Growing up in Castlebar in the 1950s and the 1960s Ernie Sweeney encountered a number of health problems which meant he missed periods of school over the years. This resulted in him falling behind and he had great difficulties with reading and writing. Being a member of a large class as was fairly normal in those days, he had little chance of getting any extra attention for his difficulties. Those were the days also prior to the presence of special needs teachers in schools. People like Ernie were often treated as being stupid and as result there was a huge stigma attached to the inability to be able to read.
Ernie however, despite the challenges in front of him, decided he was not going to let his lack of skills in reading and writing to inhibit his life. Instead he sought the help of Brother Augustus, a teacher in St Gerald’s College. On a one-to-one basis they met over a number months in a small broom cupboard in the school, the only place where Ernie could be assured of confidentiality. Ernie made great strides and gradually mastered the art of reading.
The programme traces the story of Ernie’s early life and the many problems he came up against as he battled with his own disability and also how he got involved with a campaign to improve the rights of people with literacy difficulties. It also tells of Ernie’s great lobbying skills and how he got politicians, national figures and many well-known people to support his proposal to have photographs on ballot papers.
The programme contains exerpts of Ernie speaking in local churches and also an interview he had with Marion Finnucane on national radio to promote his campaign. Michael Ring speaks about Ernie’s critical visit to the Dáil to meet the members of a committee chaired by the late Jim Mitchell, which eventually led to the adoption by Government of Ernie’s proposal to have photographs on ballot papers.
The programme will be broadcast on Saturday April 17 between 1.30pm and 2.30pm and is supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland through the Sound and Vision Fund.
