THE RYANAIR head of communications told his counsel, Martin Hayden SC, that he issued the calendar press release because he was concerned that comments from Rosanna Davison, as reported in the Irish Independent, could have a negative impact on the calendar and he wanted to defend the crew involved.
The calendar was a voluntary initiative of cabin crew, Ryanair paid for it and applications for inclusion from cabin crew had increased throughout its four-year history, Stephen McNamara said.
It could take up to a year “to get in shape for it” and only the “strongest” and most photogenic applicants were selected.
There was no exclusion of Irish staff but it would be wrong to include an Irish person just because Ryanair was registered here.
He said Ms Davison was a well-known person who would have influence and he denied that he called her a racist in the release.
The first time he heard Ms Davison say she had not told the Irish Independentmore effort should have been made to include Irish women in the calendar was in court last week, he said.
He regarded a letter from her solicitors about the matter later in November 2008 as a “complete overreaction”. He agreed he threatened to publish the correspondence but said he was not engaging in a publicity stunt.
Cross-examined by Jim O’Callaghan SC, Mr McNamara said an earlier reference to being “shot” if the calendar did not achieve sales was not a reference to the management style of Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary but a reference to losing the opportunity to achieve sales.
He disagreed that Ms Davison’s comments were moderate and uncontroversial. The reference to “jealousy” in the release reflected his view that she was jealous of the fact Ryanair women were taking up pages in the newspaper, leaving less space for glamour shots.
Her suggestion that more Irish women would have been included if she were involved in the calendar was putting one country before another, he said. She was also insinuating that Irish women were potentially more gorgeous than those in the calendar. He disagreed that his suggestion such remarks were “bordering on racism” did not stand up. Her comments, as reported, still suggested she was jealous, narrow-minded and bordering on racism, he said.
Earlier, cross-examined by Mr Hayden, Ms Davison said she had not said to the Irish Independent,as reported, that every effort should have been made to include Irish women in the calendar. She was expressing her opinion about what she herself would have done.
She agreed that a letter from her solicitors to Ryanair dated November 23rd stated she was seeking an apology and a “substantial" donation to charity about the release. She wanted an acceptance that she was very hurt “at being called a racist”.
Her father – Chris De Burgh – was involved and had possibly instructed her solicitors to include the words substantial. She did not know her father had told Ryanair he had successfully taken 16 defamation actions. She had issued some actions but “not that many”.
The cases continues today.