Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CENSORING FAIRYTALE IS JUST A FANTASY
RTE won’t drop ‘faggot’ from Pogues classic
RTE has said it will not censor the lyric “faggot” from The Pogues’ Christmas classic Fairytale Of New York.
It issued a statement following a week of controversy during which a number of people spoke out against the use of the word, a derogatory term for gay people.
The hit, which also features Kirsty Maccoll, has become one of the most played songs of the festive period across the UK and Ireland.
Irish country star Daniel O’donnell described it as “one of the best songs ever written” and his spirits lift when he hears it.
The 56-year-old said: “I think we need to stop now and just slow down.
“Like that song Baby It’s Cold Outside has been around for 50 years and I don’t think it incited anybody to do anything.”
Irish broadcaster Eoghan Mcdermott raised concerns about the impact of the word being played as part of the song which was originally released in 1987.
In a tweet the RTE DJ said he had asked two gay members of his team how they felt about the use of the word. He added one favoured censoring it while the other preferred the song not being played. He added: “Neither like it. Simples.” In a statement songwriter Shane Macgowan, who married his long-term partner Victoria Mary Clarke last week, defended the use of the word in the song, saying it suited the character. The 60-year-old wrote: “The word was used by the character because it fitted with the way she would speak and with her character.
“She is not supposed to be a nice person, or even a wholesome person. “She is a woman of a certain generation at a certain time in history and she is down on her luck and desperate.
“If people don’t understand I was trying to accurately portray the character as authentically as possible then I am fine with them bleeping the word but I don’t want to get into an argument.”
An RTE spokeswoman said: “Fairytale Of New York will be continued to be played without any omissions on RTE radio.” Boyzone singer Ronan Keating dropped the word on his cover of the song which was savaged by critics.