02.20.06
Local mafia
There are times when living in a small town really works.
Today is a day of intense meeja appearances for me, appearances being the operative word. I was booked to record a Big Bite programme with David McWilliams this morning at 11.30. The show is aired during the day and while it is a good programme, it is a casual enough one. So I don’t knock myself about to get the hair done or anything. I just don’t have the time. But then yesterday I got the call to go on Questions and Answers tonight. As it’s the major current affairs programme of the week, good hair is essential to a successful appearance. But I only got the call yesterday and hairdressers close on Mondays. How on earth was I going to get someone to blow dry it so I didn’t have ends sticking out?
Our local hackney man was bringing me up to RTE for the recording this morning and heard my vain phone calls trying to find an open hairdresser. Turns out he knows the owner of the main salon in our little village. He called him right away and explained that the village would be shamed if one of its residents was forced to appear on national tv with sticky out hair. The owner agreed this would indeed be a travesty and he is opening up especially for me at 4pm. I am so grateful.
Sinéad said,
February 20, 2006 at 3:56 pm
Ah yes, I’m very familiar with the ‘TV appearance hair dilemma’. I do something every Monday on RTE which is quick and very casual so I leave the gruaig alone. I’m also trying desperately to grow it and am at the ‘not-quite-down-to-my-shoulders-stage’ yet. Now every Monday, I just scrape it up and clip it back but I’m on The View tomorrow and had to exert massive amounts of willpower not to go and get it chopped. Oh the agony.
Bet John Bowman never stuggles with this.
Sinéad said,
February 20, 2006 at 3:57 pm
PS – Very best of luck tonight!
danny said,
February 20, 2006 at 4:38 pm
The hair better be spectacular, I mean SPECTACULAR!
danny said,
February 20, 2006 at 4:39 pm
Good luck by the way, not that you need it.
Darren said,
February 20, 2006 at 4:41 pm
I’ve said it before, but I think there’s some Irish hairdresser conspiracy around this concept of blow drying. Over here in North America, stylists actually educate you about how to style your own hair.
Colm said,
February 20, 2006 at 5:25 pm
For us exiled in the UK, do you think they’ll have this online sometime later? Best of luck by the way. I’d loan you In Fact, Ah’s hair straightener (we actually do have one) but it’s in Athlone.
Sarah said,
February 20, 2006 at 5:28 pm
Well one did try, to be fair Darren, but I dunno, I have thick hair, with a few layers and it just never goes right. I can manage a “presentable for locals and family look” with a bit of effort, but for telly, it’s gotta be the pros. Anyway I am back. It’s very neat. I can blag with confidence now. I’ve been on Q&A twice before. On each occasion everyone said the same thing ” your hair was great!”. They’ve never said “I thought that point you made was very relevant and deeply analytical. You are so clever”.
saint said,
February 20, 2006 at 5:38 pm
Cool I have to tune in to that show.
Try not to go “in your face bowman i got shortlisted for a blog award”.
Fergus said,
February 20, 2006 at 11:30 pm
Hair looks fantastic.. but more importantly you were the powerhouse on Q&A just now… agreed with you on almost all points …pensions are a disgrace in Ireland… looked you up while show was airing… looking forward to your next contrib.
Siobh said,
February 20, 2006 at 11:34 pm
Sarah, an excellent appearance on Q&A.
Sean McKiernan said,
February 20, 2006 at 11:35 pm
Amusing tale indeed, doesn’t look too bad on TV (the best you can expect a man to say really!) Know your Dad Sarah, am on the FG National Executive.
Tim said,
February 20, 2006 at 11:36 pm
Hair looked fantastic, performance was fantastic, could’nt agree more with Fergus.
Hope to see and hear more from you
auds said,
February 21, 2006 at 1:42 am
Very nice hair indeed!
Just saw the end – marrying a rich husband as a widow is certainly one way to sort out the pensions crisis.
At coffee this morning, one of my friends was lamenting the life of junior doctors, she then said really loudly ” I only did medicine to find a rich man to marry and mind me – a plastic surgeon preferrably”.
The prof of surgery was standing behind us, and said loudly – “they’ve got their Drs, want their Mrs, and I want a cup of coffee”.
we were much embarassed and quite literally ran away.
I think both plans have their merits, but unfortunately fall down in the execution.
Sarah said,
February 21, 2006 at 10:00 am
thank you all.
I was nervous and didn’t think I was doing my best. Then at the end when Bowman quoted me to me, I have say I was incredibly, well, touched is the only word. I think I could retire quite happily now. He is sooooooo nice btw (which I thought before he paid me the compliment). Very quiet, dignified, decent nice man. And of course, super clever and great broadcaster.
That show gets huge audiences btw. When they had Frank Buttimer on before they had 475,000 viewers.
I have another pension plan of course. Apart from intending to work till I drop, hubby is very well insured. I’m sure I’ll be grand.
John of Dublin said,
February 21, 2006 at 10:39 am
I didn’t know you were going on Q&A and I was watching some of it. You did well as always and looked well. Sitting beside the Seamus Brennan you helped him look bigger!
Your ideas on pensions might be controversial to some. However, it is worth getting lateral thinking out in the open because it is indeed an gravy train for the financial institutes. If you have the money it is worth investing in a better house than you need and selling it at retirement for something more modest. I’ve a few friends who did exactly that and I’m kinda in that category also, although I do have a pension also.
saint said,
February 21, 2006 at 3:09 pm
Just saw you on The big byte . Great stuff. Very good point about J.P McManus. People go on about how great his charity is especially around limierick. Then they critise Michael O’ Leary who pays his taxes.
