Tommy Tiernan Show recap: Brothers at risk of rare form of dementia on mother’s death and raising awareness
Jordan and Keen Adams, known as the FTD brothers spoke to Tommy Tiernan about losing their mother to Frontotemporal dementia and their mission to raise awareness of the disease. Picture: RTE One/Instagram.
The seventh episode of the new series of the Tommy Tiernan Show discussed turning trauma in childhood into a career of poetry writing, the importance of traditional Irish tunes, and raising awareness of Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a rare, early-onset form of dementia.
Tiernan’s guests on Saturday included poet Lemn Sissay, musician Maireád Ní Mhaonaigh and FTD brothers Jordan and Cian Adams.
Lemn Sissay was Tiernan’s first guest of the night, reflecting on his experience of childhood trauma and how that led him to become a poet.
Sissay, who explained how he was stolen from his mother and raised in children's homes, said poetry was evidence of his existence and a way to hold onto his identity.
“I would say, poetry as evidence is what I’ve been about. From my childhood, it was evidence that something was happening. Evidence of the fact that I was stolen from my mother as a child, I was imprisoned in children’s homes, I had my name taken away from me. I didn’t know my name was Lemn Sissay. I had nobody, no family,” he said.
Speaking about the “profound truth” found in the arts and how it helped him through his traumatic experiences in life, Sissay said he is not defined by his scars but by his “incredible ability to heal” and discussed forgiving the people who stole him from his parents and put him in children's homes.
He spoke about his experience of having his name changed and being put into care by his adopted parents at just 12 years old and the societal prejudices against children in care.
Recalling his mother’s story, he explained that his mother had travelled to the UK from Ethiopia to learn English and that she fell pregnant and was sent to a mother-and-baby home in North England. She refused to sign adoption papers but the social worker gave her son, Sissay, to foster parents and told them to treat it as an adoption and to call him Norman. Sissay said he believed for 18 years of his life that his name was Norman Mark Greenwood.
Sissay said it wasn’t until later in life when he left mother-and-baby homes and came into possession of his birth certificate that he found out his real name was Lemn Sissay.
He was also given a letter from his mother from 1968, telling the social worker that she wanted to have her son back and wanted him to be with his people in his own country but that the social worker wrote back to her to say he was doing fine with his foster parents and was in good health, signing the letter off as ‘Norman’.
“He had named me after himself,” he said.
He also spoke of the complexities of family and how his experience has given him a unique perspective.
He shared a poem he had written for his mother that he delivered at his her funeral last November, highlighting the enduring connection with her despite the “difficult relationship”.
He also spoke about the joy of finding his father's family and being known to Ethiopians across the world and said that while he does sometimes wonder what it would have been like to grow up with a family, he is grateful to have found his real family later in life.
Tiernan’s second guest of the night was musician Maireád Ní Mhaonaigh who spoke about her life and career as a traditional Irish fiddler.
Ní Mhaonaigh, who started playing the fiddle later in life, was inspired by seeing other musicians and was encouraged by her father to play the instrument.
She discussed the evolving tradition, noting the inclusion of women and the blending of old and new elements.
She recounted how she and her late husband, Frankie Kennedy, made an album that led to international performances and how, as teachers, they took advantage of a scheme in Ireland that allowed them to leave teaching to travel, while maintaining their jobs.
After three years, they had to decide whether to continue teaching or pursue their music career and ultimately chose the latter, wanting to travel and perform Irish tunes around the world.
She emphasised creativity in Irish music, its roots in older traditions, and the joy of playing and learning from others.
Ní Mhaonaigh spoke of the history of Irish music and how it incorporates elements from various sources, including Italian jigs and English reels, but maintains its unique identity, emphasising that while Ireland borrows from other traditions, we “make the tunes our own”.
She offered to play a tune learned from a young fiddle player from Donegal, showcasing the ongoing tradition of learning and sharing music, and then sang her father’s song, explaining to Tiernan its meaning and cultural significance.
Tiernan’s final two guests of the night were Jordan and Cian Adams, known as the FTD brothers.
The two brothers, aged 29 and 24, discussed their experiences with Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a rare, early-onset form of dementia.
They explained that their mother was diagnosed at 47 with the disease and passed away at just 52.
After their mother's death, genetic testing revealed they are both carriers of the genetic fault that causes FTD and have dedicated their lives to raising awareness and funds for dementia charities, having already raised significant amounts.
They described the emotional and physical toll of caring for their mother, including their experience of witnessing her lose her cognitive functions and having to manage her daily needs.
Opening up about their personal struggles with mental health down through the years, including depression and anxiety, they spoke about the ongoing mental health battles they face and how their diagnosis has affected their daily lives.
They told Tiernan that despite their terminal prognosis, they strive to live meaningful lives and advocate for research to find a cure but said they are realistic and know that a cure is most likely not going to be in place before they begin to experience symptoms “in the next 10 to 15 years”.
"We're realistic. We're hopeful that there will be change. Maybe there'll be disease-modifying treatment, but it might not come on time for us," Jordan said.
"And I think the sooner you become almost content with that or comfortable with that, the sooner you can start living some sort of life again because make no means about it myself and Cian have had our struggles, mental battles, and that is ongoing every day."
He said, however, it is the impact that they hope to make that motivates them to keep going.
Emphasising the importance of their life's work in raising awareness to prevent others from suffering the same fate, they discussed the challenges involved in balancing their personal lives and their commitment to raising funds.
They also talked about the importance of seeking gratitude and finding purpose in their lives to cope with their prognosis and future plans and the challenges of balancing their desire to have a family with their prognosis.
Jordan and Cian reflected on their thoughts about death and how their prognosis has affected their outlook on life, discussing the importance of living a meaningful life, leaving a legacy, and inspiring others through their story.
"We are all dealt certain cards in life. And you have a choice, like we did, to walk through one or two doors, and I think we want to be living proof to anybody who is going through anything difficult that there is life to be lived," Jordan said.
Closing out the show on Saturday night was Chubby Cat with a performance of Quiet which has been shortlisted for RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year 2024.
