See Al and praise that you ain’t famous - Fiona Duff

He was hilarious, nominated for awards, guested on television panel shows and invited out for cocktails with other even better known Irish comedians.

He was about to host Ireland’s Blind Date on television. As he says, he became a bit of an arse; but he was only 24 and who at that age wouldn’t be when you are a good looking boy.

Then it all went asunder. Flipping social media and a few awkward gropes and photos from a couple of years before and he went from TV star to being on the dole within weeks.

Where were the people proferring cocktails and laughing at his jokes as he sat in his mother’s attic listening to the neighbours discussing his demise as though he had passed away?

Well, nowhere.

I laughed out loud at his show, but I left quite angry because why should this really talented young man have his life ruined because of a few foolish things he had done a few years before?

I passed him as I left – “if there had been social media when I was 21, I would be in a hovel begging for a crust of bread,” I said.

Lordy, it’s dangerous out there – oddly enough someone tried to troll me I think. A friend I knew many years ago – slightly damaged but we had a lot of fun.

Recently she has taken exception to something I wrote about 15 years ago about how I had a lot of very pretty friends (too long a story).

I had to block her emails and then I happened to check my rarely used Twitter account and she was ranting on that about two months previously. As far as I know no-one noticed, least of all me.

But Al is funny. Go and see him and praise that you ain’t famous.