“For some it’s literally a word that can slice open a wound that bleeds memories of real life and online bullying, possibly times linked into someone’s coming out, for me memories of feeling left behind on a football pitch.”
RTÉ 2FM DJ Stephen Byrne has voiced his opinion on the current contentious debate surrounding ‘Fairytale of New York’.
The famous and largely beloved Christmas anthem from The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl has come into renewed focus in recent days, with some people making the point that the use of the F-word in the song is deeply problematic.
Earlier this week, 2FM DJ Eoghan McDermott took to Twitter to voice his own thoughts on the contentious debate, arguing that the song should be censored.
“This debate rolls around again,” McDermott said.
“I asked the two gay members of my team how they feel, since faggot is their N word. If people want to slur the gay community, this is their most powerful weapon. One favours censoring, the other outright not playing it. Neither like it. Simples.”
On Thursday afternoon, Byrne posted his own feelings on the matter on social media, explaining his own difficult relationship with the song.
“Just bleep the word,” he suggested. “I dare you [to have] the same reaction to fuck, shit, cunt and the n word in the way that people protect to the use of a homophobic slur with the excuse of ‘tradition’.
“For some it’s literally a word that can slice open a wound that bleeds memories of real life and online bullying, possibly times linked into someone’s coming out, for me memories of feeling left behind on a football pitch.”
Byrne, whose Leaving Cert documentary Leaving Again aired on RTÉ One back in September, went on to share a personal experience of how he was made to feel uncomfortable in a public setting.
“I was in a club the other day and they played that song. I stood in a room as over 200 people screamed a word that’s been used to make me feel like an outsider with such joy and cheer.”
He then pointed to an example of Gary Barlow and Dawn French singing the song and how the offending part in question was underlined.
“The scene of a packed crowd cheering on a straight woman for successfully uttering a homophobic slur is that part of the song all over,” said Byrne.
Finally, he offered a summary of his general feelings on the matter.
“In all though, thats just my reason that I feel hurt by it.
“People can do and say what they want, I hate the lack of appreciation for why it hurts people more than the actual lack of censorship of the actual word. I’m a big boy.”
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JOE has reached out to RTÉ 2FM for comment.
Meanwhile, Classic Hits presenter Niall Boylan challenged Eoghan McDermott and his team, noting that “this is just getting stupid now” and accusing McDermott of seeking publicity.
McDermott responded, explaining that he doesn’t think that censoring the song “doesn’t seem like a big deal” in the grand scheme of things.
Hey Niall, maybe the tweet comes across more militant than the conversation was. Neither of them are out campaigning, they just don't like the particular word, which I understand. Beeping one word just doesn't seem like a big deal to me! We – me, you, every radio station in 🇮🇪
— Eoghan McDermott (@eoghanmcdermo) December 6, 2018
Boylan fired back by confirming his and his station’s approach to the song.
“I won’t be beeping anything nor will Classic Hits,” he said. “OTT oversensitive nonsense.”
The Pogues hit, featuring Kirsty MacColl, has consistently been voted as the greatest Christmas song of all time but in 2007, BBC Radio 1 edited words from the track to “avoid offence”.
At the time, MacColl’s mother, Jean, called the ban “too ridiculous”, while The Pogues said that they found it “amusing”.
The BBC explained their decision by saying:
“We are playing an edited version because some members of the audience might find it offensive.”
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