De Burgh 'very angry' at Ryanair statement after daughter Rosanna's calendar comment
The High Court has heard of singer Chris de Burgh's anger after Ryanair issued a press release saying comments by his daughter Rosanna Davison "bordered on racism".
The former Miss World is suing the airline for libel but Ryanair denies defaming the model and that the words used on its website mean she is a racist.
Rosanna Davison is being questioned in court as part of her libel action for damages against Ryanair over a press release published on the airline's website in November 2008.
Ryanair criticised comments by the model as having bordered on racism after she told the Irish Independent that if she had organised the airline's pin-up charity calendar, she would have made more of an effort to get Irish women involved.
Under cross examination, the 27-year-old model told the court she was very hurt at being called a racist, especially as her comment to the newspaper was innocuous and had not been meant as a criticism of Ryanair.
She agreed her father, the singer Chris de Burgh, got involved as he was very angry at the words used in the airline's press release.
Counsel for Ryanair told the court that Mr de Burgh told Ryanair in a phone call that he had previously brought 16 successful defamation actions.
