Comments on: We are the laughing stock.

By: asdas

asdas — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:23:50 +0000

sarah your a slavish follower of authority above all else.

By: cearta.ie » Cowengate: Pictures at an exhibition

cearta.ie » Cowengate: Pictures at an exhibition — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:22:10 +0000

By: Sarah Carey

Sarah Carey — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:52:19 +0000

lol

By: Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:05:52 +0000

I understand the Gardai are to mount checkpoints at secondary schools over the coming weeks in order to inspect copybooks as it is rumoured that unflattering drawings of government ministers adorn the covers of school books.

By: Sarah Carey

Sarah Carey — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:58:03 +0000

I think the commentary on this is a bit one-sided. There are two issues here – the apology and the garda involvement. I saw the original report. Now, everyone knows well I am a robust critic of FF but when I saw it live I thought it was over the top. There was a funny story to report in the original hoax but the reporter had photocopies and invited comment from confused members of the public and the art expert. It was over the top and I can completely understand Ed Mulhall’s reaction when he sat at home watching it too. So I think O’Neachtain was entitled to complain about it (though as Simon says he probably shouldn’t have as it extended the story).

However, the other issue is the garda involvement and that IS sinister especially as the artist has had other paintings confiscated. That is outrageous and we should find out if Ahern or anyone else made a call.

By: Oisín Quinn

Oisín Quinn — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:41:02 +0000

Hey – don’t get too serious about. There is an ‘Irish’ cool to this story – major national economic crisis and what a way to protest – we’ve had marches, tractor blockades, sheep in the Dept of Agriculture, but this guy gets out his canvass and oil paints, does up a couple of nude portraits of the Taoiseach (Dutch Master style), sticks them in a rucksack and heads down to the National Gallery and puts them up like a scene from the Thomas Crown Affair (probably the security was less challenging and he didn’t have to wear the bowler hat – ipod with Nina Simone’s Sinnerman on would have been a nice touch).

The funniest thought is the first few tourists who went by without complaining … (Vermeer, Rembrandt … hey what’s this one …).

Ok – somebody in Government HQ was pretty stressed to send in the Gardai and complain to RTE … but it gives the story international legs and could start a new form of global protest for those who fancy a bit more than a placard and a loudhailer…

By: asdas

asdas — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:08:04 +0000

we are not, the gov is.

By: Locky

Locky — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:21:55 +0000

I object most strongly to the public display of these portraits.

They are far too flattering.