RTÉ confirm they won’t be censoring the lyrics of Fairytale of New York

RTÉ have confirmed that they will not be censoring the Christmas song, Fairytale of New York, on its stations.

The song's use of the F-word has been the subject of a massive online debate in recent days. RTÉ 2FM's Eoghan McDermott and Stephen Byrne both took to social media to discuss their objections to the song's use of the word, both arguing that censoring the word within the song wouldn't actually distract from the rest of the song. McDermott said that it's "not a big ask" to censor the word, pointing out:

"The fact this song is a classic isn't a strong enough defense to not at least censor it."

Meanwhile, Byrne spoke on Twitter about his opinion on The Pogues song as he shared his own personal experiences with the tune. He said:

"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."

The suggestion of whether or not to censor the song has sparked a huge debate on Twitter, with social media users divided over McDermott and Byrne's arguments. RTÉ have issued a statement on the controversial topic, and whether or not they would be censoring the song. In a statement issued to JOE, a spokesperson for the broadcaster said:

"The song 'Fairytale of New York' will continue to be played on RTÉ Radio without omissions."