RTÉ mast points the way

Aerial ambition

Sir, – Further to recent correspondence (January 14th), many years ago as a young child my father let me in on a very little-known secret. While driving past Montrose I noticed a man climbing up the side of the RTÉ mast. When I asked my father who the man was I was reliably told it was no other than Charles Mitchell climbing up to read the evening news from a studio at the top. Apparently this studio was ideally suited to current affairs broadcasting as the view allowed the newsreader opportunities to have a first-hand account of the events of the day. Over the years I have been surprised by how few people knew of this, including people I have met who worked in RTÉ itself.

I am looking forward to passing on story of the secret studio to my daughter as she gets older, as unfortunately my father is no longer with us to do it himself. – Yours, etc,

Dr MATTHEW SADLIER,

Donnybrook,

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Dublin 4.

Sir, – On January 13th, I wrote about driving past the RTÉ mast and finding it to be an ugly structure.

Rory J Whelan wrote (January 14th) that I should be using public transport instead of driving to work. I wish to inform him that I am a GP and part of my daily work involves visiting a nursing home not far from RTÉ. Taking a bus is not an option in my case. – Yours, etc,

Dr PAT McGRATH,

Monkstown,

Co Dublin.