one saturday afternoon in the 90s i was walking through town and saw eamonn mccann address a big crowd outside the gpo, standing on the back of a lorry.

i stopped and watched for the next 20 minutes. he was electrifying.

It does not seem to be a skill that is valued by Irish politicians to any great degree (although there have been some in the lifetime of the state). There is a TD in Galway West who joined Toastmasters in Galway city two years before the last election to help work on his public speaking skills, so some of them do care about it. I've been a fair amount of public meetings though out the West in the last couple of years and the standard is poor. Few of them seem to be able to speak with real passion.

Originally Posted by Fides

Looking at other threads bemoaning Enda Kenny's "cowardice" during this campaign in not participating in a head to head debate even the most ardent FG supporters must surely agree he is not a great orator. Personally that is not as important to me as his ability to steer this country through the current crisis (jury's out). But who do we have that is a great political orator?

Where is our Barak Obama or George Galloway? It's not just the content of what they say but how they say it and even if you disagree with their viewpoint you have to admit they put across their point powerfully.

David Norris can be quite good, Joe Higgins used to be quite fun (not so recently). Any candidates?

Well, it may be disputed whether he actually counts, but David McWilliams would be great if he ever ran in politics. He can give explanations and solutions to relatively complex matters in a way that anyone, from a pensioner in an isolated rural area, to a clued-up expert from Dublin, can understand.

Daniel O'Connell was supposed to have been pretty handy at the oratory. Since then it seems, orators are as scarce as tight head props on the Irish rugby team.

How can a country whose people's greatest aspiration was to get on the property ladder, produce an orator? We are followers, not leaders and definitely not original thinkers. In fact, we have a tendency to ridicule or deem to be ridiculous, anyone who challenges orthodoxy in most any form. That is yet another rason why we are where we are, in fact.

Originally Posted by Toman13

Well, it may be disputed whether he actually counts, but David McWilliams would be great if he ever ran in politics. He can give explanations and solutions to relatively complex matters in a way that anyone, from a pensioner in an isolated rural area, to a clued-up expert from Dublin, can understand.

Indeed, but there is a difference between public speaking and oratory. McWilliams is an excellent public speaker (I've seen him in action on a number of occasions) but he is not a great orator. Stoichkov's example above is one relating to oratory.

Originally Posted by Man or Mouse

Daniel O'Connell was supposed to have been pretty handy at the oratory. Since then it seems, orators are as scarce as tight head props on the Irish rugby team.

How can a country whose people's greatest aspiration was to get on the property ladder, produce an orator? We are followers, not leaders and definitely not original thinkers. In fact, we have a tendency to ridicule or deem to be ridiculous, anyone who challenges orthodoxy in most any form. That is yet another rason why we are where we are, in fact.

Some decent points there. Irish people can react quite cynically to the 'vision thing' (particularly from fellow Irish persons - we react better to foreigners on that score) or to people articulating non-mainstream or contrarian views.

Originally Posted by Fides

Interesting point, I had never thought of it that way before. I'm trying to think of someone to disprove your point......
Martin Luther King...nope.....Winston Churchill...nope.....all defiance. You may be right.

Obama? Cameron? Thatcher?

Originally Posted by Cato

Indeed, but there is a difference between public speaking and oratory. McWilliams is an excellent public speaker (I've seen him in action on a number of occasions) but he is not a great orator. Stoichkov's example above is one relating to oratory.

Really? I thought that they were the same thing.

Originally Posted by Cato

Some decent points there. Irish people can react quite cynically to the 'vision thing' (particularly from fellow Irish persons - we react better to foreigners on that score) or to people articulating non-mainstream or contrarian views.

I think that it would have to come from someone who people think is reasonable and creditable. David McWilliams properly would be taken seriously if he ever ran a party.

You know, I just realised something - The best three Irish political orators - Devlin, Humes and Paisley - are all in the North!

I have heard people say that this country would have being significantly different if partition never happened. I could see it for Northern Ireland, but I never thought that it would have made much difference in the South. But maybe they are right - maybe we separated ourselves from our best political talent!