Singing TD says free prime-time publicity ‘a double-edged sword’
The Greens finance spokesman was part of The Politicians team voted off RTÉ’s Charity You’re A Star show.
Mr Boyle, with Fianna Fáil TD Billy Kelleher, Senator Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) and Senator Michael McCarthy (Labour) had reached the last five of ten acts.
The multi-party outfit raised thousands of euro for the Irish Hospice Foundation and hoped to boost their profiles ahead of the General Election in 2007.
Cork South Central TD Mr Boyle said: “People have been very kind, saying well done, good cause. They seemed to enjoy the entertainment.”
But he added: “It’s a double-edged sword. The name recognition increases undoubtedly because you’re on a television programme. But if it’s in a negative context, if people think you’re being foolish or frivolous, you could just as well lose a vote. So I don’t know what the impact will be.”
The former youth worker said performing for a TV audience was daunting at first but he got used to it.
He pointed out that he had been accustomed to audiences of a few hundred people at political events — a drop in the ocean compared to nearly 500,000 viewers for the RTÉ show.
“We became oblivious to it after a while. We got a bit more confident as the performances went on.
“When you stand up in the Dáil, you know that hardly anybody is looking at it. The opposition response on Budget Day would probably be the biggest audience I’d have.”
The four remaining acts battling it out for their chosen charities are RTÉ travel presenter Kathryn Thomas, TG4 weatherman Daithí Ó Sé, former international footballer John Aldridge and Ros na Rún star Áine Ní Dhroighneáin.
Mr Boyle tipped Mr Ó Sé to win because of his wide appeal, adding: “He cuts across the demographics.”
Independent Dublin TD Finian McGrath was the runner-up in last year’s Charity You’re A Star.
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