Francie the farmer becomes German sensation

A retired Kerry farmer has become an unlikely celebrity following his appearance on a German television programme on the controversy stirred by Danny Healy-Rae’s call for a relaxation of drink-driving laws for rural people.

Francie Casey, a customer of Healy-Rae’s public house in Kilgarvan, appeared on Spiegel TV sitting on a high stool in the pub, sipping a pint of stout at his dead ease.

“Was I on television?” he declared, feigning surprise at the question when contacted by the Irish Examiner. Francie, in his late 60s and from the Glenflesk area, is not the sort of man who looks for media exposure.