Latest news with #LateLateShow
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Inside Jim McGuinness's family life including wife and children
Jim McGuinness is looking to cement himself as one of the GAA greats as he takes charge in his third All-Ireland Football final this Sunday. It has been a remarkable turnaround since McGuinness came back in charge in 2024 as he turned the county's fortune back round. Donegal fell just short last year, after being beaten by Galway in the semi-finals, while they went a step further this year and compete in a mouthwatering final against Kerry. Here is everything you need to know about the Donegal boss. Where is he from and what age is he? McGuinness was born in 1972 and turns 53 later this year. He is from the Glenties in Donegal. Family life McGuinness is married to wife Yvonne and the pair met in 2002 after Donegal played Dublin in Croke Park. Yvonne had been going out with this guy but had split up with him that summer, and her mother was going: 'And what about Jim McGuinness?' And what about Jim McGuinness?' Yvonne was sick of it: 'Will you just shut your mouth about Jim McGuinness! Why are you talking about him? I've never even met him!'," Jim told the Sunday Indepdendent. "Anyway, we're in the players' lounge in Croke Park after losing to Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final and this woman - her mother - calls me over. And (Yvonne) turned around, and I turned around, and that was it. So I owe her mother a lot too." The couple have six children together; Toni-Marie, Mark Anthony, Jim Jnr and twin girls Bonnie and Aoibhe. Jim McGuinness and family in 2012 McGuinness has endured tragedy in his own life, losing two of his brothers. When Jim was 12, his older brother Charles passed away aged 16. The Donegal manager said on the Late Late Show in 2015: "We heard a shout from his room and ran in to see what was going on. He had a heart condition and there was no trace of it ever before." "He was somebody who I felt was really, really cool and someone I looked up to. He was a beautiful looking boy and had a great manner about him, great work ethic, cared a lot about his appearance and worked real hard in the family business. And he was a great footballer and I really looked up to him from that point of view. "It was a moment in your life when your life is going along in a certain direction and all of a sudden you're jilted and you are going in a different direction. In many respects it was like a sledge hammer. I was 12 and you are never the same person again. "All of a sudden you're life just changes and you are weak and you are vulnerable. You try to make sense of it and all I wanted to do was make things right for my mother and father. Jim's brother Mark died in 1998 in a road accident. The pair were driving to Dublin Airport when their car collided with a truck. "I remember thinking the truck was out of control and the car was tossed like a matchbox. I held his hand, stared into his eyes and told him I loved him," said Jim. McGuinness would return to the scene of the accident in 2012 with the Sam Maguire when Donegal won the All-Ireland. Playing and coaching Career McGuinness was part of the All-Ireland winning panel with Donegal in 1992 but did not feature in the final. He would go on to play with the county for the guts of a decade but it co-incided with a barren spell for the county. After his playing career ended he would guide Naomh Conaill to a county title and brought Donegal to an Under-21 All-Ireland Football finalin 2010. The Jim Gavin-managed side beat Donegal by two points on that occasion in a game that featured the likes of Michael Murphy and Dean Rock. McGuinness was appointed manager for the 2011 season and went about completing a remarkable turnaround for the county. Donegal would not only win their first Ulster game in four years but went on the win the Championship before being knocked out of the All-Ireland at the semi-finals. Donegal would go a step further and win the All-Ireland title in 2012 and again returned to the final in 2014 before losing to Kerry. That year they sent shockwaves in the GAA world after they upset Dublin in one of the most famous games in recent years. He would depart Donegal at the end of that season and pursue a career in soccer coaching that included stints at Celtic, Beijing Guoan, and Charlotte Independence. He returned to Donegal for the 2024 season and guided the county to an Ulster title and a semi-final.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ryan Tubridy shares holiday snaps from family trip to Japan
Ex-RTE star Ryan Tubridy has shared a look inside his recent trip to Japan with daughters Ella and Julia. The Virgin Radio and Q102 presenter visited Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo earlier this summer, describing it as an "unforgettable" holiday. Ryan recently wrote in his Irish Mail on Sunday column: "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. It's a uniformly beautiful, clean, mannerly, law-abiding place that can surprise you with every corner turned." Ryan, Ella and Julia visited four cities in Japan and the Dubliner said he became "obsessed" with Japan's bullet train. Ryan, Ella and Julia visited four cities in Japan (Image: Instagram: Ryan Tubridy) The former Late Late Show host said his daughters encouraged him to taste some traditional Japanese food and diversify his palette. "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." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Oasis's Croke Park gigs are a homecoming for the 'Irish' band
