Latest news with #ThePogues
Irish Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Imelda May backed to be next President of Ireland but has no plans to run
Singer Imelda May has revealed the widow of The Pogues singer Shane MacGowan has backed her to be the next President of Ireland. The Liberties singer is a self-confessed proud Irish woman, and regularly promotes the country through her poetry and songs. But when asked about whether or not she would consider running for the Presidency, she said her pal Victoria Mary Clarke endorsed her in her house last week. She told Anna Geary, who is filling in for Ray D'Arcy on RTE Radio 1, that Victoria Mary Clarke suggested she should throw her name in the hat for the Irish Presidency. Imelda said: "I had my friend Victoria Mary Clarke, she was up at my house saying 'you have to run for president'. "I'm not going to do it. I'm madly in love with this place and the people." Shane McGowan and Victoria Mary Clarke pictured on The Late Late Show (Image: Andres Poveda) Pressed again about running for the Presidency by Geary, Imelda said jokingly: "Oh will you stop?" It comes after Imelda revealed she was hospitalised earlier this month for an unknown illness. Briefly updating fans at the beginning of her radio interview, she told Anna she was "fine" and was given the "all clear". Earlier this week, she posted pictures on her Instagram from hospital bed, praising the staff at St Vincent's Hospital for taking such good care of her. She wrote at the time: "So I ended up in St Vincent's University Hospital last week for a few days. "I'm fine now and healing well but I must say a huge thanks you to all the amazing people that took the best care of me. Absolute legends. Pictures are a few of those legends. Forever grateful. Imelda X." It is the second time Imelda has found herself in hospital in recent years. In 2022, Imelda was forced to postpone a gig after her doctor ordered her to take a break after she suffered from exhaustion. In a snap, she said at the time: "I'm getting a flood of well wishes. Thank you so much. I'm not seriously ill. "It's what I call 'road rot' lots of bits going wrong. "Too often have tests and treatments while going full pace. "Physically exhausted. Just following Drs advice and taking time to heal. I won't be long. Imelda." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
RTÉ News
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Bob Dylan to tour Ireland this November
Singer Bob Dylan is to return to Ireland for dates in Belfast, Killarney and Dublin this November as part of his Rough And Rowdy Ways world tour, which has been running since November 2021. The 84-year-old will also perform shows across the UK and the gigs will be phone-free, with concert goers asked to put their phones in a Yondr pouch, which closes automatically when in the venue and unlocks in the venue's concourse. The new dates come amid a surge in interest in the Hurricane singer's career, following the release of the biopic A Complete Unknown last year, which starred Timotheé Chalamet as Dylan and followed the story of his career beginnings and infamous decision to go electric in the mid-1960s. The singer is one of the most acclaimed songwriters of all time, winning 10 Grammys and being nominated on 38 further occasions. Dylan, who has often acknowledged his debt to Irish music including The Clancy Brothers and The Pogues, is a frequent visitor to Ireland, having first played Dublin's Adelphi cinema in 1966. He returned in 1984 to headline Slane Castle and has since performed in the Point Theatre, Vicar Street, the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet, Live at the Marquee in Cork and in 2019, he played a show with Neil Young at Nowlan Park in Kilkenny. Dylan began his career in 1962 with the single Mixed-Up Confusion, which failed to chart in the UK and US. But he shot to stardom with a string of successful singles in 1965, including The Times They Are A-Changin', Subterranean Homesick Blues and Like A Rolling Stone. He was the first songwriter to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016, with the Swedish academy crediting him with "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition". Dylan's songs have been covered by the likes of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, U2, The Rolling Stones and Adele. Tickets for the tour will go on sale on Friday July 18 at 10am. Bob Dylan's 2025 Ireland and UK tour in full 7 November - Brighton Centre, Brighton 9 November - Building Society Arena, Swansea 10 November - Building Society Arena, Swansea 11 November - Building Society Arena, Swansea 13 November - Building Society Arena, Coventry 14 November - First Direct Arena, Leeds 16 and 17 November - Armadillo, Glasgow 19 and 20 November - Waterfront, Belfast November 23 and 24 - INEC, Killarney 25 November - 3Arena, Dublin Source: Press Association
Metro
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Oasis, Lewis Capaldi, Lady Gaga and more: 2025's most anticipated upcoming tours
