One of the few not hitting the pub this Good Friday? Because the Late Late Show is set to be a cracker.
Bob Geldof is one of the few gracing the RTÉ couch tonight and, as usual, he’s got a lot to say.
Geldof will be on to discuss his decision to hand back the freedom of Dublin, why the marriage referendum was a defining moment for Ireland and why his opinion of this country has changed utterly in recent years.
The Irish musician made headlines back in November when he announced his decision to return the Freedom of Dublin in protest at Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi who, at the time, held the same honour.
In a statement, Geldof called Suu Kyi “at best an accomplice to murder and a handmaiden to genocide”.
His accusation refers to Suu Kyi’s silence over the treatment of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim population by the country’s armed forces. Rohingya Muslims have been barred from attaining citizenship in Myanmar since, meaning that they are unable to access healthcare, education and cannot move freely from state to state.
Geldof spoke to Tubridy in a pre-recorded interview for the Late Late Show in which he expressed his original joy upon hearing that he was being bestowed the honour as he himself is a Dubliner, and “they give it to very few people”.
He went on to say that he thought it was “a disgrace” that Aung San Suu Kyi had also received the same honour, believing that “it dishonours it” entirely.
Upon reiterating his fact that Suu Kyi’s name should be stricken from the roll of honourees, the studio audience gave the musician a round of applause.
He also went on to say that he removed his own name from the Freedom of Dublin in order to draw attention to the fact that Suu Kyi’s name is still on it, even though he didn’t wish to do so.
“Honestly I didn’t want to. It’s a lovely thing. It’s sort of like vellum, and it’s got Gaelic lettering and beautiful calligraphy and colouring, like the Book of Kells, and it’s on my wall, not many things I have are on my wall,” Geldof said.
“I took it off and rolled up the frame and I gave it back to the person who gave it to me, who was the Lord Mayor at the time.”
Clip via The Late Late Show
Also on the show tonight are ex-RTÉ News presenter Bryan Dobson, Cork comic Maeve Higgins, musician Finbar Furey, the Home of the Year judges Hugh Wallace, Deirdre Whelan and Patrick Bradley, as well as representatives from The Donkey Sanctuary in Cork.
Music will be provided by Relish.
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