Patrick is hit on Late Late Show – and in Dundrum

Patrick is hit on Late Late Show – and in Dundrum

20 September 2023

HAVING made his acclaimed debut of hosting The Late Late Show on Friday night, Patrick Kielty returned to his home village of Dundrum on Saturday evening to celebrate with friends.

The Late Late Show is an iconic Irish institution, with its first episode airing on RTÉ on July 6, 1962.

While the show and broadcasting corporation has been marred in financial controversy, Kielty was commended for addressing the hot topic head on with several disarming jokes.

Although he received widespread acclaim across the island of Ireland, it did not equate to the support the local man received from his fellow Dundrum compatriots.

And a number of punters gathered at The Dundrum Inn to see their man take centre stage on the world’s longest -running TV talk show.

“The atmosphere was electric,” said manager Tom Doak.

“It was a brilliant atmosphere – the bar was absolutely packed and we were all rooting for him.”

The Dundrum Inn, which is owned by the Patterson family, said it ended up handing out £589 of free drinks on the night every time the host mentioned his beloved Dundrum.

“Patrick knew that this was happening, but he only said it about 12 times,” Tom said.

“We had a Patrick Kielty drinks wheel, so whatever the wheel landed on, the punters would get that drink on the house. It’s something we’re going to do for his first month as host.”

Tom continued: “RTÉ and BBC came in to film us watching the show. I’m still not sure how they found out, but the bar was like a film set.”

It was evident during his opening monologue, that Kielty battled through nerves and emotions.

He described hosting the iconic prime time show as “the honour of the lifetime” and held back tears as he recalled his family’s journey.

“When he started talking about his family you could see that he was emotional and people in the bar were visibly moved by it,” said Tom. “It’s nice to see one of our own do so well.

“Some of Kielty’s family members were in the bar, including his cousins, nephews and other extended family members.”

Kielty had stellar guests for his debut show, including former Irish president Mary McAleese and Republic of Ireland footballer James McClean, delivering on his promise that the show would have an “all Ireland flavour”.

Viewing figures revealed by RTÉ, showed that Kielty’s first night as host was a record-breaking debut, with a peak audience of 934,000.

They said: “Friday night’s eagerly anticipated Late Late Show had an average audience of 830,300.”

After the show, the RTE host returned to Dundrum and was spotted at his favourite local pub.

“He came into us on Saturday evening,” said Tom.

“He would always come in for a drink when he’s visiting his home and he was with a couple of friends.

“People were congratulating him and telling him how much they enjoyed the show – he seemed to really appreciate the feedback.”

Tom added: “He seems like a nice lad and we just let him enjoy his night with his friends.”