Graham Norton apologises to Fermoy after 'horrible town' criticism ...
Norton, a Bandon native, has a home in Ahakista in West Cork.
Graham Norton during filming for the Graham Norton Show. Picture: Matt Crossick/PA Wire
Sat, 21 Oct, 2023 - 09:52
Graham Norton has apologised after a guest on his show described Fermoy as a "horrible town" last week.
One of the participants in the 'Red Chair' segment of The Graham Norton Show last week caused outrage in the Cork town after her comments.
The participant, a Scottish woman called Zoe, told last Friday's show she had lived in Ireland for 20 years.
When asked where, she responded: “Fermoy, Co Cork,” which she went on to describe as a “horrible, horrible town”.
The chairman of Fermoy's Tidy Towns committee had asked for an apology from the show for the comments.
Prior to the 'Red Chair' segment on Friday night's episode, Mr Norton said: "Before we do anything, I must begin with an apology.
"Last week, in the red chair, there was someone who was less than kind about the town of Fermoy.
"Well, suffice to say, the people of Fermoy were not happy - they were quite upset about it! So we'd like to apologise."
Mr Norton did note that he had defended the town to Zoe, pointing to the large pencil in the town which is a signpost for the former Faber-Castell factory.
"However, on the upside, Fermoy did win the cleanest town in Ireland in 2007 and 2018 so I'd imagine it's still quite clean. Big up to Fermoy."
Norton, a Bandon native, has a home in Ahakista in West Cork.
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