Irish Examiner view: Singer Liam Payne made no secret of struggles
Liam Payne acknowledged alcohol issues and checked into a rehab facility. Picture: Isabel Infantes
The singer’s sudden death at the age of 31 is a terrible tragedy first and foremost for his family.
Payne shot to fame with boyband One Direction, who were one of the most famous music acts in the world between 2010, when they formed, and 2016, when they went on indefinite hiatus.
It is understood he was in Buenos Aires this week to attend a performance by Niall Horan, the Westmeath native and one-time bandmate of Payne’s in One Direction.
Younger fans made up much of the band’s immense following during their peak: Their sadness now, years after One Direction went their separate ways, has the distinctive edge that comes when a well-loved part of one’s youth is lost.
In the brief period of time since Payne’s passing, Argentinian media outlets have already published pictures of his hotel room depicting alleged ‘drug paraphernalia’, while other reports have suggested he was acting erratically just before his death, with hotel management concerned about his safety.
Payne made no secret of his struggles with substance abuse and addiction, acknowledging issues with alcohol during his time with One Direction and checking himself into a rehabilitation facility just last year.
His death raises questions about the level of support which exists for performers of all kinds who are plunged into a whirlwind lifestyle of performance and pressure — and are then spat out on the other side by the entertainment machine when they no longer sell out concerts.
There is a depressingly long list of stars across all sectors of the entertainment industry who have been unable to adapt to life when the applause fades away. Sadly, Liam Payne appears to have joined that list.
The organisation told the Oireachtas that Ireland needs to double the number of professionals with cybersecurity skills to ensure a “sustainable pipeline” into the future.
It pointed out that there are currently 8,000 people working in this sector in Ireland, adding that training 10,000 professionals in cybersecurity skills is necessary to maintain that pipeline.
A cynic might point out that such an organisation would have a vested interest in greater investment in its sector of the economy, but that view fails to take account of the real dangers in this area.
It is just three years since the HSE was the subject of a massive ransomware attack which caused all its IT systems across the country to be shut down, for instance. The financial cost of that attack, in terms of the technical recovery alone, is estimated to be as much as €200m.
That attack was attributed to a criminal group in Russia which is viewed as generally independent of that country’s government but which is believed to have co-operated with the Russian state in conducting at least one cyber attack.
Such co-operation raises a particularly worrying spectre — the extent to which some states are happy to use cyber attacks against others. Clearly we cannot rely on our policy of neutrality to protect ourselves against this threat.
The Cyber Ireland warning was also particularly timely given the focus this week on a parking scam. Motorists using a QR code on certain parking meters in Dublin found their credit card details were being stolen by fraudsters.
Given how much of our commercial activity is now conducted online, not to mention how much we take on trust when it comes to security, perhaps 10,000 newly-trained cybersecurity professionals will not be enough to keep us safe.
It was part of a sale of almost 100 lots in the Rory Gallagher Collection, which ranged from amplifiers to harmonicas, but the Stratocaster was undoubtedly the headline item. It was purchased by Live Nation Gaiety Ltd and donated to the National Museum of Ireland.
At first, it was thought that the State had bought the guitar. It has a track record in that regard, having allocated funding to purchase manuscripts from WB Yeats’ descendants some years ago, and the asking price for the Gallagher Strat amounted to a slightly higher total than two Leinster House bike sheds, after all.
Are there some tricky questions looming when it comes to the guitar’s ultimate resting place? In welcoming the purchase, Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Minister Catherine Martin said: “I look forward to hearing more of the museum’s plans to showcase the famous Strat, which I understand will include Cork, where the legendary musician grew up.”
Will anything other than permanent residence meet with the approval of Gallagher’s friends and fans on Leeside, however? The most appropriate showcase might be the long-awaited Cork event centre, which will be leased to the purchasers of the guitar, Live Nation, when it is finally built.
