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SAOI SA CHATHAOIR

Mary Kennedy - Saoi Sa Chathaoir Image Name: Mary Kennedy - Saoi Sa Chathaoir
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Series 1, Episode 2 – Mary Kennedy

A new feel good six-part series from RTÉ Cláracha Gaeilge.   

Saoi sa Chathaoir (Wise One in the Chair)

In this week episode of Saoi sa Chathaoir (Wise One in the Chair) it’s Mary Kennedy’s turn to sit in the hot seat. She reflects back over some of the events and people that have had a big impact on her and shares some of what she has taken from her experience.

She remembers how, as a young girl, she saw JFK going by as she joined the crowds lining the streets of Dublin to welcome him to Ireland.

“I think, looking back on it, that it was a significant moment in Irish life. We felt a connection

between our small, unsophisticated island at the edge of Europe, and the powerful United States.

And it was a tribal connection – it was almost familial. And everyone in Ireland was so proud and so happy with this event.”

Then, she recalls how shocking it was for everyone to hear, only a few months later, that President Kennedy had been shot dead.

“I remember that five months later, my family were overwhelmed with sadness, as was the entire country, on the 22nd November, 1963, when JFK was assassinated. It was devastating for Ireland. And I think we felt it as a personal loss, really. There was such a strong bond between both countries. There was a picture of JFK on the wall of every home in Ireland. I remember one in the kitchen of my own home. And it was also a source of great pride and a sign of the strong bond when Jackie Kennedy asked the Irish Army Cadets to be part of the funeral service.”

Dana winning the Eurovision for Ireland was another event that stands out for Mary and it was one that planted a seed in her mind as a young woman..

“I was a teenager when Dana won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970. Ireland had been taking part in the contest for seven years by then, and we were doing well…We’d made it as far as second place …so we’d been looking forward to a good result. Dana was 18 years old…a star in my eyes, and yet she was only three years older than me. We were so excited watching Dana and waiting for the results to come in. And when she won, it was as if someone cast a spell. The challenge had been laid down. I said to myself, ‘Oh wow, I’d love to be involved in that contest.”

And of course, years later she was involved in the Eurovision when she presented the show in front of millions of people in 1995:

I remember every second of it. I still recall how nervous I was, as I walked down those steps, under the glow of the lights. And then to be standing on the stage. I felt in a way, like an ambassador, for RTÉ, for myself, for my family and the country.

Mary reveals how that experience was a turning point in her working life.

“At that time, I was still teaching but the decision was made then. I told myself that I had to pursue the opportunity. And it was then that I quit teaching and took a chance on a career in television.”

And, as she reflects on her career in TV, Mary counts herself lucky that she had the opportunity to meet and hear so many different people’s stories.

“I really adored the work I did over many years with Nationwide. It allowed me to travel around the country and gave people a chance to tell their own story, in their own environment.

We’re a nation of storytellers and we all have our own story to tell.

And when I look back on all the jobs that I’ve done, okay, so you had the Eurovision, which was brilliant. I really enjoyed it. But I get just as much enjoyment out of going to a small, rural area and getting the warm welcome. I just let that person, who is important in their own community, in our country, tell their story.”

She shares with us how, when she went to India to cover Mother Teresa’s funeral in 1997, her eyes were opened to the poverty that existed in many other parts of the world.

“That was the first time I was ever in the developing world. And seeing the world in which she lived really had an impact on me. The squalor, poverty, people living on top of each other. They were begging on the side of the street. They slept on the streets, as they had nowhere else to go. They were washing their teeth in the gutters, as the water flowed. And now I realise, just how different and how difficult life is, for those living in poverty.”

Overall, looking back, Mary says that all the experiences she has had and the people she has met have helped make it clear to her what is truly important in life.

“Now that I’m in my sixties, and I’ve lived through so many different events, I think the most important thing are interpersonal relationships. Love, for your family, love for vulnerable people. It’s all about people. And when we get through this difficult period, in terms of Covid 19, I hope that the understanding that has blossomed about our relationships and how important they are will continue to flourish.”

Series Overview:

At a time when the country is, by choice or otherwise, quite introspective, we take the opportunity to put some well known and loved, iconic Irish personalities on the spot. They are asked to sit themselves down in the Cathaoir (chair) and up-close and personal,  reveal their story of our times, the moments that shaped their lives and ours.

Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Mary Kennedy, Pádraig Ó Céidigh, Aengus Mac Grianna, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Evanne Ní Chuilinn are the wise people who sit on the chair.

They are invited to talk about and explore the moments they cherish, which will chime with all of us. They will interrogate the heroes, the mentors, events, places, culture and politics that shaped and continue to shape their lives and contributed to making them the people they have become and who we think we know.

All our lives share key moments and turning points and this is what brings us together as a community.  Shared experiences make up each of our unique individual lives. So whether it is the influence of personal heroes or people who have inspired us to take the road less travelled.  We’re as curious to know what makes them laugh as much as cry; about their first job as much, if not more than, the zenith of a career. Saoí sa Chathaoir is a challenge and a call to step outside the usual celebrity interview.

A chair has been a significant symbol of learning in the ecclesiastic, academic, and even  the bardic tradition.    The Cathaoir in this series is itself a bit of a character,  hand crafted in Co West Meath  by  Jason Robards.  It brings with it a certain magical elegance!

Episode 2: Tuesday 30th June at 7.30pm on RTÉ One