Grieving father Andrew McGinley was dropped from the Late Late Show line-up after RTE received correspondence objecting to his appearance.
The Donegal man was due to appear on the show in October to announce plans for a fundraising concert in his children’s memory.
The father-of-three had hoped the high-profile slot would help raise funds for the As Darragh Did charity established after the children’s deaths.
However, just hours before the show was to air, he announced he would not be appearing.
In response to queries on the issue, Mr McGinley told the Irish Independent: “I was informed by RTÉ that they had received a letter which said that it could be a painful and traumatic experience to see me talking about Conor, Darragh and Carla on the Late Late Show.
“Many people who knew the children well were looking forward to the show, especially many of the kids’ friends who were being allowed to stay up to watch them being talked about with Ryan.
“I would have been conscious of that but I only speak with love when I talk about Conor, Darragh and Carla.”
RTÉ has declined to comment on the circumstances behind the decision to drop him from the advertised line-up and also declined to say if and when Mr McGinley would be rescheduled to appear.
RTÉ had sent out a press release the day before the programme highlighting him as a guest alongside Peter Schmeichel, Rosanna Davison and Ruth Negga.
It has been more than 18 months since the deaths of Conor, Darragh and Carla. In May, their mother Deirdre Morley was found not guilty of their murders by reason of insanity and committed to the Central Mental Hospital.
Since then, Andrew has been campaigning tirelessly for greater inclusion for families in the mental health treatment of loved ones. At the same time, he has been working on his charity efforts in memory of his three children. “I would be eaten up by what happened if it wasn’t for the projects for the children,” he said.