We've already been treated to an amazing first half of the year, concert-wise, but artists aren't letting up yet; 2025 has some mammoth stadium and arena gigs still in store. Last year was defined by Taylor Swift's Eras Tour finally reaching the UK, the Co-op Live Arena's disastrous opening, and, of course, the Oasis reunion announcement. With Oasis Live '25 now underway and seemingly every band imaginable announcing a return — from The Pogues to the Scissor Sisters — 2025 is going to be one for the ages. Dua Lipa has become the highest-selling artist for Priority customers with her Radical Optimism Tour, according to O2 Virgin Media. She was followed closely by Lana Del Rey, who announced her first-ever UK stadium tour earlier this year, and Usher with his 10-show residency at London's O2 Arena. There's so much live music happening this year, from Lewis Capaldi's comeback to Lady Gaga's Mayhem Ball… so these are all the biggest UK tours in 2025. After a two-year hiatus, Lewis Capaldi returned to the stage this year with a surprise slot at Glastonbury, walking out to cheers from thousands of adoring fans who certainly missed him. The Someone You Loved hitmaker, 28, also dropped a new chart-topping single called Survive, featuring emotional lyrics about his time away from the spotlight. Lewis initially embarked on a break due to struggling with Tourette's and the impact it was having on his everyday life, having broken down in tears and struggled to finish his set at Glasto '23. But after some much-needed rest and recuperation for his physical and mental health, he's heading back out on the road. He'll be playing 10 shows across the UK and Ireland, starting in Sheffield on September 7 and concluding on September 29 in Dublin. When sharing the tour news, Lewis wrote on Instagram in his typical comedic style: 'about time I got back to work… hope to see you out there'. After fans quizzed him on the possibility of adding more dates, he confirmed that this will be a limited run of gigs; however, there appears to be every reason to hope for more in 2026. For the eighth year, 150,000 festival goers will descend on Glasgow Green from 11-13 July to see the liked of 50 Cent, Gracie Abrams and Biffy Clyro, and you could be there! Metro has teamed up with Rockstar Energy presents TRNSMT Festival to offer four VIP tickets to one lucky winner. For a chance to win this massive music prize, simply enter your details here. You have until midnight on Sunday 6 July 2025 to enter using the form below. Entrants must be 18+. Good luck! T&Cs apply*. Click here if form is not loading. * Open to legal residents of Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18 or over. Promotion opens at 18:01 BST on 2 July 2025 and closes at 23:59 BST on 6 July 2025. The promotion is free to enter; however internet access is required. Entrant must visit and when prompted by the form, submit their name, email, telephone number, date of birth and postcode. Acceptance of the terms and conditions is necessary to enter the promotion. There will be one (1) winner. The winner will win four (4) VIP weekend tickets for TRNSMT Festival, running from 11th – 13th July 2025 at Glasgow Green, in Glasgow ('Prize'). Proof of age and photographic ID are required for entry for all guests (the guests of the winner must be at least 16 years old at the time of entry). The Prize, including entry and attendance at TRSNMT festival, is subject to and governed by the Promoter's full ticket terms and conditions. 1 prize available. 1 entry per person. Full T&Cs apply, see here. Presale for tickets begins on July 8, while general sale opens on July 10. You heard right, Little Monsters, Mother Gaga is touring again. Lady Gaga will bring The Mayhem Ball to the UK in September, kicking things off at London's O2 Arena for five nights before heading to Manchester's Co-op Live for another two on October 7 and 8. Announcing the tour – which follows 2022's The Chromatica Ball – she confirmed 62 shows in total across the US, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Gaga, 39, confessed at the time that she 'wasn't planning to tour this year' but, following the release of her Mayhem album and the epic fan reaction, she changed her mind. 'It came together super quickly thanks to Arthur Fogel and the amazing team at Live Nation, who planned a global tour in just a few weeks,' she shared. 'We chose arenas this time to give me the opportunity to control the details of the show in a way you simply can't in stadiums—and honestly, I can't wait. 'This show is designed to be the kind of theatrical and electrifying experience that brings MAYHEM to life exactly how I envision it.' 