Graham Norton has spoken out against RTE’s decision to award €85,000 to gay marriage opponents, calling the settlement “absolutely moronic” according to The BBC.

Graham NortonGraham Norton has expressed his feelings without holding back

"I'm not registered to vote in Ireland but I do pay the licence fee there and I'm fucking furious that some of my money has gone to these idiots," explained Norton to Hot Press.

"RTÉ settling wasn't gutless, it was absolutely moronic!" This, after Catholic lobby group the Iona Institute and two prominent Irish journalists threatened legal action after being described as homophobic on an episode of Norton’s Saturday Night Show.

"I want to ask these people, 'Why are you so scared and intimidated by the idea of gay marriage? There's nothing positive in their life; what drives them is fear. They love using language - they're 'pro-this' but actually they're just against stuff. It's a really horrible, sucking the joy out of life attitude, so you feel sorry for them."

In his incendiary interview, Norton spoke candidly and honestly, denouncing the attitudes that he insists run contrary to that or the majority or Ireland, where he grew up in West Cork. "I pretty much spend my entire summer near to where I grew up in Bandon," the broadcaster says. "It's such a different place. It takes pride in accepting all types of people,” he explained.

“There's more than 40 shades of green. This tiny minority can yell all they want, but it's over. It's all done. The Iona Institute, and people like that, are like rats trapped in the corner of a barn. They know the jig is up. That's why they're screaming so loud."