logo
Kiera Dignam would love to see statue erected to honour late dad, Christy

Kiera Dignam would love to see statue erected to honour late dad, Christy

The daughter of the late Christy Dignam has said she would be "honoured" if a statue was erected to remember her famous father ahead of his second anniversary on Friday.
Kiera told how the Dignam family were blown away when An Post put the late Aslan frontman on a stamp as part of a special commemorative set called "Iconic Irish Voices" on September 12, 2024.
The set also included stamps honouring Séamus Begley, Sinéad O'Connor and Shane MacGowan, all of whom passed away in 2023.
Kiera said it would be "lovely" to see her father, who died from a rare blood cancer when he was 63, honoured with a statue.
"When he died, we had people saying they wanted to talk to the local authorities."
She told us: "It's weird but it would be lovely. It was the same when An Post brought out the stamp. When they approached us about it, I thought it was mad, but it was an amazing nod to him. It's lovely to have and my kids to have.
"It's in the archives now so it's really special in that way but it was something he would never expect. We're normal people. It's not something we'd expect.
"That would be an honour though," she said of a statue.
Speaking ahead of her father's second anniversary today, Kiera opened up about how tough it is not to have her father's opinion when she writes new songs for her album.
And the Dubliner said she was finding feathers everywhere she went after he died.
"For a while afterwards, I was finding feathers everywhere.
"I think the first year, you'd find yourself saying, 'this time last year' but then you get beyond that and you 'oh my God this time last year he wasn't here.'
"Then that kind of freaks you out a little bit because you feel your memories are starting to get further and further out into the distance.
"Then people say 'you have to just move on' but that nearly offends you. Like I don't want to move on. I lost someone I loved. I don't want to keep turning but unfortunately it does.
"These are the songs I either stood in the crowd listening to or stood on the stage and sang with him.
"It's a unique way to experience something in a crap way. It's bittersweet. It's nice to have those experiences but it also makes it very tough to be rehearsing on stage with a band and he's not here.
"My whole album – anything I wrote, I'd send him on the demo asking him what he thought. I don't have that counsel anymore," she added.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'I'm Ireland's emoji expert, and one you've never used is about to blow up'
'I'm Ireland's emoji expert, and one you've never used is about to blow up'

Irish Daily Mirror

time16 hours ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

'I'm Ireland's emoji expert, and one you've never used is about to blow up'

The 'tears of joy' emoji remains the most popular in the world but the red heart is a close second, an Irish expert has revealed. Keith Broni, who is the editor in chief of which is the world's number one emoji resource, said the icons are no longer considered 'frivolous' and are a 'cornerstone of digital communication.' The Dubliner also stressed the use of symbols is constantly changing and believes there's an unused one that will surge in popularity in years to come. When asked why they are so popular Mr Broni, who spoke to the Irish Mirror for World Emoji Day today, said: 'Texts are dry without any kind of semantic markers. We don't write text messages as if they're prose where there are cues …we write text messages as if they are verbal speech. 'And when we speak face to face or even over the phone there are what we call paralinguistic cues. So my vocal inflection, my hand gestures, my facial expressions, my body posture, all of these are very, very important elements in communication and text messaging and social media posts can completely lack these, and emojis allow for us to add semantic cues into this space.' He continued: 'That's not to say that emojis are a one to one analogues with the exact facial expressions that they happen to depict. They're intentionally bombastic, cartoonish, playful, comic book-esque, but they serve a very similar function. 'They allow us to create a sense of emotional context and also create a sense of rapport when we're communicating with people, again, either via WhatsApp groups or social media platforms.' Mr Broni said the most popular emojis are the ones which are overtly positive and said even negative versions are mostly used in a jokey way. He also said there's a shift - older people are sticking with the 'tears of joy' emoji to convey laughter while those in Gen Z have begun using the 'skull' to express that 'they're dead or they're dying laughing'. But an even newer trend that's popular with those on the cusp of Gen Z and Gen Alpha is using the Wilted flower with the broken heart. He said this is used by people when they want to show they're sad but in a "performative way'. Keith Broni, the editor in chief of emojipedia, is an emoji expert (Image: EMOJIPEDIA / SWNS) Mr Broni declared emoji uses were constantly being repurposed and even the most banal can surge in popularity - replacing ones which have been used for years. The emoji expert explained: 'I guarantee there is an emoji sitting there that has gone, largely unused and unloved for the last decade, that is going to have its moment in the next few years. People look at the emoji keyboard every day. It's a freely accessible feature that is usable anywhere. When asked how an emoji can become popular, he added: 'Sometimes it can be an in-joke amongst a group of friends in a WhatsApp group. And if that then resonates with that group, it can kind of spread to other WhatsApp groups, to other social media platforms, and then it can scale up and potentially be the new version of how the skull emoji encapsulated the emergence in slang terms of I'm dying, laughing and I'm dead, which then began to eat into the use of the crying, laughing face.' Mr Broni also said emojis use cannot be stripped from transcripts during court cases because the text alone doesn't convey the entire meaning and said this proves their use isn't frivolous When asked about the misconceptions surrounding emojis, he said: 'The one that they're frivolous, that they don't hold real communicative weight. This is one that has really and truly been put to bed over the last decade as they begin to appear more and more in court cases. 'You cannot strip emojis from a transcript of a text message communication, and expect the text itself to contain all the information about the tone and intention of every single text message. The emojis being used are very valid communicative symbols in this context. And this kind of growing literature around emoji in legal cases is quite fascinating.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.

