No room for Ming
By Robert Allen
Section 31 may no longer be with us but that doesn't mean that
censorship in the 26 counties has gone away.
Last year Galway film maker Mike Casey and two colleagues, James
Finlan and Rory Gavin, made a short film about the Galway
electoral campaign of Luke Flanagan, aka Ming the Merciless.
It is a poignant social documentary, a snapshot of real Ireland,
or as the film makers describe it, ``the very true story of fun
lovin' criminal Ming the Merciless''. They called it Dole Eireann.
But, fourteen months after it was completed, this award winning,
critically acclaimed documentry has yet to be given a TV
screening. Casey wonders why.
``We have still been unable to persuade any of the three
television networks now operating in the state to commit
themselves to broadcasting the thing,'' says Casey, adding that
there are a number of possible explanations for this.
``The film is crap and who wants to see that madman rattle on
about drugs and life on the dole and all that nonsense anyway. He
should get a job!
``They don't have the budget.
``I am crap at my job and couldn't possibly produce my way out of
a paper bag.
``RTE have lost the tape and our address and phone number and all
memory of ever being contacted by us.
``The film is brilliant but it scares them (RTE in particular).''
``In retrospect it all has a weary inevitability about it,'' says
Casey. ``Irish society has always had a way of ignoring the
difficult and profane as the experiences of James Joyce, JM
Synge, Bob Quinn, Raymond Crotty, Robert Allen, Dermot Morgan and
others would testify.
``Or look at the conspiracy of silence that allowed the wholesale
systematic abuse of generations of single mothers and their
so-called illegitimate off-spring in the Magdelen laundry, the
legions of sexual abuse cases (both clerical and secular) in the
last number of years, or the slush funds, cronyism and paybacks
that have riddled our political system since God only knows when.
``Not that we would presume to equate ourselves to the illustrious
company mentioned above or suggest that our film is of such earth
shattering relevance to the future of our democratic system of
government that it just has to be seen immediately, or indeed
that there is some overt attempt to prevent the film being seen,
but why, after all this time, can't someone let us know what's
happening?''
Casey's criticisms are directed primarily at RTE. TV3 finally
contacted Casey two weeks ago to tell him his film did not fit
into their programme requirements. TnaG said they didn't have the
budget but liked the film.
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