'The MAYHEM Ball Tour is officially coming your way. See you soon, monsters,' she signed off. Tickets are now thin on the ground but if you're lucky, you might still be able to grab some. It would be impossible to think about all the concerts without the epic Oasis Live '25 World Tour. After nearly two decades, Noel and Liam Gallagher have buried the hatchet and are performing together once more, which is something we never expected to be saying. The formerly feuding brothers are set to play 17 shows in the UK, 16 years after their dramatic split put an end to the Britpop era. After much speculation, The Verve's Richard Ashcroft and indie rockers Cast were announced as the openers — to a mixed response. All shows are sold out, but fans should keep an eye on official resellers Twickets and Ticketmaster as last-minute tickets might still pop up. Oasis' long-awaited reunion is set to be the biggest concert of the year, so if you get the chance to go, take it; it might never happen again. The iconic 70s group Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra will tour one last time after the death of bandmate Richard Tandy last year. Their nearly sold-out tour will see the Mr Blue Sky legends play just three dates, including a headlining BST Hyde Park, which was announced in October. Jeff, 77, said of the farewell BST gig: 'My return to touring began at Hyde Park in 2014. It seems like the perfect place to do our final show. 'We couldn't be more excited to share this special night in London with our UK fans. As the song goes, 'We're gonna do it One More Time'.' Roy Wood, 78, and Bev Bevan, 80, are not thought to be joining Jeff for these final shows, having left the band in 1986. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Coldplay's mammoth Music of the Spheres Tour will return to the UK in 2025 with a string of gigs in Hull's Craven Park Stadium and London's Wembley Arena. Chris Martin and the band have been touring the world for two years, having kicked off in America in March 2022. They already brought the show to the UK once, but will return on August 18 and 19 for the two gigs in Hull. The Yellow hitmakers will then perform in London's Wembley Stadium on August 22, 23, 26, 27, 30, and 31, and then on September 3, 4, 7, and 8. After a bumpy presale launch, tickets quickly sold out, but there are still some VIP packages up for grabs. If you missed out on this, you can see Coldplay's A Film For The Future, a 360-degree immersive album experience, in Manchester and London. In September, 00s icons The Darkness announced a new album – Dreams On Toast — and a UK tour were on the horizon. They've so far played 17 dates, having kicked off at Ipswich Regent Theatre on March 7 and wrapped up at London's OVO Arena, Wembley on March 29. Northern Irish rockstars Ash joined Justin Hawkins and the band on this month-long tour, for the first time since 2004. Now, following the tour, the I Believe In A Thing Called Love legends are set to play Download Festival in Donington Park on July 11. A reunion tour with a twist, McFly will team up with — or rather go up against – 00s rivals Busted in a battle of the bands style show. When the Star Girl icons were performing in London in October, they gave their fans a little surprise and brought out some very special guests on stage. James Bourne, 41, Charlie Simpson, 40, and Matt Willis, 42, also known as Busted, waltzed on stage and announced that they were reuniting with their fellow band members and past collaborators for the first time in almost a decade. 'Right now, here tonight, we challenge you to the ultimate face-off, next year, 2025, Busted Vs McFly, the tour. The Challenge is yours if you choose to accept it,' Busted announced. McFly, consisting of Tom Fletcher, 39, Danny Jones, 39, Harry Judd, 39, and Dougie Poynter, 37, toured as McBusted in 2014, but this is the first time all seven band members will be on stage together since the 00s. In a shock announcement last year, 90s icons Jamiroquai revealed they would be touring once more after six years away. They released Automaton in 2017, with a tour following the album; however, since then, it's been fairly quiet on the Jamiroquai front. Well, that was until Dua Lipa brought them out at Wembley Stadium this summer to perform Virtual Insanity. The Heels of Steel UK Tour kicks off in Barcelona on November 6, 2025, and will wrap up in Birmingham on December 12. With almost a year to go before the four UK gigs, tickets are still up for grabs for this reunion of this iconic 90s group. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The pop girlies dominated in 2024, and now we will see Birds of a Feather hitmaker Billie Eilish arrive in the UK for her highly anticipated tour. She graced the Glastonbury stage in 2022, becoming the youngest-ever headliner on the Pyramid Stage, and her fame has only grown since then. The 23-year-old star has already stunned on the US leg of her tour, including performing her Barbie tune What Was I Made For while sitting cross-legged on the edge of the stage. Her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour will reach Glasgow on July 7 with two shows before Billie heads down for a six-show stretch in London's O2. After this, the Happier Than Ever singer will play four gigs starting on July 19 at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena. Most of her gigs already have low or limited availability, so fans might want to look out for any resale tickets through official sites in early summer. Kaiser Chiefs previously announced a string of huge gigs to celebrate 20 years since their debut album Employment. Their first LP