Late Late Show recap: Patrick Kielty’s tribute, Cian Ducrot and reuniting the Italia 90 squad
Patrick Kielty said his mother would not have wanted him to miss a show. Picture Andres Poveda
It’s been a difficult week for Patrick Kielty as he said goodbye to his beloved mother Mary Kielty.
Mary, whose husband Jack was shot dead by the Ulster Freedom Fighters in 1988, died peacefully at home in Dundrum, Co Down, last Saturday aged 84. She was buried on Monday.
Opening the show by paying tribute to his mother, Kielty said she never missed a in 50 years, joking, "she loved it so much she kept watching even after I got the gig".
There had been some questions over whether Kielty might give this week's show a pass while he grieved her passing, and the presenter seemed to address this directly when he said he knew there was "no way she'd want me to miss this one".
“I couldn’t be prouder to stand here and say: This ones for you Mary," he said as he fought back tears.
Kielty also used his opening monologue to give "a huge thank you to everyone who took care of her and took care of our family this week".
From a Riverdance performance inside (and outside) the studio, to a closing performance from B*Witched, it’s safe to say tonight’s St Patrick’s Day special was full of nostalgia for viewers at home. But the cherry on top was the reuniting the members of the 1990 Republic of Ireland squad.
Captain Mick McCarthy and players Niall Quinn, Ray Houghton, Andy Townsend, goalkeeper Packie Bonner and kitman Charlie O'Leary were just some of those on the show tonight to mark 35 years since Italia 90.
The squad reflected on the gorgeous memories they have from that stand-out summer, and in particular, used the segment to pay tribute to manager Jack Charlton who passed away in July 2020, aged 85.
“One of his great strengths was letting us enjoy it," Andy Townsend revealed, "letting us have a beer now and again, to make sure everybody wanted to be a part of something special. We absolutely loved playing for him.”
He admitted there were “lots of silly antics” during that World Cup.
“[You’re] trying to pass all the hours sitting around in hotels,” he explained, “you get bored and do daft things.”
He then went on to share a story about pranking Charlton, which left his former teammates and the studio audience in fits of laughter.
"I used to get a coin and - you have done it probably at home with your kids - you squeeze a coin on your forehead and pick it off and it feels like it is still there.
"I said to Jack, 'you have six bangs on the back of your head to get this coin off. If you do it, I will give you a tenner.' Jack with his money.. he was always a bit careful!
"So I get the coin and I push it on his head and I have got it in my hand but I am staring at the coin. I am staring at it and I am saying, 'go on Jack'.
"He starts banging his head really hard. He got to about ten and the guys are all falling around laughing before it suddenly dawned on him that it wasn't there."
"I was very lucky I wasn't sent home for that,” he confessed.
"We had a lot of fun."
But the players didn’t escape the slagging either – kitman Charlie O’Leary, now 101, had the audience in the palm of his hand when he quipped, “Every one of them were minding themselves going out. They were married men. The memories often faded after that."
It’s been a stellar start to the year for Cian Ducrot – from winning a Grammy in February for his writing on SZA’s hit to singing both the French and Irish anthems at last week’s Aviva match.
On Friday, he performed his deliciously catchy new single, on the before sitting down with Kielty for a quick chat.
Speaking about his performance at the Aviva, he admitted it was “definitely the most nervous [he’s] ever been".
“I should’ve butchered the French anthem according to the reviews”, he added jokingly.
But talk quickly turned to the Grammys, where Ducrot shared what he got up to on that amazing night.
“I'm sitting there, and then, the word Saturn comes out of their mouth. And I'm like - I didn't even, like, hug my girlfriend or my friends. I just panicked. It was like, I need to get there as fast as possible. I don't know how much time I have to get to the stage!
"It looks really cool in the footage, it was not cool at all,” he said, telling viewers he was stepping over people to race to the stage.
The studio audience offered some ‘ooohs’ when the Passage West native revealed he went to Bruno Mars’ after party post-ceremony.
“It sounds like such a flex, which it is,” he said.
“Honestly, I didn't even think he was going to be there. There was a DJ playing, and we were just like, there's no way Bruno Mars is showing up.. I went to the bathroom and came to him and his whole band on stage. His band were so incredible.
“And then Leonardo DiCaprio walked in...makes sense, Cian Ducrot, Leonardo DiCaprio.. All the big stars,” he joked.
The singer also spoke about his belief in manifestation, sharing that he believed he manifested his Grammy win.
“It’s really crazy, but I do believe it works, I’ve manifested everything in my life,” he said.
