Annmarie O’Connor to Roy Keane: Five of the best moments from the Tommy Tiernan Show
Some of the guests that impressed during the most recent season of the Tommy Tiernan Show
Who can forget Tommy Tiernan’s frustration when interviewing soccer legend Roy Keane in the latest season’s first episode?
Keane is known for being candid about the beautiful game but quite protective of his personal life, noting during their chat that he is “wary of people crossing a line”, but his guarded response to some questions left the host exasperated.
The comedian’s frustration became clear when he exclaimed: “Are you fucking kidding me?” after one short answer, adding Keane was being “quite guarded”. “Do you want me to do a somersault?” the former Manchester United player joked.
Irish Examiner Fashion Editor Annmarie O’Connor impressed viewers in January when she spoke passionately about her experience with Parkinson’s disease.
O’Connor was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s in December 2021 and shared her story in the Irish Examiner last year, detailing her symptoms, diagnosis and life since then. She said she is “not a victim” and she never thought she’d become an advocate for Parkinson’s disease.
“I’ve never seen myself as being an advocate but the personal is political. I don't want people to feel that they have to hide. Why should they have to hide?
In February, former Miss Universe Ireland Roz Purcell spoke candidly about her experience with eating disorders.
Viewers praised Purcell for refusing to share any specifics of her disorder in case any younger viewers were watching.
“Do I add any value to the conversation by discussing that? There's gonna be a lot of teenagers watching who might try to emulate that.”
You would not expect a Middle Eastern studies academic to become one of the most beloved stars of the season, but that’s what happened when we met Dr Martin Worthington last month.
He astonished Tiernan and viewers with his encyclopedic knowledge of ancient languages, ranging from interpretations of the story of Noah’s Ark to explaining why knowing and understanding a language is better than simply using a tool like Google Translate.
At one point, Tiernan asked what we were all thinking: “Can I ask you — this is gonna sound strange — but the people who find guests for this show, how did they come across you?”
Earlier this month, Tiernan heard from Rebecca de Havilland, the first person in Ireland to undergo gender-affirming surgery. She spoke about her transition in 1991, as well as how she overcame addiction, sexual assault and an Aids diagnosis.
She said she was “pretty hounded by the press” at the time of her transition. “When you go through so much trauma and tragedy in your life, the only thing I ever wanted to be was myself and I had to pay the highest price for that.”