'Maybe golf is saving my life' - Padraig Harrington addresses Scheffler thoughts
'Maybe golf is saving my life' - Padraig Harrington addresses Scheffler thoughts

Irish Daily Mirror

timea day ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

'Maybe golf is saving my life' - Padraig Harrington addresses Scheffler thoughts

Padraig Harrington will head for the first tee at Royal Portrush on Thursday morning knowing his love for the sport will never die. Whatever happens in the first round at The 153rd Open - after Harrington strikes the first shot of the last major of 2025 at the crack of dawn - the Dubliner will still be entranced by the sport. He was nervous as hell on Wednesday afternoon as he contemplated looking down that opening fairway but that love will remain, whatever happens. READ MORE: The Open for Portmarnock decision comes closer as Saturday tee times to move due to loyalist parade READ MORE: Harry Diamond makes Rory McIlroy assessment ahead of The Open bid at Portrush He imagines it will go on like that for as long as he can walk the fairways, and it's why he admits to being unsure as to the feelings unspooled by world number one Scottie Scheffler in his pre-Open press conference on Tuesday. Always one to avoid scratching too far below the surface, Scheffler caught everyone by surprise with his deep dive into why he continues to chase success after all the wins he has already achieved. "This is not a fulfilling life," declared the 29-year-old, who spoke of dropping out if he felt it impacted on his family life. "There's a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfil them in life - you get there, you get to number one in the world, and they're like, 'What's the point?' Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That's something that I wrestle with on a daily basis." Harrington listened intently to what Scheffler said but he struggles to understand where the American star is coming from. "I'm not sure what he was trying to articulate," said the 53-year-old. "I know I'm still celebrating my US Open senior win, and it goes on for weeks. "Every time somebody says 'well done' to me, I get a little bit of acceptance and enjoyment out of it. He was trying to articulate something. I don't want to compare myself to him, but I genuinely still have a real love for this game. I enjoy every bit of it. Padraig Harrington of Ireland tees off during a practice round prior to The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 16 (Image:) "It brings me tremendous satisfaction, and I don't think I have to shy away from that. Just because I love golf doesn't make me a bad father or a bad parent or anything. "They're separate entities. You can enjoy everything there is about golf and still be good elsewhere and do the right things. If I wasn't doing this, I'd be sitting in front of the shopping channel, spilling ice cream on myself, buying packages that I never open. So maybe golf is saving my life." Cue laughter from his media inquisitors, but the Stackstown star was keen to expand on the serious point he was making. He spoke of being fulfilled by going to the range and hitting shots and he recalled watching Christy (O'Connor) Snr hit shots out in Royal Dublin. "This is past his prime of playing," said Harrington. "He'd be 65 years of age, and he took sheer joy in hitting practice shots. You hear stories of (Ben) Hogan, I think Hogan was just happiest when he was that age hitting shots on the range. "I'm like that. I really like competing but sometimes it can be hard work, but I love practice, hitting shots and the imagination of it, dreaming of what can be." Harrington noted that Scheffler could have made a rod for his back with his words, and he warned: "The minute he doesn't play well, that's where it's going to be 'oh, that was the day'. Scottie Scheffler tees off at the 14th during his practice round on Wednesday ahead of the 2025 Open Championship at Portrush (Image: ©INPHO/Ben Brady) "He was being honest but people are going to ask him about that for a long time. And he obviously loves the practice, I just don't think he loves the grind of it. "I don't think he needs to separate it and maybe, I've often said this later on in my life, I wish I spent more time enjoying my wins when they happened. Like, when I win now, I make sure to enjoy it." The point is that there is a "huge" point to striving for success, Harrington insisted. "But I think you have to mentally, for your own brain, when you win, really go out there and enjoy it," he advised. "Every time you win, you have to separate it and go 'right, I'm going to enjoy this moment and not make it a moment'. "If it's a big win, I'm not averse to people taking a couple of weeks off and really enjoying it - I'm not going to say how they enjoy it, but that would be one thing I would have said to my younger self. "I've won tournaments on a Sunday night, I'd be thinking about what I'm going to do tomorrow to get better. Whereas now I'm just thinking, 'I'm going to enjoy this for a couple of weeks'. "And anybody who said, and pretty much everybody has said, well done to me, I like it. I enjoy somebody saying, well done. I still take the kudos for that, I take satisfaction for that. "I make an effort to enjoy those wins because the truth of it is, they don't happen as often. I know Scottie wins a lot but, when it comes to the end of his career, he might have thought he would have won more. It eventually stops. " Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.