debuted at number three in 2005, containing hits like Oh My God and I Predict A Riot, with the band winning multiple Brit Awards at the time. After two decades, Kaiser Chiefs announced a homecoming gig at Leeds' Temple Newsam Park — a venue they hadn't played in 23 years. Led by frontman Ricky Wilson, the 00s icons began their huge tour in Port Talbot on May 23 at the In It Together festival in Margam, Wales. They still have plenty of outdoor venues booked, calling at London's Alexandra Palace Park, Brighton Beach and Edinburgh Castle. As well as headlining gigs, they will make stops at festivals like Bristol Sounds, Kendal Calling in the Lake District, and Cornwall's Boardmasters. Alanis Morissette, 51, announced her UK and Europe tour for 2025 last year, with dates having already taken place in March and June, but with July shows to come following her Glastonbury triumph. The Ironic hitmaker revealed her tour on Instagram, specifying these were 'non-headlining' dates and promised more dates were coming soon. She wrote: 'Super excited to share that I'm heading to South America this coming spring and Europe next summer to play a handful of shows and festivals 🎤🌍absolutely cannot wait to connect with all of you ✨✨' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The man of the moment, thanks to his Better Man biopic landing in cinemas and scoring Oscar recognition, is Robbie Williams. While Americans might have been arguing over whether he's famous or not, they needn't fear, because he ain't touring there. He's heading out on the road — skipping the US — with stops around Europe and the UK from May until October. Robbie kicked off his UK leg in Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium on May 31, with stops in Newcastle, Bath, Manchester, and London, with opening acts Rag'n'Bone Man and The Lottery Winners. Sting is playing a whopping six festivals next year on a UK tour, headlining Latitude Festival before more intimate gigs at Eventim Apollo and O2 Forum Kentish Town. The Sting 3.0 World Tour will head to London in October 2025 with two shows that promise to give a much deeper cut performance, digging into 'rarities' in his extensive discography. The tiny O2 Forum will host the Desert Rose singer on October 24, with a maximum capacity of just 2,300. Songs like Englishman in New York and Roxanne will, of course, be on the set list, but the rock star has been mixing things up recently. While on tour in Ontario, Canada, Sting performed I Burn For You live for the first time in 34 years – so expect more unexpected tracks. Close to the end of last year, Sir Bob Geldof surprised everyone as he announced a massive tour with his band, The Boomtown Rats. Fifty years since their debut, the band will take on an anniversary tour, Happy Birthday Boomtown: Celebrating 50 Rat Years 1975 – 2025. More Trending They are set to play 12 venues across the UK with stops in the likes of Nottingham, Birmingham, Glasgow, Sheffield, Manchester, and Liverpool. There's also a very special gig in London's Apollo on October 31, which is the anniversary of their first ever live performance five decades ago. Boomtown Rats' website called it a 'celebration of their musical legacy', with tickets retailing for over £50. This article was first published on January 5, 2025. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Oasis make moving tribute to Diogo Jota that left fans 'sobbing' at first reunion show MORE: Danny Dyer and Louis Tomlinson among famous faces at Oasis' Cardiff comeback MORE: Noel and Liam Gallagher hold hands in historic moment as Oasis reunion tour kicks off
Irish Daily Mirror
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Eamon Carr on Kneecap, Shane MacGowan, the Guildford Four and Rudolf Nureyev
EAMON Carr could see the parallels. 'How could you not?' he says. 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.' For Kneecap in 2025, see Christy Moore, The Pogues and the Sex Pistols in the 1970s and 1980s. Artists who pushed boundaries and fell foul of the establishment. 'It's ludicrous. You had the Prime Minister in England suggesting that Kneecap shouldn't play Glastonbury. Ludicrous. Just nonsense interfering in popular culture,' Eamon adds. From his time as Horslips drummer to his other lives as a producer, poet, playwright, journalist and author, Carr has seen and heard it (nearly) all before. While writing for the Evening Herald he also interviewed some of the biggest names in music, film, sport and the arts. Going back over the tapes he found a common thread. 'Ultimately I selected 15 long-form interviews for the book to build everything else around,' he says of the collection, called Pure Gold. 'There were a few others that would've stood up, but there was a feeling that these fit together. A sort of psychic thread that links them.' Carr lifts the lid on the likes of Jack Charlton, Eartha Kitt, Malcolm McLaren, JP Donleavy, Brenda Fricker, Sheila Mooney and 'Mad' Frankie Fraser. Injustice and resistance are themes that emerge again and again. Among the collection is a November 1989 interview with Shane MacGowan which addressed the pressures he was under at the time and hinted at unrest within The Pogues. 