'Late Late' cancellation will cost my children's charities €100k, says Andrew McGinley 

Conor, Darragh and Carla with their father Andrew McGinley. 

A grieving father who was dropped from the Late Late Show said that the cancellation “is a massive blow” and will cost charities he set up in his late children’s names €100,000.

Andrew McGinley said while he accepted RTÉ’s decision to cancel him from the Late Late Show lineup this Friday, he does not understand it.

He was told RTÉ received a letter saying that seeing him on the show would be painful for some people.

He was due to launch a charity raffle for a special Daniel O’Donnell concert in aid of As Darragh Did, a charity set up in his late son’s name to help communities throughout Ireland.

“It’s a massive loss of exposure for the charity. It means we may not be able to help as many clubs and societies around the country as we would like to do in Darragh’s name,” Mr McGinley said.

“We brought forward the launch of the raffle when RTÉ reached out and we were relying on it then for exposure.

“I was going to be talking about three legacy projects that keep the children, Conor, Darragh and Carla’s memories alive. I feel that the appearance on the Late Late Show would have been worth about 10,000 raffle tickets to us, which is about €100,000, which would have helped about 500 clubs and societies across the country.” 

Deirdre Morley and Andrew McGinley with their three children, Conor, Darragh and Carla. Picture: PA Wire

His three children, Conor, 9, Darragh, 7, and Carla, 3, were killed by their mother, Deirdre Morley at their home in Newcastle, Dublin, when she was suffering a psychotic and depressive episode on January 24, 2020.

Mr McGinley has been working hard to keep his children’s memories alive since their deaths, through charities and media platforms he set up that reflect their individual personalities and dreams.

He has also been campaigning with Cork woman Una Butler to involve families more in the care of their mentally ill loved ones.

He said he has not been told who objected to his Late Late Show appearance but he understands three people were involved.

He said some of his wife’s family have contacted him in support of his projects.

"I’m not setting out to upset anybody. That’s not what I want to do. I just want people not to forget Conor, Darragh and Carla, that’s all I want to do.

“I accept the decision [by RTÉ] but I don’t understand it,” Mr McGinley said.

“I really don’t know anything other than I was informed that they [RTÉ] had received a letter, that outlines, from the people who signed it, that it could be a painful and traumatic experience for them to hear me talk.

It should be about the children, and now it’s about whoever wrote in. And that’s desperately sad.

“I trusted the Late Late Show not to make it upsetting. I was conscious of Conor, Darragh and Carla’s friends. A lot of their parents texted me to say they were going to leave them up to hear me chat about their projects. I would have been so conscious of that.

“All I want to do is keep their names and their memories alive. And I do that through love. So I don’t see how that can be seen as painful. But that’s their decision.

“I’m devastated. It’s taken a lot of wind out of my sails. But I’ll pick myself up off the floor and go again.

“Raffle tickets are still on sale and we’ll try to plug that gap left by not going on the show.

“Through As Darragh Did, we help everyone from the Mullingar Town Band to the Down Syndrome Centre in Donegal, to an autism centre in Limerick. It’s all done in Darragh’s name. He would have been so proud to see people all over the country wearing jerseys with his name on them.” 

Mr McGinley also set up a YouTube channel and other social media accounts called Conor’s Clips for his son Conor, who had asked him to help him set up a YouTube channel before his death.

Colouring competition

For Carla, he recently launched a colouring competition called Snowman for Carla. The little girl had asked him to help her build a snowman before her death. Because it does not always snow in Ireland, he launched a colouring competition for her instead.

Despite this week's blow, Mr McGinley said he would continue with these projects and thanked people for their support.

I’ve had great support. Everyone who has rallied around – from Daniel O’Donnell, to Derry Clarke, to Louis Fitzgerald to Niall Quinn. The amount of support I have and the love, I’m so thankful.

“And until my last breath I’ll keep talking about Conor, Darragh and Carla.” 

When contacted by the Irish Examiner, RTÉ declined to comment or answer questions on the matter.

Tickets are available for a raffle to win four tickets to a special concert by Daniel O’Donnell for the charity in June, accommodation in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel and food provided by celebrity chef Derry Clarke and Mr McGinley’s employers Sodexo. Transport to and from the concert will be provided free by Dualway Coaches.

Buy raffle tickets and support the charities here.