What's the Irish for 'mad fer it'? Liam and Noel Gallagher may be asking that very question before taking the stage at Croke Park next month for the highly anticipated Irish leg of their Live '25 reunion tour. The gigs at Heaton Park last weekend were a return for the Mancunian-born brothers, but their return to Irish shores will be a different kind of homecoming. As everyone knows, the brothers' parents Peggy and Thomas are Irish emigrants. Peggy left Charlestown, Co. Mayo in 1961 at the age of 18, originally working as a housekeeper in Manchester. There, she met her fellow Irish emigree Thomas 'Tommy' Gallagher, who hailed from the Co. Meath village of Duleek. Their first child Paul was born in 1966, followed by Noel in 1967 and Liam in 1972. The brothers made regular trips to Ireland as kids, and one photo from the 1970s depicts them standing at the wall of their Irish granny Annie Gallagher's home in Downstown, Duleek with their uncle's dog. Many school holidays were spent in Charlestown with their maternal granny Maggie Sweeney, too. Noel recounted those summers in a Late Late Show interview in 1996, telling Gay Byrne: "My mam used to religiously drag us by the ear across the Irish Sea to spend summer holidays there. We had never seen the likes of nettles, fields and stacks of hay and all that - so she was determined to give us a bit of Irish culture, 'cos we were used to concrete and flats, and all that stuff. It was a bit of a culture shock for the first four or five years, but we grew to love it and we still do." As adults, both Liam and Noel have embraced their Irish roots wholeheartedly - and they've made regular returns to Charlestown, too. In 2015, footage emerged of Liam joining in a session and having a sing-song at JJ Finan's pub which has become his local while holidaying in the Mayo town (according to reports, he also bought nine bags of Tayto in the local shop on the same trip, lest his heritage ever be questioned.) Noel, meanwhile, made the headlines last year when he was interviewed after a Man City match. When asked about City player Phil Foden playing for England in the Euros, he said "I'm not an England fan. I'm Irish. Goodnight." Tongue-in-cheek, perhaps, but we'll claim him nevertheless. We'll even overlook the Union Jack guitar. Indeed, the issue of that particular guitar was once put to him in an interview with comedian and podcaster Matt Morgan. "Somebody said last week "If he's so Irish, why does he have a Union Jack guitar?" said Morgan. Gallagher responded: "Because somebody got it for me for my birthday, and I guess it's like a pop art thing, I suppose. It's not a nationalistic thing. I think I only played that guitar at like, two f**king gigs ever. I think that's in some museum somewhere now." Noel also reckoned that the Irish music and rebel songs that they were raised on had an impact on Oasis's music, and its "punch-the-air" quality. "I feel as Irish as the next person," he said. "The first music I was ever exposed to was the rebel songs the bands used to sing in the Irish club in Manchester. Do you know, I think that's where Oasis songs get their punch-the-air quality - from me being exposed to those rousing rebel songs. It was all rebel songs and that godawful Irish country and western music." So far, at least, the influence of Big Tom and the Mainliners has gone undetected. Will there be a divergence from the setlist for an a capella version of A Nation Once Again? Will the Wolfe Tones' Celtic Symphony replace F**kin' in the Bushes as their intro music? Noel has gone as far as to proclaim how the band owe practically everything to their Irish heritage. "Oasis could never have existed, been as big, been as important, been as flawed, been as loved and loathed, if we weren't all predominantly Irish," he said in Simon Spence's Oasis biography Feeling Supersonic, noting how all of the band's founding members - Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs, Paul 'Guigsy' McGuigan and original drummer Tony McCarroll were also of Irish descent. "There is rage in Oasis music and let me explain that to you. If I say to people there's rage in the music, people might think about screaming and shouting - but you can rage joy. When the Irish are sad they are the saddest people in the world, when they are happy, they are the happiest people in the world. When they drink they are the most drunk people in the world. There is one rule for the Irish and different ones for everybody else. Oasis could never have existed, been as big, been as important, been as flawed, been as loved and loathed, if we weren't all predominantly Irish." Watch: Noel Gallagher on The Meaning Of Life with Gay Byrne It does concur with his previous comments about his cultural identity, however. "I clearly remember my mam saying to me and my two brothers when we were growing up: 'You're only English because you were born here'," he said in an interview in 2007. "And with a mother from Mayo and a father from Co Meath, there's not a drop of English blood in me. I recently had a child with my Scottish girlfriend, and there's no English blood in him at all." We'll have to wait and see how it plays out at Croke Park, the first Live '25 date tour date that's not on British soil. Will there be a divergence from the setlist for an a capella version of A Nation Once Again? Will the Wolfe Tones' Celtic Symphony replace F**kin' in the Bushes as their intro music? Will they wear matching Irish football jerseys donated by Bono, come out sipping pints of Guinness or have a tricolour hanging off an amp? No matter what happens, there's no doubt that the Brothers Gallagher will be welcomed as hometown heroes. And 'mad fer it' is 'ar buile', by the way.
