By Patrick Griffin.
So I found myself settling down with mug of mint tea and the morning newspapers at the Aer Lingus executive lounge at Dublin Airport’s Terminal One.
There is a wide selection of Irish newspapers available in the lounge and no matter which one I looked at there was only one story getting all the headlines…and it really did have everyone talking.
Not only was it on the front page of every newspaper in the land, all the radio stations were alive with the story, people were chatting about it at work and in the pub and on the phone to family and friends.
It involved a celebrity passenger, an Air Lingus aircraft and an alleged all-too-public act of, er, self-gratification.
It was also, I imagine, a story that airline bosses would probably not have wanted its premium passengers to be reading as they prepared for their flights around the globe.
Police called in after celebrity Aer Lingus passenger allegedly exposes himself on board a London to Cork late evening flight.
At the centre of the story is 49-year-old Neil Prendeville from Cork who hosts the most listened to show local radio show in Ireland and is something of a celebrity in the city.
He is also one of the highest paid radio hosts in the country and very much a household name.
The incident in question is said to have taken place shortly after the €150,000-a-year 96FM host boarded Aer Lingus flight EI725 from London Heathrow to Cork on October 19.
Mr Prendeville had been enjoying a day out in London hosted by the Cork Convention Bureau and it is fair to say that alcohol had been freely flowing during the day before it was time to catch the 10.15pm late night flight home.
The radio host recalls that, along with the alcohol, he also took a number of painkillers for a neck injury but says he cannot recall anything that happened once he boarded the flight and sat down in the front row.
However two flight attendants and at least one passenger say they have a very clear memory of what happened and have given statements to local police.
Can't remember...Irish Radio celebrity Neil Prendeville.
The witnesses allege that the radio host placed a copy of the inflight magazine “Cara” on his lap, undid his fly and proceeded to indulge in what could perhaps be best described as a solo act of self-entertainment. (The Irish newspapers I read in the Aer Lingus lounge put it far more bluntly than that.)
Now it has been variously reported that the people who witnessed this alleged act were said to be horrified at what they saw and Mr Prendeville – although he insists he has absolutely no recollection of what happened on board the plane – has issued a full public apology.
According to the Irish Examiner he also left a voicemail message on the phone of a female passenger who was sitting next to him with another gushing apology.
The paper said he told the passenger: “I just wanted to apologise to you for any offence that I might have caused you.
“I have no recollection whatsoever. I’m in shock, you know, I really am.
“I took some Nurofen Plus alright, I know that, for my neck. And as you know, with me anyway there was pints and wine and stuff and Jesus I don’t know where I’d begin to make it up to you.”
As I put the paper down and headed across the lounge to get another mug of mint tea I overheard one businessman tell his male colleague: “I don’t suppose you have a spare couple of Nurofen Plus by any chance?”
Heavens! I’m glad I wasn’t on his flight.
PG
