Kielty praised for moving speech on conflict on Late Late Show

PATRICK Kielty won praise for his emotional monologue on Friday night’s Late Late Show on the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine.

The TV host closed out the RTE chat show with a moving speech paying tribute to Irish-israeli woman Kim Damti who died following Hamas’ attack on Israel last weekend.

Kielty, whose father John was shot dead by the UFF during The Troubles, faced the camera recalling what it was like to live “during a conflict where the rights and wrongs of politics were always writ large”.

He said: “I would just like to say that so many of us here on the Late Late Show want to send our love to the family of Kim Damti and all the families whose lives this week have been ripped apart in Israel and Palestine.

“There are no words that will even touch the sides on the pain and the loss and the ongoing horror that has been felt by so many tonight.

“But as someone who grew up during a conflict where the rights and wrongs of politics were always writ large, one common truth was the hurt and the pain on both sides was sadly the same.

“We all shared something, but we just didn’t realise it at the time and there were days when we thought it would never end.

“Tonight, there are many parents and children in Israel and in Gaza who also think this will never end and are praying for a miracle that will make it stop.

“In the midst of despair, miracles are hard to believe in but it’s worth remembering that we are currently living our own miracle on this island because we are living in peace.

“And for all those in Israel and Palestine tonight, it mightn’t seem like it but there is always hope and we hope that your miracle comes soon.”