Late Late talking points: Annie Mac turned down MBE, Strictly star on dad’s alcoholism
Patrick Kielty and Annie Mac
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar spoke about stepping down from his role as Fine Gael party leader and Taoiseach and how a limit to the leadership term is “not such a bad idea”, citing America’s eight-year limit as an example.
Varadkar’s resignation came as a shock but he revealed on Friday night’s Late Late Show that he "nearly chickened out" the night before he made his announcement.
“It was definitely the right decision for me and hopefully the right decision for the country,” he added. “It was something I was thinking about for a few months but only definitely made the decision in the days beforehand.”
He said after 13 years in government, he felt “there was a need for a reset”, clearing the way for Simon Harris to become Ireland’s youngest Taoiseach. However, he added he is unsure if he will run in the next general election, saying he will decide after seeing how his party fares in the upcoming local and European elections.
In 2011, Brian O’Driscoll paid a visit to Temple Street Hospital and met then-six-year-old Michaela Morley, who was undergoing dialysis treatment. A photo of the pair with the Champions Cup trophy after Leinster's European win spread widely and they kept in touch.
Thirteen years later, they spoke to Patrick Kielty to encourage organ donations.
“The big thing is having an organ donor app on your phone or speaking to your loved ones and letting them know you want that. I know I've had that conversation with my wife to make sure if the unthinkable happens you are offering life to other people,” O’Driscoll said.
“It’s not a conversation that people want to have but when you realize the difference that it can make to people's lives it's a conversation people should have”
Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood appeared on Friday’s Late Late ahead of his stint at Dublin’s Bord Gais Energy heare for The Wizard of Oz musical, in which he plays the Wicked Witch.
He spoke about first performing in drag as a child and his late father’s reaction to it, saying he used dance to escape the realities of living with an alcoholic.
“That’s actually the reason I started dancing. My father was a desperate alcoholic and eventually died of alcoholism,” he said, adding that growing up was “appalling” for him as he couldn’t invite any friends to his home and he kept his love of dance “under wraps” for a long time.
DJ and writer Annie Mac spoke about her new novel as well as her work in clubs and broadcasting. Living in England for 25 years, she said she feels homesick, particularly since her sons developed English accents.
“I never allowed myself to call it home. I knew it was home for my kids. But for me ‘home’ was always Dublin.”
She also confirmed she turned down an MBE for her work in broadcasting. “Do I need to explain?” she asked, citing archaic language about the British Empire being her main cause for concern.
“I don't want to be associated with the British Empire. I did history in school and I know about that.”
