A breath of fresh air at RTÉ

A transformation of RTÉ’s flagship talk show has ben confirmed with the first show by the new presenter, County Down comedian Patrick Kielty.

He replaces Ryan Tubridy, who had been accused of showing disdain for northern nationalists and using a ‘can opener’ map of the 26 County state instead of one of Ireland. Tubridy resigned in March amid a scandal over secret payments at the state broadcaster.

Kielty is the fourth regular host for The Late Late Show, and the first to hail from the north of Ireland. He opened the programme up with two well-known northern guests, including Derry and Ireland soccer star, James McClean, who had previously been shunned by the Dublin establishment.

The proud Derry man, who has been subjected to anti-Irish racism in England and a long-running hate campaign for his refusal to wear the poppy symbol of the British military, spoke about growing up under British rule and of the one-sided nature of the discussions there on Ireland and the conflict.

“I knew when I took the stance, there was going to be consequences… I grew up as a young lad in Derry with my beliefs, just because I became a footballer in England, doesn’t mean I’m going to change them,” he said.

“[In England], there is an arrogance and ignorance, where they are taught one side of history. They speak about the IRA as terrorists. We look upon the British army as terrorists as well… They see themselves as quite arrogant and superior to us”.

Social media users pointed to the contrast to a bizarre show in 2007, when British Parachute Regiment General Mike Jackson was interviewed about his autobiography and all mention of the Bloody Sunday massacre of 14 civil rights protestors, that he was chiefly responsible for, was completely avoided.

Kielty, who had predicted it would be “a bit strange” for people “up the road” [in the South] to hear the County Down accent on the show, said the positive reception to his first hosting had left him “mind blown”.

He said his late father Jack, who was murdered by a loyalist paramilitary death squad in 1988, and his mother Mary, were at the “forefront in my mind”.

Speaking at the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) launch of a new report on the future of tourism in Ireland, Mr Kielty said he recalled how his father had to erect a special aerial to get RTÉ because of their proximity to the Mourne Mountains.

During the conflict, turning on the Late Late Show was like “flicking a switch into a world that was normal”.

When asked if the audience can expect more northern voices on the show, Mr Kielty responded by stating that a two-times president and Irish footballer were worthy guests in any event.

“They might just have come from somewhere else. I felt I did an Irish show on Friday night with Irish guests. The brilliant thing about this island is that there are lots of stories to tell...

“With that conversation and every other conversation, it is about being honest with each other and why you believe it. When I was doing documentaries on northern Ireland, I was sitting down with a loyalist who was part of an organisation that had killed my Dad. I wasn’t going to be sitting with him not being honest and he wasn’t being honest with me.

“It’s about listening and understanding. The more we can keep conversations going, the more we can respect whatever your tradition or opinion was.”

Urgent Appeal