‘I survived off Dublin Airport leftovers after my mum died before I ever stepped foot on a plane', Bono admits
‘I survived off Dublin Airport leftovers after my mum died before I ever stepped foot on a plane', Bono admits

The Irish Sun

timea day ago

  • The Irish Sun

‘I survived off Dublin Airport leftovers after my mum died before I ever stepped foot on a plane', Bono admits

BONO has admitted that he survived off Dublin Airport leftovers growing up. The Dubliner's mum Iris died suddenly in 1974, aged 48, when he was just 14-years-old following a stroke. 3 Bono's mum died when he was a teenager Credit: Getty Images - Getty 3 Bono on holiday with his parents Bobby and Iris and older brother Norman Credit: Refer to Picture Desk 3 Bono spoke about how he lived off food provided by Aer Lingus Credit: Getty Images - Getty Iris had Bono, who's real name is Paul, and his older brother Norman were brought in three days later to say goodbye to Iris in her hospital bed, describing her as at peace in her final moments. The singer has opened up on what his life was like growing up with his dad Bob and brother without his beloved mum. Speaking on the read more on bono "After my mother died, we just didn't speak her name. So it's hard when you do that to recall these things. "We certainly had kitchen table dramas, three men arguing a lot because the woman of the house was gone. "And I remember my relationship with food changed - really changed. I saw it as fuel, I took no pleasure in it. "After Iris died, 10 Cedarwood Road stopped being a home, it was just a house. Most days I'd return holding a tin of meat, a tin of beans and a packet of Cadbury's Smash [instant mashed potato]." read more on the irish sun The 65-year-old admitted that he would spend his food money on "far more important things" such as Alice Cooper's record and that food became just "fuel" for him. Bono then explained how his brother fell into "good fortune" when he got a job in Cara at Aer Lingus. Catherine Zeta Jones joined by Bono to celebrate husband's Dublin birthday The dad-of-four explained: "He had talked them into allowing him to bring home the surplus airline food prepared for Aer Lingus packages. "The food was sometimes still warm when he carried them in in tin boxes in the kitchen. This was highly exotic fare. "Gammon steak and pineapple, an Italian dish called lasagne or one where rice was no longer a milk pudding but a savoury experience with peas. 'ROMANCE OVER' "If my father and I were proud that Norman had removed the need for us to buy groceries or even have to cook, after six months the after taste of tin was all we could remember." Bono began to secretly opt for cereal at night instead of the tinned food. And to Bono's dismay, his school's dinners got their hot lunches from Dublin Airport. The Irish star added: "I'd never been on an airplane but already my romance with flying was over. "Airplane food for lunch and tea was more than any apprentice rockstar could handle."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store