Panti beats The Queen in Christmas Day speech-off

ON Christmas Day, 71,000 viewers tuned in to TV3 to see Panti Bliss deliver the ‘Queen of Ireland’s Christmas Message’, which reflected on the moments that defined 2015.

Viewership averaged at 47,000, peaking at 57,000. This out-performed the traditional Queen’s Speech on BBC1, which delivered on average 43,000 viewers in the Republic of Ireland across the 3 to 3.09 p.m. slot.

The speech was also well received throughout social media, with many viewers commending Panti for a job well done.

In her speech, Panti said: “I am as Irish as it's possible to be. Born in the proud county of Mayo, I'm O'Neill on one side and O'Donnell on the other. I'm as Irish as a Spice Burger, or Sharon Ní Bheolán 'and the way she might look at ya'. And yet I wasn't always sure that 'Irishness' was elastic enough to include someone like me. But I am now. We didn't change the definition of marriage on May 22, but we did expand the definition of Irishness to include people like me. And for that, I'm very grateful. It feels great.”

She was referring to the referendum on marriage equality, one of the defining moments of 2015.

Change was the theme of her speech. “The kind of change we need to make to live up to the promise to cherish all the children of the nation equally may seem daunting, but if May 22nd taught us anything, it’s that if we feel strongly enough about something, and if we work together, we can achieve incredible things. We can move mountains.

“I mean, if you had told someone 20 years ago that someone like me would get to speak to you in your Christmas living rooms, they’d have quietly called the doctor!”