourists there. If an Irish-American was making this same comedy series the Meyerites and O'Connorists would no doubt be seething with rage and we would be subject to endless hyperbolic attacks and lectures on the subject of "stupid yanks."

Admin Comment by Joe Gannon on January 4, 2015 at 11:25am

The problem with waiting to voice objections to this idea until after we've seen the product on the screen is that once they have put the money into producing it, it's going air and keep airing for some time. Saying it's a bad idea then will be too late. And as someone else noted, if we remain silent they'd say "gee, no one seemed to have a problem with the idea before." We have a perfect right to express our opinions to them NOW. We think it's a bad idea and not a fit subject for "comedy." If they think they can do it in a way that somehow ends up being respectful of the event, they can go ahead do it. But they aren't going to do it with out having been warned by us first that we think it's a terrible idea. If they go ahead and do it and it really isn't objectionable, they can say "see, we told you so," and if it is, we say "we told you it was a BAD idea, and it is." What can't happen is for us to say nothing, then have them be able to hide behind that if the product is horrendous. Those of us who think it's a terrible idea have a perfect right to tell them that.

Comment by sullivansjohn@comcast.net on January 4, 2015 at 1:47pm

  HAVING BEEN STATIONED IN ENGLAND AS A YOUNG IRISH AMERICAN NAVY PETTY OFFICER I CAN WELL UNDERSTAND THE BRITISH PUBLIC HAVING A GOOD LAUGH AT THE EXPENSE OF THE MILLIONS OF IRISH BLODDED FOLKS WHO RESIDE IN IRELAND AND ALL AROUND THE WORLD. MY  4 YEARS IN ENGLAND CIRCLED AROUND SOME COUSINS & OTHER IRISH FOLK IN THE PORTABELLO ROAD DISTRICT.  ONE DAY THEIR 900 + YEARS OF TERROR PLEAS GOD WILL COME HOME TO HAUNT THEM.  JOHN McCann SULLIVAN

Comment by Patrick J. O'Leary on January 5, 2015 at 1:21am

 to make the misery of a famine and suffering and sorrow that have befallen the people of the  area and turn it all into a comedy  is kind of hard to take or appreciate. Mr. Cosgrove had his father's experience brought to light and it gave a different view.  Most anyone who would have seen the aftermath of war in the misery, hunger, homelessness and sense of despair of people who had lost everything but their lives might find it difficult to see or think of anything that would be comedic on this topic.  Just my thought. >>>

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