Leo didn’t understand the colloquialism used. Even out of context, the term doesn’t refer to what he thinks it is.
In any event, MHR should avoid such flippant language, it can easily be seen as a veiled insult.
To be fair, homophobia is only acceptable when it’s aimed at Leo varadkar
Oooohhh…the Healy-Rae’s being “cute” again, using their “culchi-ness” as a get out of jail free card. Ignorant feckers.
You know things have gone sideways for Healy-Rae here when you have Mick Caul and Village Magazine taking Varadkars side on twitter on this.
I have heard airy fairy used as a kind of “laa dee dah” expression, to describe someone who is out of touch with reality. I wouldn’t consider it a homophobic slur. Not being gay myself I suppose what matters is whether or not the gay person it was directed at was offended by it?
I’m not a fan of the Healy-Rae’s at all but he was making the point that Leo is out of touch with the average person and therefore I think the phrase stands.
I really wish someone would sit Miriam Lord down (and whoever does Goldhawk these days for the Phoenix) and explain to them that they’re not in the slightest funny.
Highlight of the article for me:
“while Danny looked vacantly into the middle distance.”
Oh FFS how biased is this article towards Varadkar. First of all I highly doubt that when MHR used the term “airy fairy” he meant it as a gay slur. That term has been around a long time and it has nothing to do with being gay. It means you have your head in the clouds, you’re out of touch with reality etc.
Didn’t read the article because it’s behind a pay wall but this sounds like a straw man argument.
2 fucking eejits
Healy-Rae used an expression “airy-fairy” that’s little used these days but you’d certainly hear it more down the country. That’s fine. However he used it out of context, (and don’t tell me he doesn’t know how to use it correctly) which suggests he definitely was having a personal go at Leo’s sexuality,
“Airy-fairy” is used to describe a person or personality trait that’s disconnected, distracted, off in their own mind. “She’s pure airy-fairy, she’d lose her head if it wasn’t attached to her”.
Nobody says “off with the airy-fairies”. It’s not a thing.
Goddamit I’m team Leo now. 🙄
Any update on the Garda investigation into an
Co-Teesh?? Surely can’t be too much more to investigate as he already admitted leaking top secret info… 🙃
I’m sorry but if you think this was some kind of homophobic dog-whistle and not a combination of ‘away with the fairies’ and ‘airy-fairy’ – both of which make perfect sense in the context of the conversation they were having – then you have worms in your brain.
I can’t stand MHR and his gombeen schtik, but I genuinely don’t think he was being homophobic either overtly or covertly.
15 comments
Did Michael Healy-Rae just call Leo a fairy?
Edit: Answer, yes. But it’s fine, see below.
Leo didn’t understand the colloquialism used. Even out of context, the term doesn’t refer to what he thinks it is.
In any event, MHR should avoid such flippant language, it can easily be seen as a veiled insult.
To be fair, homophobia is only acceptable when it’s aimed at Leo varadkar
Oooohhh…the Healy-Rae’s being “cute” again, using their “culchi-ness” as a get out of jail free card. Ignorant feckers.
You know things have gone sideways for Healy-Rae here when you have Mick Caul and Village Magazine taking Varadkars side on twitter on this.
I have heard airy fairy used as a kind of “laa dee dah” expression, to describe someone who is out of touch with reality. I wouldn’t consider it a homophobic slur. Not being gay myself I suppose what matters is whether or not the gay person it was directed at was offended by it?
I’m not a fan of the Healy-Rae’s at all but he was making the point that Leo is out of touch with the average person and therefore I think the phrase stands.
I really wish someone would sit Miriam Lord down (and whoever does Goldhawk these days for the Phoenix) and explain to them that they’re not in the slightest funny.
Highlight of the article for me:
“while Danny looked vacantly into the middle distance.”
Oh FFS how biased is this article towards Varadkar. First of all I highly doubt that when MHR used the term “airy fairy” he meant it as a gay slur. That term has been around a long time and it has nothing to do with being gay. It means you have your head in the clouds, you’re out of touch with reality etc.
Didn’t read the article because it’s behind a pay wall but this sounds like a straw man argument.
2 fucking eejits
Healy-Rae used an expression “airy-fairy” that’s little used these days but you’d certainly hear it more down the country. That’s fine. However he used it out of context, (and don’t tell me he doesn’t know how to use it correctly) which suggests he definitely was having a personal go at Leo’s sexuality,
“Airy-fairy” is used to describe a person or personality trait that’s disconnected, distracted, off in their own mind. “She’s pure airy-fairy, she’d lose her head if it wasn’t attached to her”.
Nobody says “off with the airy-fairies”. It’s not a thing.
Goddamit I’m team Leo now. 🙄
Any update on the Garda investigation into an
Co-Teesh?? Surely can’t be too much more to investigate as he already admitted leaking top secret info… 🙃
I’m sorry but if you think this was some kind of homophobic dog-whistle and not a combination of ‘away with the fairies’ and ‘airy-fairy’ – both of which make perfect sense in the context of the conversation they were having – then you have worms in your brain.
I can’t stand MHR and his gombeen schtik, but I genuinely don’t think he was being homophobic either overtly or covertly.