'Listening back now, the game was up. But I didn't know that,' he says. 'They dropped Frank (Murray) as manager a few months after the interview. So that wouldn't have happened overnight. 'That would have been brewing in the band, because a band like that, it's like a tanker trying to turn. It takes a while to get everything on board. 'I think Shane might've thought I knew more than I did because he probably thought I was close to Frank. 'So, in hindsight, some of the questions might have felt a bit close to the bone. Then there was also his own position as a musician in the band.' Carr had known The Pogues frontman since MacGowan's time working on a record stall in Soho in the 1970s, and in the interview he questioned the singer about his drinking and if the music industry had sapped the band's spirit. 'They were working on Hell's Ditch,' says Carr. 'He didn't overly commit to that album. He was already cutting himself adrift, emotionally or whatever, from the band. That was his last album with The Pogues. 'Internal politics in bands are really intense. Lots of bodies and lots of opinions. 'So, when I look at the Shane stuff and view it in light of all of that, I think it sort of speaks volumes. 'I think a lot of it was between the lines. What he didn't say. I found it really, really sad to be honest.' They also discussed the release of the Guildford Four from prison and Pogues song Streets of Sorrow which highlighted that injustice along with the Birmingham Six. Gerry Conlon, Paul Hill, Paddy Armstrong and Carole Richardson had served 15 years for the 1974 Guildford pub bombings before their wrongful convictions were finally quashed in October 1989. Gareth Peirce, who secured their release, was recently back in the headlines for defending Kneecap in court. Another echo from the past. 'They spent all those years in jail. It's f**king horrendous,' says Carr. Horslips were based in London, living in flats, while touring up and down Britain and Ireland at the time of the Guildford bombings. One Sunday morning, Carr encountered what he assumed was a Special Branch officer outside their flat and thought they were about to be raided for drugs. 'The house was nearly an open house,' he says. 'There was always a party. 'I came back that morning and said, 'We've had Special Branch on the doorstep. If there's any evidence of any of our guests partying here last night… empty your ashtrays.' They all laughed. 'The following morning was a Monday and we were woken at some ungodly hour with a boom, boom, boom, and next thing there were 14 police in the house with dogs. 'We're all rounded up, all brought down to the kitchen and quizzed. 'My initial thing was that it was a drugs raid. It turned out that they were investigating Guildford. 'They were querying us on where we were on different dates.' Carr was able to produce a tour diary and prove the band were playing in St Mary's Hall in Portlaoise on the night in question and the police departed soon afterwards. But not without telling him the flat had been under surveillance for a week. 'That knocked the wind out of me,' he says. The book also contains interviews with former barrister and author John Mortimer about defending the Sex Pistols and with Fear And Loathing illustrator Ralph Steadman about art in the time of war. 'When I went over the Steadman stuff, I mean, he was a proper artist, and had a proper artistic response to the Iraq war,' says Carr. 'It was unbelievable because we're in the middle of it at the moment. It's totally alive. Everything he says is alive and relevant for now.' Another interview he found carried more weight with the passage of time was one with ballet superstar Rudolf Nureyev. Carr met the Siberian in his dressing room during a performance at the Point Theatre where Nureyev spoke with great passion about the mystical power of dance. But the writer's abiding memory is one of a disconsolate figure. 'He was incredibly passionate about dance, explaining why he was doing still it in his 50s,' says Carr. 'But when I was leaving, I sort of glanced back and he looked really crushed, not the strong-willed figure that had been talking to me. 'It only became apparent subsequently when it was announced that he had died of AIDS. He would have known at that point. 'And in the light of that information, everything that he said makes double the sense, because he was talking about the passion. 'You have to have the passion because this keeps them alive. Their passion keeps them alive.' ■ Pure Gold by Eamon Carr is published by Merrion Press
Extra.ie
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
'I feel lucky' - Ryan Tubridy opens up on proposal
