Hitler mask stag revellers ‘didn’t mean to offend’ says future father-in-law

The future father-in-law of the man whose Nazi mask-wearing stag party in Prague sparked controversy has defended the group and said they didn’t mean to offend anyone.

Donie O’Callaghan said Aidan Foley, who is engaged to his daughter, is a lovely guy.

“I know my future son-in-law and he’s not like that. He’s quiet. You wouldn’t hear him behind a paper bag,” Mr O’Callaghan said.

He said the men on the stag party are a “decent bunch of lads” who would never do anything out of the way. “There’s no malice in them; there’s no harm. They were away for a good time, but you can’t control all of them all the time,” he said.

READ MORE: Cork stag party wearing Hitler masks in Prague was ‘national embarrassment’

Mr O’Callaghan, who wasn’t part of the stag party, spoke out on The Opinion Line on Cork’s 96fm yesterday after the Irish Examiner reported how Prague bar owner Frank Haughton had branded the group “truly repulsive” and a “national embarrassment”.

@OpinionLine96 I don't think a busy bar owner, in another country is going to take time out to complain about nothing?

— Seán an Seanchaí (@scarydollies) May 1, 2015

The group was one of a number of Cork stag parties in Prague the weekend before last.

Despite claims on local radio yesterday that the offending group bought just one Hitler mask in a nearby shop as a joke, Mr Haughton insisted that several men in the group wore the masks as they sat drinking outside his Caffrey’s bar close the city’s Jewish quarter.

He said some of them, who ranged in age from early 20s to their mid 50s, then verbally abused locals who raised objections to the wearing of the Hitler masks; slapped his female staff on their buttocks; and launched into a tirade of sexually offensive comments.

My new sounds: Father-In-Law Defends Hitler Stag Party https://t.co/RTJeV4eX5t on #SoundCloud

— 96fm Opinion Line (@OpinionLine96) May 1, 2015

LETTER: Irish stag party wore Hitler masks near Jewish quarter in Prague

There is no suggestion that Mr Foley was wearing a Nazi mask or had harassed female bar staff.

Mr Haughton said he has welcomed countless stag parties to his bars over the last 22 years but this Cork group was the worst he has ever encountered, and should be ashamed of their behaviour. “They were a disgrace to themselves, their families, and a huge embarrassment to Ireland,” he said. “Their language, their inability to have any respect for anything, was repulsive. These guys just didn’t give a damn.”

Mr O’Callaghan accepted that the wearing of Hitler masks was inappropriate and said: “Some of the lads are in their 20s and 30s and hadn’t a clue what was going on in World War II. If I was there [at the party], I wouldn’t have allowed it. I know the history of WWII and I know what he [Hitler] done.”

But he said when they became aware of the offence they had caused, they took the masks off and later apologised. Mr Haughton said he wasn’t aware of the apology.

Ah really, lads in their 20s or 30s wouldn't have known about WW2? Who did they think Hitler was?! @OpinionLine96

— Eoin Dineen (@Eoin__Dineen) May 1, 2015

READ MORE: Cork stag 'a decent guy', future father-in law insists after Prague furore

Another man who said he was on the stag party said the group went back to the bar later and had a sing-song .

Mr O’Callaghan also said that if someone treated his daughter the way Mr Haughton alleged the stag group treated his staff, he’d “give him a clatter around the ear”.

Mr Haughton said the stag party was in his bar from about 2.30pm until they were eventually asked to leave at around 5.30pm. He has now decided to hire full-time weekend security at Caffrey’s.

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