“In a world that seems to be going to hell in a handcart, Ireland is this wonderful beacon.”
If you’re tuned into the Late Late Show this week, you’re going to be greeted to the odd – although not unique – sight of Graham Norton being interviewed by Ryan Tubridy as the two Friday night chat show hosts meet again.
Of course, thanks to the magic of a pre-record, The Graham Norton Show will also be airing on BBC but it’s very likely that the Corkman will be talking about his new novel, A Keeper, when he joins Tubridy for the special edition of the Late Late Show that’s live from London.
After impressing with his breakthrough novel, Norton has solidified his reputation as a talented author with his sophomore effort and during the recent publicity tour for the book he gave a very candid interview with The Guardian.
Aside from talking about his on-screen career as a TV host, the Father Ted star was happy to discuss the changing social climate in Ireland with regards to the relatively recent referendums on marriage equality and the Eighth Amendment.
Regarding both referendums, he said that the results “are a big fuck-you to the priests who are telling people to vote against those things. People think: ‘If every other fucking thing you told us is fucking shit, I think I will do the exact opposite of what you’re telling me to do.’ Which means that, oddly, in a world that seems to be going to hell in a handcart, Ireland is this wonderful beacon.”
Later on in the interview, he elaborated on this point by saying: “we’ve got to thank the church for what Ireland is now, because it is a reaction to all those decades of darkness. If the church had been more moderate, we’d still be in gloom. But because they kept people in darkness for so long, we’re now sitting in light.”
Here’s hoping that the chat with Tubridy is just as interesting.
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