Well, it's been quite the couple of weeks since I wrote my last London diary. It's probably best to start at the beginning and see where the road takes us! Some time ago, I agreed with my daughters that someday in the future, the three of us would visit Japan. We have been so curious about the country and its customs, art and people that we had built a great urge between us to go and see it for ourselves. Between the jigs and the reels, the timings never worked but that changed a couple of weeks ago when we boarded a plane for Abu Dhabi and then on to Osaka for what turned out to be the trip of a lifetime. I won't go into great detail as it was a wonderfully personal experience but I will tell you that it was like being beamed down from a spaceship onto the set of a Wes Anderson film. Clare Kambamettu and Ryan Tubridy. Pic:It's a uniformly beautiful, clean, mannerly, law-abiding place that can surprise you with every corner turned. An amusing highlight occurred when we were checking into the Hiroshima Hilton and a lovely man approached us with his arm outstretched in welcome. In his mild Cork accent he said that he was wondering how long it would take for a history buff like me to visit the city and hotel! I was flabbergasted as Mark Gardiner introduced himself and told some of his backstory. I said we were visiting the museum and peace park for the day, but maybe he'd join us later for a beer. Mark explained that his Japanese wife had been forced to watch the Toy Show for years, and could she come along to say hello? Obviously I was delighted by all of this so a plan was hatched. The Hiroshima museum and peace park is a place like no other. Over the course of an afternoon we heard, read and saw a very different account of the end of WWII and the repulsive effects of the atomic bomb. The park is all about living history, right down to the bombed-out, domed building that was left standing despite the fact that pretty much everything around it was levelled and destroyed. Easily one of the most fascinating, disturbing and thought-provoking places I've ever visited. Ryan Tubridy and his wife-to-be, Clare. Pic: Ryan Tubridy We took some time out, then met Mark and his wonderful and welcoming wife Kayo, who told us some remarkable stories about her city and indeed about how she met Mark (which is for them to share, not me!). We went on to eat at a local restaurant where the girls encouraged me to try the chopsticks, noodles and dumplings, which I did and I'm a changed man! Post-dinner merriment found us all in the mood to sample the local national sport that is karaoke, which was an awful lot of fun. Between us, we improved the back catalogue of Frank Sinatra, Bonnie Tyler, Bob Dylan, The Pogues and some Japanese icons. It was that kind of evening. Clare Kambamettu and Ryan Tubridy. Pic:for The Irish Post We were so lucky to meet Mark whose mother, Kay, has so much to be proud of – and, along with Kayo, we made some new and unexpected friends. Kudos to young Ronan Miyachi, a friend of my eldest. He is of Irish-Japanese heritage and took us on some magical mystery tours around the backstreets of Tokyo that I will treasure. We bumped into a lovely bunch of people from Glanmire and at the airports, it was great to say hello and step into selfies with Irish people from all over the world who were on the move. Dr Clare Kambamettu and Ryan Tubridy. Pic: RTÉ I'm not sure I'll ever need to go back to Japan (the flights go on forever when you've long legs!) but I wouldn't change a thing – it was unforgettable. And then it was back to Ireland where I just about had time to do a laundry manoeuvre, before heading West for a few days and a life-changing experience as I prepared to ask Clare to marry me. I don't want to give all the details but I do want to share a few moments because some people were enormously helpful along the way. Firstly, I knew I wanted to buy the ring in Clifden where the local jewellery shop has been a beautiful and important family concern for decades, and both myself and Clare love the area. I've also been preaching about shopping local for years so I wasn't going to Tiffany's. I called Jonty Daly in O'Dalaigh's and asked for some guidance and I can tell you, the man's a diamond! The care, attention and thought he put into every detail was above and beyond, right down to him driving out to Renvyle House Hotel to deliver the 'package' to Anne Marie Kelly, the incomparable general manager there. It was all so much fun and it felt distinctly Irish. By the Atlantic shore, I asked the important question and thankfully, the answer was in the affirmative – and so began the most gorgeous weekend. The staff and joyful hotel patrons helped make it all feel special. We called into Jonty the next day to thank him and his staff; there was a little confusion about online stories but that was entirely at my end. Jonty did not let the cat out of the bag, it was an innocent miscommunication and we're all firm friends. In fact, he joined us at The Abbeyglen Castle Hotel that evening where my cousin Brian Hughes and his amazing wife, Michelle, raised a few glasses with another cousin, Rachael Coyle and her brilliant husband, Shane. Another lovely night was had that ended with songs at the piano! After that, it was Scrabble, cycling and sleeping before boarding a plane in Shannon and heading to the skies – a different man with a whole new vista ahead. I felt and feel lucky, happy and ready for another welcome twist in the tale.
