August 9, 2000 14:09

A CRYING SHANE!

[b]Shane Lynch[/b] is quoted as calling his fellow countrymen "arseholes"...

BOYZONE svengali LOUIS WALSH has called on band member SHANE LYNCH to reconsider his decision to permanently quit IRELAND after the singer dismissed his fellow countrymen as "arseholes".

Walsh saidLynch's attack was misguided and not echoing those of the majority of Irish stars.

He said: "Sinead O'Connor and Bono and loads of other stars still live in Dublin and they love it. There's no bullshit, everybody's treated equally. And many British stars have moved over to Ireland because of the friendly reception."

Yesterday (August 8) Lynch was reported as saying: "I'd never live back there again, purely because the people are ignorant - they are arseholes. I've never had a problem in Britain, but Irish people think they own you and can say what they like to you."

Walsh also admitted that Lynch tends to rant. "The thing with Shane is if he feels something he says it," he explained.

It is not the first time Lynch has landed himself in hot water over something he said.

At the MTV European Music Awards in Dublin during November 1999 , a drunken Lynch turned the air blue with two tirades against the "fuckers" who had written Boyzone off as finished.