Sarah said,
February 21, 2006 at 3:29 pm
It’s up…http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0220/qanda.html. I didn’t watch it myself. It’s usually a bit cringey…
Gumboots said,
February 21, 2006 at 3:36 pm
Maybe John B is a bit too nice and dignified for Q&A. I’d like Paxman to guest present one week. Don’t get me wrong the panel are for the most part interesting, unpartisan (even the TD’s) and plain speaking but the studio audience just annoys the hell out of me. They strike me as of being made up wholly of party members who would be happier to stab themselves in the head before than have a thought critical of their own party.
“I’d like to congratulate the minster this” ,
“i’d like to agree with the deputy that” ,
“I want your babies senator” etc..
Every last one just wants to get their mug on TV sucking up to their own party line.
Daniel K. said,
February 21, 2006 at 3:45 pm
You simply have to watch yourself on the telly.
It is one of life’s great secret pleasures. OK, perhaps not so secret since other people will have seen you on the telly, and sus/expect you will have watched yourself.
I’ve got a little collection of my telly bits, audience contributions on Q&A, a whinge of the 6.1 news about crowd management at croker. And tapes from radio shows I’ve been on. There again, I listen more to say to myself, ‘could have done better there, oh that was bad lucky no one picked up on that.’ rather than ‘aren’t I great’.
And the lie of the pension system is that people think they’ve paid into something and what they get out is what they paid. When it is the real robbing Peter to Paul scenario.
sean riordan said,
February 21, 2006 at 3:53 pm
Sarah, what did you say about JP McManus?
Sinéad said,
February 21, 2006 at 4:34 pm
“You simply have to watch yourself on the telly.
It is one of life’s great secret pleasures.”
I hate watching myself and even if I didn’t, my mother tapes me every time I’m on, on a special ‘Sinead on TV’ tape. Seriously.
Roll on tonight (just back from recording).
Sinéad said,
February 21, 2006 at 4:35 pm
Damn comments cut off a bit – I thought you did really well last night. Clear-eyed, very informed and if you were nervous, it didn’t show.
Good job!
Sarah said,
February 21, 2006 at 4:43 pm
I gave in and am watching it. The pension stuff is kinda funny actually. I am enjoying it. Frank Fitzgibbon Irish Ed ST rang. Said my hair was great and I should get a new photo taken for the column.
Daniel K. said,
February 21, 2006 at 5:00 pm
Just had a quick look, and the hair was lovely, shiny without being slinky. There again, I’m just happy that I still have mine.
I think my mother has a clips tape too. Her least favourite is probably me appear to lead off the Paddy’s Day parade in Tokyo in ‘93 with a jacket full of litre cans of Asahi and an open one in my hand.
Colm Connolly’s comment about there being a more salubrious affair that night at the Emerald Ball caps it nicely.
Daniel K. said,
February 21, 2006 at 5:05 pm
I do have a slight bone to pick about the panel line up. How is it that Q&A which would seem to be about letting ordinary people ask questions of politicos seems to have more none politics on than politics.
As an erstwhile, waiter-politician, someone between offices or whatever people who run for office, don’t get elected and intend running again are supposed to be call themselves, it can be annoying that a strange group of opinions formers exists to which membership appears to be accorded by association. I say this irrspective of the quality of the contributions.
Surely, that’s what we have the Seanad for.
tom said,
February 21, 2006 at 5:08 pm
hi sarah,
“checking you out” on Q&A as we speak. write.
two key things I think would help pensions uptake:
1) guarantee that pensions annuities under a certain amount will not affect total amount state will pay as old age pension. At the moment I have the awful feeling that the €1000 a month or so that I end up with will simply be ’swapped’ for the state pension. a serious deterrent.
2) PRSAs and other schemes should be properly transferable. they always SAY they are, but whenever you want to DO it they tell you it isn’t sensible. for this reason I now have three pensions at the age of 33! ridiculous.
Sarah said,
February 21, 2006 at 5:25 pm
Re JP McManus btw. I said that I objected to the “system” whereby guys like him get to compensate for their tax exile status by engaging in philanthropy. “I don’t pay tax but I give millions to Irish charities”. I don’t get to say to the Dept of Finances that I’d like my taxes this year to go specific charities or disadvantaged areas. I don’t care how personally generous McManus maybe, but if he’s Irish, living in Ireland (except for the ridiculously few days per year he’s not obliged to) then he is morally obligated to pay his taxes like everyone else and let the government decide what to do with then. Since he is a big Fnfer anyway he shouldn’t have a problem with what they’re doing with the money.
leon said,
February 22, 2006 at 11:20 am
What did they say about the Emerald Ball, and how did it come up.
Sarah said,
February 22, 2006 at 11:26 am
I don’t recall anything about the Emerald Ball. I think Danny was talking about something else.
Daniel K. said,
February 22, 2006 at 12:43 pm
Apologies for creating or adding to de confusion
“I think my mother has a clips tape too. Her least favourite is probably me appear to lead off the Paddy’s Day parade in Tokyo in ‘93 with a jacket full of litre cans of Asahi and an open one in my hand.
Colm Connolly’s comment about there being a more salubrious affair that night at the Emerald Ball caps it nicely. ”
I was referring to my own mother’s clips tape of me, and that would be the Emerald Ball, ‘93 in Tokyo. Nothing to do with Q&A…or anything really other than the secret pleasure of watching yourself make a scene on d’telly.
Frederick said,
February 25, 2006 at 10:49 am
You were superb, Sarah. I just happened to be watching, turned to fellow viewer and said “Oh, there’s Sarah Carey – I read her blog. She has KIDS, you know….”.
Keep up the good work, girl.