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘Somebody has to speak for the Irish people' says Michael Flatley as he ‘seriously' considers running for president
MICHAEL Flatley could be putting down the dancing shoes and whiskey to move into Áras an Uachtaráin this year. will be stepping down as President of Ireland on November 11, 2025, after a 14-year term. Advertisement 4 Michael Flatley hasn't 'made a decision' on whether he's running for presidency yet Credit: Gary Ashe - Commissioned by The Sun Dublin 4 Michael D Higgins is saying goodbye to Áras an Uachtaráin this November Credit: Sportsfile - Subscription 4 Michael Flatley spoke about what he 'stands for' Credit: Getty Images - Getty The beloved figure was originally inaugurated as president in 2011, and then re-elected in 2018. This means that the next As the country gets ready to bid President Higgins a fond farewell, all sights have turned to who will take his place. And it looks like the creator of the world-famous Riverdance and Lord of the Dance shows, Advertisement read more on michael flatley The 67-year-old has revealed that everywhere he goes, "people stop and ask" him about his intentions to become head of state, which he said he takes "seriously". Speaking to Brendan O'Connor on RTE Radio One on Saturday, Flatley said: "I've not made the decision, but I have a team of advisers that are advising me on this. I have a huge business to run. "I have an army of dancers counting on me to make a living. I have a whiskey company, a beautiful young wife and son that I want to spend time with." Flatley said he believes Irish people don't have "a true proper deep voice that speaks their language" to represent them right now and that if he thought he could be that voice, he would consider putting himself forward for the presidency. Advertisement read more on the irish sun The dad-of-one added: "I meet the average person on the street from five to 95. "I meet them all and I hear their concerns. And I'd be lying if I said they're happy right now, and somebody has to speak for the Irish people. Michael Flatley and Matt Molloy perform on Late Late Show "I'm not sure we need another politician... if I'm honest. It's a statesman's role, but I spent the last 30 years of my life touring the world promoting Ireland and Irish culture." Flatley spoke about his credentials and experience that could give him an upper hand in the race. Advertisement He said: "I've met them all. I've met the Bushes, the Obamas, 'FRUSTRATING' "I've met all those people on a more cultural front, more to promote the country. And I think maybe that's what the job of president is all about." Flatley has yet to be approached by any political party but has been sought out by "some very weighted individuals people in the know". The celebrity choreographer finished off the conversation saying: "It's certainly not something that I've made any decision on. Advertisement "But it does get frustrating when you see the hard-working Irish taxpayer working as hard out and having no say in things. "Let it be said that I stand for Ireland and the Irish people, Sin é." Flatley was among the guests invited to the 4 The next presidential election is due to take place sometime before November 2025 Credit: Alamy Advertisement
Irish Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ryan Tubridy breaks silence on why he really quit RTE Late Late Show
TV and radio host Ryan Tubridy has said he wanted to leave The Late Late Show before he had enough of the job. The ex-RTE star announced in March 2023, that he would be stepping down as the presenter of The Late Late Show after 14 years in May. But just months later, the father-of-two was dropped from working with RTE amid a high-profile scandal over undisclosed payments. In June 2023, investigations revealed RTÉ had paid him €345,000 more than publicly declared between 2017 and 2022, using a "barter account" and side arrangements. But speaking to PJ Coogan on the Opinion Line on Cork's Red FM, Ryan said he doesn't miss hosting the Late Late Show saying he 'had his fill' – but loved his time in RTE. He said: 'Do I miss it? Is your question. No, I don't. I tell you..I don't miss presenting the shows that I did, the presenting the Late Late Show. I loved it, loved presenting it. Loved the people I worked with. I actually loved my time in RTE. 'I had a great time there, but I left the Late Late Show because I'd had my fill, and it was joyful.' Ryan Tubridy with PJ Coogan on Cork's Red FM Ryan – who recently got engaged to Dr Clare Kambamettu - said he was afraid that if he continued as host of the coveted Friday night chat show he would eventually not feel any more joy for the high profiled job. 'And my feeling was, if I kept going, the joy would stop, and that would be a mistake. I was at my peak. I had such a lovely time.' But the 52-year-old said he got a 'beautiful send-off', and declined to reference in the final few months at the national broadcaster. 'I got a beautiful send off. Even somebody arranged for Paul McCartney to send a video message to that last show. And so it was, it was a thing of great joy. So no, it was great. It was just a curve. 'Move on to the next thing and, and it's just a different class of joy,' referencing his move to Virgin Radio and Q102. But he said he still gets called the 'Toy Man' from his time presenting the Late Late Toy Show. 'I mean, you know, when I moved to London, I was going where, like, I didn't know London at all. But I never lived abroad until I was 50. So talk about late starter. 'It's great fun. Oh, I love London's buzz,' he added. Ryan is in Cork this weekend ahead of the West Cork Literary Festival in Bantry where he will be interviewed by fellow chat show king Graham Norton. 'He's such a prolific writer now that he goes to all the writing festivals. So I sent me a lovely message last night saying, we'll have a great chat, and then we'll have a glass of ale afterwards to discuss it all. So it's always great. It's great to be back in Cork,' he added. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
