Late Late Show talking points from Jonathan Rhys Meyer's farm to poker with Tommy Tiernan
Patrick Kielty with Glen Hansard & Jonathan Rhys Meyers on the Late Late Show St Patrick's Day special
The had a real ‘toy show’ vibe to it with the way it veered from topic to topic and blended tears of laughter with some social justice and a uniquely Irish approach to serious matters.
Where else would you get sparkly handbags that look like packets of crisps, a chat about losing a home in wildfires, musings on a potential united Ireland, and revelations about poker wins which included a speedboat?
The Golden Globe-winning actor, who has worked with the likes of Alan Rickman, Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson and John Hurt, is happy to be back living in Ireland. He’s got a 20 acre farm in Wexford where he has some horses but doesn’t actually farm anything: “It’s nice to be in the countryside.” Meyers is actually in the market for some goats to keep the horses company and keep the grass tidy. He’s really settled into the local scene... even if he’s not going to be on a St Patrick’s Day float.
Praise for the sport of hurling came naturally to Meyers who called it the “greatest sport on earth” — he did play when he was younger but claimed he’s not so welcome at serious matches any more as “I’m just a jinx — whenever I go Wexford get crushed”: "I’m banned from Páirc Uí Chaoimh and will have to stay 500 metres from the Aviva tomorrow (for the Six Nations Ireland v Scotland game).”
Meyers was among people who lost property in the 2025 LA wildfires which he says was “incredibly shocking”: “I was with my little boy, Wolf, at Center Parcs in Longford watching the news. But the ‘most important thing in the house’ was in my arms. It’s only stuff. My son is the most important thing. He’s magnificent.” His son, who’s now in high school in LA, was credited as "someone who I care for more than myself” and the reason Meyers goes out to work.
That career has of course brought him to some pretty fab places including the 2006 Golden Globes awards. He says his main feeling upon winning that year was relief: “I felt I had done something and someone had said ‘hey, that was ok’. Myself and Cillian Murphy clung to each other — two lads from Cork being in this situation.”
And he wished Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley all the very best for the Oscars tomorrow.
Louise Cantillon and Doireann Ní Ghlacáin and Síomha Ní Ruairc, stars of the bilingual podcast, covered the serious issues such as the ‘right’ butter and a united Ireland.
Without shaming any one of the women who are guest editors of the latest edition, it emerged that someone had been buying a spreadable butter alternative. The other podcast members quickly got her back on track with Kerrygold — and described themselves as ‘im-fluencers’ now.
This turned out to be the perfect opportunity to meet Meath-based handbag designer Kimberly Tino whose super sparkly Tayto, Guinness, Brennan’s bread and Kerrygold handbags have gone viral.
The stars will be at Cork’s Opera House later this month for the Cork Podcast Festival.
The only Irish comedian to headline the 3Arena twice, Joanne McNally, was in flying form. Host Patrick Kielty showed off a picture of McNally with her handsome new “beau”, Fionn.
McNally insisted that despite widespread rumours that he is AI, Fionn is very much real.
“Artificial intelligence, sure I’ve dated guys with no intelligence...” she pointed out.
McNally was delighted to tell Kielty that she is really only 20... even though she’s been around for 42 years.
She had her metabolic age tested and it was revealed as 20 years — crediting her “good insides” to the fact that being child-free means she’s free to nap whenever she wants.
Things took a slightly awkward turn when comedian Tommy Tiernan and singer/songwriter Mick Flannery turned up.
Tiernan challenged Kielty’s hype of St Patrick’s Day as ‘the whole world coming together’ and said our national festival is more akin to “a little bit Disney... if alcoholics ran Disneyland.”
He did have high praise for singer Glen Hansard’s haunting rendition of so that got things back on track.
Tiernan is about to star in a musical drama by Mick Flannery now. is set in rural Ireland in the 1970s and features poker, two brothers who have fallen for the same woman.
Kielty interjected to say that his father was a keen poker player who once won a speedboat. Tiernan then reminisced that he had won €10k playing poker during the Galway Races.
He had everyone giggling by describing how he found the long drawn-out nature of a night's poker playing very tiring: “I would be someone who would be prone to surges of adrenaline. That really would be more suited to a game of snap.”
Mick Flannery recovered from laughing at Tiernan’s tales and was all set to give a tune from the upcoming musical. He had his guitar handy, borrowed a plectrum from Hansard and gave a typically impressive performance.
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will be at The Everyman in Cork in May.
And if any upcoming musical stars were want to get in on the action applications are still open for the Late Late Show’s Country Music Special.
