The recent documentation concerning Siún Ní Raghallaigh’s departure from her role as chair of RTÉ last month has further complicated the disputed account of the events leading to her resignation. What do these papers tell us about the major incidents, and are we nearer to understanding the exact circumstances and reasons? Additional information presented deepens the “hear-say” situation, as there are still areas of uncertainty concerning the high-profile disagreement between a Government Minister and the chairwoman of RTÉ.
Communication
It was previously established that there was considerable communication on the 22nd of February, concluding with Ní Raghallaigh stepping down in the early hours of the following day. She inaccurately informed Catherine Martin, the Minister for Media, that the board did not play a role in endorsing the departure agreement for former RTÉ chief financial officer Richard Collins – an assertion she later classified as an oversight. This caused the minister to erroneously relay this to the press. On the morning of February 22nd, Ní Raghallaigh contacted Martin’s department to correct her mistake, sparking a series of phone conversations between the minister’s officers and Ní Raghallaigh.
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Documents provided to the Oireachtas media committee illustrate that at the peak of the events, Ní Raghallaigh offered to have a conversation with Martin over the phone. This exact detail was unknown to the public, however, Martin had previously expressed in the committee that she did not deem a phone call as being suitable but rather wanted her staff to be present at any dialogue, hence her preference for a meeting. Nevertheless, by then it was clear to Martin that Ní Raghallaigh had threatened multiple times to quit her position and that Ní Raghallaigh would likely resign if a letter revealing her disappointment was sent by Martin.
It’s tough to determine the exact importance of this fact: one possibility is that Martin turned down a phone call and thus a potential opportunity to diffuse the situation. Another is that a phone call may have been futile and resulted in all sides simply reiterating their stance. Although Martin’s inclination for a formal discussion appears to be excessively bureaucratic, her faith in Ní Raghallaigh had significantly deteriorated by this point and it’s plausible that she wished to protect herself from further misunderstandings.
Dialogue
Throughout the ongoing saga, one of the dominant queries touches on when the department got wind of the board’s agreement to Collins’s departure package, and how they utilised that information. On the 22nd day of February, Ní Raghallaigh reiterated that she had formerly relayed the board’s participation in a telephonic conversation when the package was settled in the previous October – a fact she has been consistently solid on. Martin – and the department – argue, however, that she merely hinted that she “envisioned” saying this.
Ní Raghallaigh takes strong exception to this point, arguing that her usage of the word “envisioned” was in relation to what Katherine Licken, the then secretary general of the department, reported to the Minister following their call, rather than her recollection of notifying the department about the board’s participation.
Ní Raghallaigh has been unequivocal about this in her Monday declaration: “I clarified this when queried on Thursday, February 22nd and, when challenged, I conceded that I couldn’t possibly know whether the specifics of my dialogue with the secretary general were shared with the Minister, given that I wasn’t included in that conversation, but that I would suppose it was so.
“A different interpretation is now being placed on that, and my use of the word ‘imagine’ is being misconstrued now.”
This is relevant because it implies the chair was in effect compelled to leave for not correctly recalling data already within the department’s purview. However, the note doesn’t really throw new light on this. It simply reconfirms Martin’s words to the committee: the department’s narrative that Ní Raghallaigh “pictured that she would have also mentioned the role of the remuneration committee in that conversation.”
Gatherings
One of the most detrimental accusations levelled at Martin in her Monday announcement was that the Green Party deputy leader took a “remote” approach to the RTÉ crisis. The key proof for this assertion was the frequency – or lack thereof – of her meetings with Ní Raghallaigh.
Martin communicated with the media committee stating that her primary means of contact was via Ní Raghallaigh and it appeared as though they had substantial interaction. However, the ex-chair of RTÉ refuted this, specifying their meetings were neither formal, scheduled, nor frequent, and Martin mostly liaised with officials directly.
In a letter to the committee chair, Niamh Smyth, Martin detailed 15 meetings in total, though two intervals exhibit infrequent gatherings – a seven-week span across July and August (during which Martin experienced a loss) and another phase from last November 9th to January 23rd.
This information may challenge Ní Raghallaigh’s claim, but there is a low probability of her providing further clarification on aspects such as the meeting’s nature and value she ascribed to them, or her definition of direct meetings. This disagreement is likely to persist.
The committee did not ask for records regarding a significant interval: October 9th and 10th. Around this time, Ní Raghallaigh affirms she have thoroughly informed the department, while the department denies receiving vital board sign-off details. Martin has purportedly stated a crucial phone call between her former secretary general and the RTÉ chair lacks documentation. However, if there are more records within the department concerning this timeframe, it might provide more insight into this key issue.
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