A BEAUTIFUL duet by Finbar Furey and Imelda May was the highlight of the historic episode of The Late Late Show, in October 2018.
We remember 3 years on, this week - a memorable night in London!
The special episode, broadcast live from Central Hall in Westminster, London, had no shortage of Irish talent.
Graham Norton, Brendan O’Carroll and Barry McGuigan were part of the star-studded line-up that joined host Ryan Tubridy.
However it was a stirring version of When You Were Sweet Sixteen by Furey and May that made the biggest impression on viewers.
Finbar Furey @FinbarFurey and Imelda May @ImeldaOfficial stunning the #LateLate London audience with a beautiful version of "When You Were Sweet Sixteen" pic.twitter.com/vjl39lL8eB
— RTÉ (@rte) 12 October 2018
Some viewers took to Twitter to say their rendition of the song –which gave The Fureys a hit in Britain in 1981 – had moved them to tears.
Am watching Finbar Furey and Imelda May and blubbing 😭😭😭 #latelate
— Jennifer Geary (@gearyjen) 12 October 2018
In complete melt down here after Finbar Furey & Imelda May sang Sweet Sixteen... #LateLate #latelateshow
— Olive Bridget (@OliveBridget) 12 October 2018
Something in me eyes
Sweet Sixteen
Finbar Furey and Imelda May#latelate— John Barrington (@PhuckAllCraic) 12 October 2018
#Finbar Furey #Imelda May...not a dry eye in this house#sweetsixteen#latelateshow 💕
— Ca Del (@fdcsticks) 12 October 2018
Finbar Furey and Imelda May singing when you were sweet sixteen has made watching The Late Late Show worth while tonight.
— Ailín O'Briain (@AOB_93) 12 October 2018
The show, a celebration of the Irish in Britain, heard from May about how she got the boat from Dun Laoghaire destined for London 22 years ago.
“I was waving, really happy about my adventures,” she told Tubridy, “and it was only as I saw [my parents] getting smaller and all of Ireland getting smaller, that it dawned on me, ‘oh my god, I’m emigrating’.
“And then I bawled for about three months.
“I got so homesick I got the shingles. I got really ill, I was just missing home so much, but I was determined to make it work.’
She added: “It’s now 22 years… I love it [London].”
You can watch the special edition of The Late Late Show live from London in full on RTÉ Player until November 11, 2018.
** Originally Published on: Oct 13, 2018 by Gerard Donaghy
