Cork stag 'a decent guy', future father-in law insists after Prague furore
The future father-in-law of a Cork man whose stag has caused a storm of controversy has defended him as a “decent guy” who would not knowingly offend anyone.
The owner of a bar in Prague where the stag took place condemned the behavior of the stag party as “repulsive, shameful and vulgar”.
Frank Haughton said some of the stag party donned Hitler masks, as well as slapping waiting staff on their buttocks, and verbally abusing locals who asked them to stop their behaviour.
Father of the bride-to-be Donie told Cork's 96FM that, while he was not at the stag himself, he "knew the people who were out there and they're a very decent bunch of guys".
He said his future son-in-law "would never do anything out of the way".
He said that as far as he understood it, the friends removed the Hitler masks when they understood they were giving offence, and apologised for their behaviour.
Frank Haughton told the show he had spoken individually and as a group with the bar manager and staff and had not heard anything about an apology.
Donie said he didn't know whose idea the Hitler masks were, but said a lot of the stag party were in their 20s and 30s and may not "have had a clue about WWII", and the Czech Republic's recent history.
"If I was there I wouldn't have allowed it. I know the history of WWII - (wearing the Hitler masks) was very, very inappropriate," he said.
But Donie insisted the stag party were all decent guys - even though they could be boisterous on occasion - and said “there is no malice or harm in them”.
Referring again to his future son-in-law, he said he was “a lovely guy, a very quiet guy...You wouldn’t hear him behind a paper bag."
He insisted the stag party had apologised, though he did not know to whom they had made their apology.
The Opinion Line's Deirdre O'Shaughnessy asked about a facebook comment that suggested a Nazi war film was being shot in the square in Prague, where extras were wearing Nazi clothes. Mr Haughton said he did not believe there had been any filming in the square.
Donie said his daughter had flown away on her own hen this morning, and was unaware of the furore.
