Liveline Callers Were Shocked By The Sex In 'Normal Poeple'

If the Late Late Show invented sex in Ireland, Normal People, which was aired on Tuesday night on RTÉ,  felt like a huge step forward in the discussion of sexuality amongst Irish teens. The portrayal of the sexual relationship between Connell and Marianne has been a huge talking point for people who watched the programme. Though we may be hard-pressed to recall having the amount of sex that Connell and Marianne enjoy during our own adolescence, we could certainly relate to the awkwardness and intimacy that is captured.

The treatment of their sexual relationship is honest and responsible in a way that most films and TV aren't. The sex scene in Episode 2 even provides young men with a primer on how consent works, and has been rightly praised by viewers.

However, the candour of these sex scenes was always going to make a certain sector of Irish society uncomfortable. There was something almost inevitable about the Liveline discussion on the show today as callers Mary and Tommy rang Joe Duffy to complain about the sexual content of the show.

The star of the slot was a gentleman named Tommy. Tommy says the sex was 'a bit pornographic'  that 'exploits' actress Daisy Edgar-Jones and added there 'no surprise there’s this much crisis pregnancies' in Ireland. He also expressed his disappointment that 'the national broadcaster [was] promoting fornication'.  Tommy then blamed sex for the spread of the coronavirus. He added Galway was a place where women often had sex on a first date.

Other callers rang up to say they found the depiction of sex important valuable and important.

We expect Tommy will have his own podcast by the end of the week. Later a caller would call in to give out about the depiction of teenagers driving cars and frequenting pubs.

It was the kind of sureal and stupid Liveline a locked-down country needed.