Irish TV personality Graham Norton has slammed the country's national public service broadcaster after company bosses handed thousands of dollars to opponents of gay marriage.
Chiefs at broadcaster RTE agreed earlier this month to pay $US111,800 ($A124,312.00) to two journalists and four members of the Iona Institute, a right-wing Catholic group which opposes gay marriage, after being threatened with legal action for branding them homophobes.
However, talk show host Norton has slammed the decision to settle the case as "absolutely moronic".
"I'm not registered to vote in Ireland but I do pay the licence fee there and I'm f**king furious that some of my money has gone to these idiots. RTE settling wasn't gutless, it was absolutely moronic, he told Irish magazine Hot Press,
Irish drag queen Panti Bliss called four members of the Iona Institute and journalists John Waters and Breda O'Brien "horrible and mean about gays" during an episode of the Saturday Night Show, leading to the six individuals threatening legal action for defamation
