Four talking points from the Late Late Show, including Conan O’Brien and Graham Norton
Graham Norton, Patrick Kielty and Conan O'Brien on the Late Late Show
“Chat show hosts are like buses: you wait ages for one…” Graham Norton quipped as he joined Patrick Kielty on the Late Late Show. Kielty had concluded his interview with US talk Show host Conan O’Brien not long before welcoming the host of the hit BBC chat show The Graham Norton Show on set.
“How nice I feel, Graham, for you to come out and for me to be the third-best talk show host on my own talk show,” Kielty replied.
It was an interesting line-up and one that did not fly under the radar on social media. Newstalk presenter Shane Beatty posted on X, formerly Twitter, to commend Kielty for navigating his interviewees skillfully, noting “it takes a certain level of quiet confidence for a chat show host to have two chat show hosts on his own show on the one night.”
Another viewer posted about how impressed they were at Kielty’s handling of the show: “Patrick Kielty having both Graham Norton AND Conan O'Brien on as guests is a level of confidence I can only respect.”
Just got to meet one of my favorite talk show hosts of all time, Graham Norton. He's as delightfully charming and funny in person as he is on his show. I hope I never see him again. pic.twitter.com/dqStF1YBgr
— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) January 12, 2024
Conan O’Brien joined the show, heralded to his seat on a float draped in tricolour bunting and to the tunes of an epic trad session. Fresh from filming around Ireland for Conan O’Brien Must Go and dropping in on some key places connected to his own Irish heritage, the Tonight Show host shared some anecdotes about his visit and praised the people he met.
“I have to say it's been lovely. The people in this country are fantastic. They are so funny. They're so welcoming. They've been great,” he said. He took in the sights, including the Barack Obama Plaza which he calls “the greatest tribute to any American president”, and he visited the set of Ros Na Rún.
O’Brien is proud of his Irish heritage and although his ancestors emigrated in the 1870s he boasts 100% Irish DNA. “they probably could have just looked at me and said you're 100% Irish,” he joked, referencing his pale complexion and red hair.
Completing the trinity of talk show hosts, Graham Norton spoke about his new comedy show, LOL: Last One Laughing, Eurovision, and Fermoy insult on his chat show.
A guest on the Bandon native’s show described Fermoy as a "horrible town" last October and the North Cork town was in uproar. Norton apologised during the following episode, and he told Kielty he was surprised to hear it all over the radio that week when he was at home in West Cork.
“Fermoy was very upset,” he recalled.
“I think I was back here [in Ireland] at the time because it seemed like every radio show on the Monday had phone-ins about how lovely or horrible Fermoy is.”
He also reflected on turning 60 last year, describing it as "just old".
A massive gathering of Irish trad musicians joined the Late Late Show ahead of TradFest, including Cork musician Liam Ó Maonlaí and Dublin singer George Murphy who spoke about their experience at Shane MacGowan’s funeral last month.
Ó Maonlaí said the joyful celebration of MacGowan’s life was a turning point and that more funerals are following that spirit. “I've been to three other funerals since and they all keep they keep getting better,” he said.
Murphy added that MacGowan’s loved ones “wanted it to be a celebration of Shane’s life, they wanted the songs to come to the floor and make it about that, not about the sense of loss. Obviously, it's a huge loss, but it was more about the music and the celebration on the day.”
They were later joined by Ralph McTell who performed The Streets of London, a popular song he wrote that was also recorded by the late Sinéad O’Connor.
“It was produced by Frank Gallagher for Sinéad. There was something in her fragility that came through in that particular version. I was very young when I wrote the song, and she somehow captured that for me.”
