SNL mocks the Irish... and the national airline hits back

Mocking Aer Lingus wasn’t the most sophisticated sketch Saturday Night has ever done – but the airline has since responded in suitable tongue-in-cheek manner.

The NBC show this weekend used the fact that its guest host was Irish-American actor Saoirse Ronan to recycle some old stereotypes. And yes there was mention of potatoes.

The skit attracted some online backlash, with criticism of ‘Paddywackery’ and dodgy accents that could ‘rival Tom Cruise in Far and Away’.

But the airline itself responded on Twitter: ‘Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Ronan impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad.’

The post, of course, mimics Donald Trump’s reaction to Alec Baldwin’s impression of him. This time last year, the sulky President tweeted: ‘Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad’

Aer Lingus also ran a poll on its Twitter feed. Two out of three respondents gave the SNL sketch the thumbs-down.

Published: 4 Dec 2017