Finbar Furey and Ryan Tubridy recall 'very special' Late Late moment with Christy Dignam
Christy Dignam performed with Finbar Furey on The Late Late Show.
Folk musician Finbar Furey has paid tribute to his friend and fellow musician Christy Dignam in a heartfelt chat with Ryan Tubridy about the singer’s legacy.
The Aslan singer died on Tuesday afternoon after a lengthy battle with cancer. Speaking on the news, Ryan Tubridy said that while it was inevitable, it is never an easy thing to hear.
Tubridy recorded the legendary singer’s final interview in April, where the pair chatted about Dignam’s life from the home he shared with his wife Kathryn.
“While it was inevitable, it's never easy to hear about that, especially as somebody I think we all took under our wing as a friend of ours, as somebody we admired and somebody we loved,” Ryan Tubridy told his RTÉ Radio One listeners on Wednesday morning.
“He contributed so much to the country to the fabric of the culture of Ireland, and all those beautiful songs and all those great stories. God, I love them. And I love seeing them come through the door and I love talking to him," he continued.
“I don't think he was afraid of death. I think he wanted more time for sure, as he said himself.”
Tubridy referenced one point in the final interview where the pair spoke about Dignam’s happiest moment which he said was when his daughter Kiera was born.
“I remember the love hit me that quickly and that suddenly. It nearly knocked me on my feet. Nearly knocked me on my arse. That was an amazing feeling,” Dignam said at the time.
“It's a little bit ironic that when I first got diagnosed, I remember thinking... I didn't care where I lived. I didn't care about Aslan. I didn't care about fame — well, I never did care about fame or any of that sh*t — the only thing I cared about was seeing my grandkids for a little bit longer.”
Dignam was a regular guest on the Late Late Show but one of his most stand-out moments was an impromptu singsong with folk musician Finbar Furey in 2017. The moment in which the pair duetted the Green Fields of France is one of the most viewed clips of the Late Late online. Furey joined Tubridy on his radio show to reminisce about the special moment.
“It was a very special night I'll always remember. There was nothing like that. You know, I've never seen anything like that,” said Furey.
He added that there was no rehearsal or preparation. “I just hit the chord on the banjo. And we took off…It's a big song, you know, and his heart was totally in it and I couldn't take my eyes off of him.”
Furey described Dignam as a “very humble man”.
“He’s got a lot of fans out there and I’d say everybody's missing Christy this morning. Everybody loved him,” he said.
Before the pandemic, the pair had started to make an album together and finished four songs before lockdown kicked in.
“I loved him very much. He loved the music. I have great respect for what he did and always will. He’ll be in my memory forever and my family’s memory too,” Furey said.
He added that his friend will be sadly missed and that he was missing him today.
“His memory will live on forever. Trust me.”
