6 Late Late Show talking points, including Beoga on pulling out of Ed Sheeran tour
Beoga bandmembers appeared on the Late Late Show to talk about their decision to pull out of Ed Sheeran's tour after Macklemore was dropped. Picture: RTÉ/Instagram.
Friday night's featured a special tribute for one of Ireland’s greatest musicians, as well as discussions on political stances, athletic achievements, and dreaming big.
Host Patrick Kielty welcomed Beoga, actor Philippa Dunn, athlete Sharlene Mawdsley, Tipperary hurler Michael Breen, presenter Laura Fox, investigative journalist Nicola Tallant and 'The King of Chemo' Iain Ward.
The opened with a special tribute to Irish musician Dónal Lunny on Friday night.
Patrick Kielty said that tonight everyone was sending their love to his family and friends knowing that his music and legacy will live on.
Kielty went on to introduce the first band of the night, Beoga, some members of which have previously performed with Lunny.
Beoga performed a special rendition of their tune which included some important messaging.
Lunny was a founding member of a number of bands, including Planxty, Moving Hearts, LAPD and Usher’s Island.
A central figure in folk and traditional music since the 1960s, the musician worked with artists such as U2, Kate Bush, Sinéad O’Connor, Elvis Costello and Van Morrison.
He passed away this week, aged 79.
Beoga band member Sean Óg Graham said performing alongside Lunny was “magical” and described Lunny as one of his musical heroes.
“It was magical. It was a real privilege to play with him. He's one of my musical heroes. Growing up, I listened to everything that he did, and just to get to meet him, let alone play music with him, was just a real honor. And he was so kind to me during that time when we were doing the reunion of the Bothy Band, and I'll never forget it. And it’s really sad that he's gone,” Graham said.
After a clip was played featuring Graham playing alongside Lunny and other traditional Irish musicians, Graham said: “His smile was so infectious. Like you could just see it in the room. Everybody was just so delighted to be there. They just couldn't believe it was happening.”
Band members Niamh Dunne and Eamon Murray spoke following their live studio performance about their political stance following their decision to pull out of Ed Sheeran’s tour earlier this year.
Their decision came following the removal of rapper Macklemore from Sheeran's The Loop tour by promoters and venue owners after making pro-Palestinian and anti-apartheid statements during concerts in New Jersey.
In response, multiple supporting acts, including Beoga, Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Danish band Lukas Graham, and American artist Finneas, announced they were quitting the tour to protest Macklemore being silenced.
“It was a tricky thing to navigate, for sure. It was something that we never foresaw being in the middle of, and kind of had to navigate it as it came at us,” Dunne said.
Murray explained that they were shocked by the response by the “powerful” lobbies in America.
“How easy it is for someone like Robert Kraft to lift the phone and have him removed from seven shows. So, look, I think like any Irish people, we understand particularly how powerful boycotting can be and how sometimes the small person standing up can make a bit of a difference. And that was just a line in the sand that we couldn't cross. So when it came to silencing anybody, and particularly anybody calling for an end to the genocide that we're seeing, our minds were made up,” he said.
Dunne said they were present at the New Jersey gig and that she personally agreed with everything Macklemore had said, saying it was not particularly radical, and, in fact, his call to put a stop to killing children in Gaza was met with cheers in the stadium.
She said that they have been in contact with Ed Sheeran, who has been a good friend of theirs, and said they will remain in contact with him.
“It’s more important for us that we do the right thing and that we leave the door open to anybody at any stage that wants to come and understand why we do this, why we fight for this, why we believe in this. And we, as a band and as individuals, have always stood up for justice, and we will continue to do that. And nothing will change that. There is nothing that will shake us in that,” she said.
Actor Philippa Dunn joined Kielty in studio to reflect on her career highlights to date, one most recent being her appearance on the cover of the RTÉ guide.
She told Kielty of the rigmarole involved in getting her mother to go out and buy the issue of the guide, and her mother’s reaction to it.
She described her mother as a formal person who expresses pride through measured, serious commendations.
