Fairytale ot Kathmandu

[ludermor]

Anyone see this last night? Am i the only one in thinking this has been blown out of proportion? I was expecting to see him or see proof of him shaggin young lads. If he was shaggin young women would there be the same uproar?
He came came accross as a right sleazy bastard but is that enough reason for him to be vilified in the press?

[Declan]

He came came accross as a right sleazy bastard but is that enough reason for him to be vilified in the press?

Yes - He deserves everything he gets. Exploitative dirty old man

[Uladh]

A very disturbing portrait of a very disturbing man. david Norris' defence of him yesterday was odd too.

I'm not sure he's broken any laws though?

[Billys Boots]

That was seriously uncomfortable viewing, even for a hatchet-job.  

[dublinfella]

Anyone see this last night? Am i the only one in thinking this has been blown out of proportion? I was expecting to see him or see proof of him shaggin young lads. If he was shaggin young women would there be the same uproar?
He came came accross as a right sleazy bastard but is that enough reason for him to be vilified in the press?

this isn't about his orientation - its about bumping dirty with people that you are supposed to be helping in a charitable context - legal it may be, but its still innapropriate. similar to why teachers arent allowed have relationships with their students even if they are of legal age.

[thejuice]

Though this was aabout a new Pogues song!?!

who is the person you are refering to? Gary Glitter?

[Donagh]

Only caught the end of it, but seemed pretty bad even if it was obvious the presenter was over egging it a bit.


Hanafin: 'O Searchaigh controversy might cause difficulty'
12/03/2008 - 13:20:47

Education Minister Mary Hanafin has admitted that the controversy associated with the Irish poet Cathal O Searcaigh may cause some difficulty for Leaving Cert students.Education Minister Mary Hanafin has admitted that the controversy associated with the Irish poet Cathal O Searcaigh may cause some difficulty for Leaving Cert students.

A documentary aired last night on RTE raised serious questions about the poet's relationship with teenage boys in Nepal.

Mr O Searcaigh has admitted having sex with the young men, but claims the programme was distorted.

Minister Mary Hanafin told reporters in Dublin today that there are no immediate plans to remove his work from the Leaving Cert syllabus for this year.

However, she admitted that Leaving Cert questions about the life of the poet "might cause difficulty".

[Mentalman]

Thought provoking. I didn't think it was an out and out hatchet job, I felt the flow if the documentary was true i.e. it started out about one thing but the behaviour witnessed provoked the film maker to ask some hard questions, not least of herself - even if the lingering shots of innocent faces tended to over egg the situation a little. What ever way you cut it, the subject is a sex tourist, irrespective of his orientation. That was the bottom line for me and I don't see how anyone could defend going specifically to developing countries to take advantage of the people like that. Most of the guys featured didn't seem to have a clue what sex was - for all intents and purposes they are children. I mean if he was displaying similar behaviour in Ireland, irrespective of the sex of his companioons, how long do you think it would be stood for? It just wouldn't happen on the scale seen in the documentary, not least because few Irish people are not that needy. It's exploitation pure and simple. I'm glad I wasn't even aware of this guy or his cultural significence, or lack thereof, before I saw the programme, because you could just see it for what it was - a rich westerner displaying behaviour he could never get away with at home.