Gay Byrne’s Late Late Show was the national debating chamber the entire country watched as one, whether in excitement, disbelief, anger or incredulity. Under his watch, the Late Late functioned as a crack of light in the hermetic darkness of pre-Celtic Tiger Ireland. Would he have rolled his eyes at the prospect of a Late Late Show dedicated to his memory? Ryan Tubridy and President Michael D HigginsGay Byrne on the set of The Late Late Show, in the autumn of 1966. The two-hour special begins in black and white and with a frowning owl: the opening to the original 1962 Late Late Show.

Source: The Irish Times November 05, 2019 23:48 UTC