Touching on her upbringing in Mayo, Dunn noted that frequent rainy weather led to a deep interest in television and sitcoms and how that early exposure to sitcoms inspired her interest in performing for a live studio audience.
She compared herself to her character, Anne Flynn in noting significant differences in capability and responsibility. While she relates to Anne's social awkwardness, she observes that the character is far more capable at managing complex domestic and professional life.
The discussion also highlighted the success of Mayo as a region for producing acclaimed actors like Bill Staunton and Julie Walters, with Dunn mentioning working alongside Steve Coogan, and discovering they shared a connection to the same region of Mayo.
Athlete Sharlene Mawdsley and Tipperary hurler Michael Breen joined Kielty in studio to discuss their professional careers, personal relationship, and recent sporting achievements.
Mawdsley discussed her recent victory in Italy, noting that it was a significant milestone in her recovery from a serious injury that had previously impacted her chances at the European Championships.
She emphasised the importance of her rehabilitation process and expressed gratitude toward Breen for the support received during that time.
Breen reflected on the recent season with Tipperary in the Munster Championship. He described the competition as highly intense and noted that the team struggled to maintain the same level of success experienced twelve months prior, highlighting how quickly fortunes can change in competitive sports.
Discussing the difference between their two spots, Mawdlsey notes that she operates in an individual sport while Mikey is a team player, which has helped her become more open to receiving support.
The pair also discussed their personal relationship, and how their relationship became public through social media.
Sharlene initially hinted at the relationship by mentioning her interest in attending GAA matches and posting at matches, calling it a soft launch of their relationship.
The hard launch came after a Tipperary match in 2025, with a post on Instagram.
When asked if they can go out in Tipperary together without being bothered, Breen said: “We can, of course. Yeah. We both live in Ballina now, and for the first while, Sharlene was new in town. But her home place is only maybe 20 minutes away, and we get up to visit her mum a lot. So we kind of keep our circles small, and we get to meet a lot of people through, you know, the clubs and different things we do within the community. So it can be busy at times, but it’s enjoyable.”
Presenter Laura Fox joined Kielty in studio to talk about her “lowkey” weddings — in Dublin and Italy — and about the new season of which airs next month.
Speaking about her recent marriage to her husband Brian Moore, she said they were extremely busy trying to organise the weddings.
“I'm not going to lie. It was quite a busy year, so every time we were like, "We must get to that. We must get to that." And someone was like, "Please, for the love of God, can you tell us where we're going and what we're doing?" But it all worked out,” she said.
Touching on her involvement with Fox reflected on her transition from being a contestant on the show to co-presenting the show when Darren Kiely departed.
She spoke about how she always wanted to be involved in the show, saying she has been emailing them since she became Miss Galway back in 2013.
Speaking about the return of next month, she said season 14 will feature a diverse age range, including a grandmother competing alongside her sons and grandson.
She also spoke about how managing the coaches during filming presents significant logistical difficulties for the crew and how Donncha O’Callaghan has a tendency to wander off in search of a good coffee.
Iain Ward, known on social media as ‘The King of Chemo’ joined Kielty to talk about using his five-year life expectancy prognosis as motivation to attempt a world record for charity fundraising.
Ward shared that doctors provided an average life expectancy of approximately five years following surgery for his terminal disease. While it's not a cure, he said recent updates from the NHS indicate the tumour has not grown.
Using his prognosis to make a difference, Ward aims to break the charity world record for the most money raised for running a marathon.
“So a lot of people, particularly on social media, getting confused, were like, "Should you be dead now?” Five years is the average life expectancy that they gave me,” he said.
He said that doctors were quick not to comment on how long exactly he would have left to live, saying this is not television, but that five years was the average life expectancy for someone in his situation.
“I just kind of wanted that number more to be able to have something tangible to go by, where it's almost a guaranteed amount of time, which was made up in my own mind.”
Ward went on to talk about his charity fundraising event.
He is attempting to break the charity world record for most money raised for running a marathon, but noted that people don’t have to run it and that it is about taking part. Almost €3m has been raised to date.
