Tonight, Kneecap clearly flouted the policy, with DJ Próvaí of the group performing a “costume change” while on the couch, which resulted in him revealing a Palestinian jersey.
The action appeared to take Kielty by surprise, but the host dealt with it well.
“I have to say, you know, on the basis of this, that our thoughts are with everybody in that conflict, some horrific stuff is happening there. I am also obliged to say that in politics there is another side and some people might not agree with what you’ve done,” he said.
Mo Chara, another member of the group, said that the group were taking a stand.
“We’re here to use our platform to highlight the genocide that’s happening in Palestine at the moment,” he said.
“We have to use this platform as an opportunity to ask the Irish people to attend rallies and protests, to support the BDS movement and to show solidarity to Palestine. Hopefully one day Palestine will be free,” he concluded.
In a statement after Irish Women in Harmony’s performance last week, RTÉ said the national broadcaster’s content “follows clear guidelines in regard to impartiality”.
“RTÉ aims to facilitate open debate on issues of public interest and concern,” it continued.
“As such we ask that participants do not wear badges, symbols or emblems related to one particular point of view in the absence of a forum for a representation of all views.”
From his very first show, Patrick Kielty has shown he’s not afraid to make jokes at the expense of his own bosses – and he continued that trend tonight.
Wasting no time in getting the digs in, Kielty kicked off proceedings on Friday by acknowledging the significant number of guests on the show tonight, joking there may not be a seat for everyone.
“We don’t have enough chairs left in RTÉ,” he fired off, in reference to Siún Ní Raghallaigh’s shock resignation on Thursday night.
Brendan Gleeson appeared on Friday night’s The Late Late Show
Brendan Gleeson was back on on Friday night and Kielty was keen to ask him about what he made of Cillian Murphy’s chances of nagging the Oscar for his performance in Oppenheimer next month.
“What a treat he is,” he said of the Cork man. “How proud can you be of Cillian?”
Asked whether he thinks “he’ll get the job done,” Gleeson said honestly. “I don’t really care.”
“Honestly, it’s one thing I learned about the whole procedure. Myself and Colin went to the Oscars, had a brilliant time…. all of these creative forces in the one room, it was extraordinary, it was a brilliant night.
“A lot of the time you can feel half your soul is gone because you’ve been told you’re losing and we got through all that in a brilliant way,” he said.
“I just dropped Cillian a note and said ‘look, they can’t take this one away because the nomination is the thing, after that it’s showbiz’. Whatever happens, happens. It will be brilliant if he wins but to me it’s not the yardstick.”
Name checking Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott, Saoirse Ronan and Jessie Buckley, he said all these fantastic Irish actors were “bringing heft to artistic exploration in film”.
“It’s absolutely wonderful. It really is,” he said.
The Irish actor and director was on the show to promote his new documentary which will have its premiere at the Irish Film Institute on Friday, March 1 as part of the Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF).
Gleeson, who is also a talented fiddle player, even treated viewers to a performance with some of his friends of 30 years who he has played with over the years in Hughes’, the now defunct bar which was located on a side street behind the Four Courts in Smithfield, Dublin.
The stepdaughter of paedophile rugby star and unionist councillor Davy Tweed was the final guest on Friday night.
Introduced by Kielty as a woman who proves it is appropriate to sometimes speak ill of the dead, Brown, who was abused by Tweed from the age of eight to 15, said she has not been able to forgive Tweed for the torrent of abuse he inflicted on her and many others, though she spent two years trying to following his death in 2021.
She had, however, forgiven “the little girl” she was for being afraid to speak up at the time, she said.
“I have gained a lot of healing from telling my story, and I know other people have gotten some healing from me telling my story,” she said.
In a powerful statement to other victims and those watching at home she said she believed it was important to tell stories like hers and “have these conversations around dinner tables”.
“I think it’s important that we share stories like these because the more we share stories like these, the fewer places that abusers have to hide.”
The 43-year-old has written a book about her story, , which is available now.
