RTÉ denies Ifta repeat pulled over sound quality

Minister tweeted about ‘vulgar and vocal self-importance’ during awards ceremony

Actor Peter Coonan won an award for playing ‘Fran’ in the popular crime series. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times
Actor Peter Coonan won an award for playing ‘Fran’ in the popular crime series. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times

RTÉ has confirmed that it pulled a repeat of the screening of the Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) yesterday afternoon.

The broadcaster screened delayed live coverage of the show on Saturday night and was due to repeat it at 2.10pm yesterday.

A spokeswoman said the programme was pulled because it ran 25 minutes over and would have disrupted the schedule.

She said it was not as a result of complaints on social media that there was too much talking in the audience during the awards ceremony.

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Some users of Twitter were highly critical of the production with many posting tweets on the social media platform during the broadcast referring to the poor sound quality and the propensity of the audience to talk while awards were being presented.

Junior minister Ciarán Cannon tweeted: "The least attractive legacy of our Celtic Tiger years? The vulgar and vocal self-importance that denies respect to others. #shameful #iftas".

One tweeter referred to the audience being “ so out of control” while another compared it to “a trophy giving ceremony for a tiddlywinks team in a packed pub on a Friday night”.

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times