RTE star Claire Byrne has issued an apology over Dave Fanning’s comments about Christy Dignam during her show last week.
Fanning apologised on Tuesday for his remarks he made about the late Aslan singer a day after his passing last Tuesday. On her RTE Radio 1 show on Wednesday, Claire highlighted Fanning’s apologetic statement on the programme and issued her own apology also, saying she was satisfied that Fanning had no “intention to be hurtful”.
She told listeners: “It reflected on his life and career and during the course of that, Dave Fanning, who as you know interviewed Christy many times, made remarks for which he has apologised for and Dave has acknowledged that his attempt to reflect on the past era totally missed the mark.
“They were his words and that his comments were ill timed and in poor taste. Now we’re satisfied there was no intention to be hurtful and those comments made by Dave were regarded though as hurtful and offensive by some. This programme also apologises for that and we’re happy to do so today.”
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Fans were left angered after Fanning said that Christy “blew it royally” with his success due to his substance abuse. Fanning admitted on Tuesday he was “wrong” about what he said and was trying to highlight “some deeper issues in Ireland during the eighties”.
In a statement, he said he “missed the mark” and said his tribute was “ill-timed and poor taste”.
He said in a statement on Twitter : “I listened back to my bit on the radio about Christy Dignam feeling that it wasn’t perhaps as bad as some comments have made out.
“Comments were right, I was wrong - it was bad. I was trying to highlight some deeper issues in Ireland during the eighties and I totally missed the mark. Incredibly ill-timed and poor taste. I really didn’t intend to come across that way.”
But Fanning went on to say that Christy was one of the “nicest and most genuine people” he ever met in the music business and he wants to apologise publicly to the Dignam family for his comments he made last week.
“Christy was honestly one of the nicest and most genuine people I met in the music business, as are all of Aslan, and I have said that many times down through the years. I particularly want to apologise to his family. Christy was ALWAYS a gentleman who deserves better than that from me,” he added.
Speaking on Claire Byrne’s RTÉ Radio One show last week, Fanning maddened fans when he said that Dignam “blew” his image by turning to heroin, triggering more than 40 complaints to RTE.
He said at the time: “He blew it royally and he would say later on that, you know, 'I was abused at the age of six by a neighbour, and this whole of my life for ages so I filled it not by trying to get high with heroin, but just by filling it with heroin to keep myself away from the memory of it.'
“I remember saying to him, ‘Are you sure about that now Christy? Are you sure you're not trying to pull the wool over my eyes?’
“So look, you can look at it that way, if you like, that's what I'm saying. Basically, what I'm saying is you have two things about people who go on heroin, get rid of them are doing the best you can with them.
“He blew it royally and he would say later on that, you know, 'I was abused at the age of six by a neighbour, and this whole of my life for ages so I filled it not by trying to get high with heroin, but just by filling it with heroin to keep myself away from the memory of it.'
“I remember saying to him, ‘Are you sure about that now Christy? Are you sure you're not trying to pull the wool over my eyes?’
“So look, you can look at it that way, if you like, that's what I'm saying. Basically, what I'm saying is you have two things about people who go on heroin, get rid of them are doing the best you can with them.”
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