My satnav took me to the home where my two sisters died.. it was very emotional
Keys To My Life host Courtney on revisiting childhood house
BRENDAN Courtney unwittingly returned to the childhood home where he lost his sisters while filming the latest series of Keys To My Life.
The RTE presenter was brought to the North Dublin house where his siblings Ashley and Orla died as babies.
One passed away from a congenital heart disease and the other from pneumonia.
Brendan hadn’t been to the house in more than four decades but the experience gave him great empathy for filming the show which sees him bring well-known Irish stars back to the homes they have lived in over the years.
He told the Irish Mirror: “My satnav took me to the front door of my childhood home, where my two sisters died.
“I haven’t been back there since I left that house at the age of eight and a half.
“It was mental. It was over 40 years ago and the railings, windows, gate, garden and front door are the same. I was a baby, they died on either side of me. It was a great reminder that you are handling very delicate stories.”
The visit took place on the first day of filming and Brendan was interviewing Morning Ireland presenter Aine Lawlor.
He explained: “I arrived shaking and Aine said to me, ‘Are you OK?’, and I told her what happened.
“My brain or a spirit guide took me to the front door of the house and it gave me a real sense of how emotional it can be to go back to painful places from your past. It took me right back.”
Brendan also told how he cried while recording the voiceover for Aine’s episode.
He said: “It was very emotional. Aine is stealth-like, razor-sharp and here I am chatting to the best interviewer in Ireland.
“It is an emotional journey for them [celebrities] as well.
“They are emotionally invested in what is going on and we facilitate that emotion.
“You are reliving some painful memories from your past as well as some very happy ones.
“It is a real rollercoaster and an honour and a gift to be a part of it.” Brendan also praised the Radio One host for her incredible broadcasting skills and they became great friends while filming on location.
He said: “Aine is from a working-class area and she went on to become the president of the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union after Joe Duffy. She is a genius as well as everything else.
“She is the most dogmatic and ferocious interviewer on the British isles.
“She fell backwards into my arms and we fell slightly in love. We became great pals as well.
“We bought each other gifts, we were like courting teenagers by the end of the filming schedule. I am mad about her.
“I was grilling her about our big politicians when we weren’t filming, I was driving her mad. I won’t tell you what she said, obviously.”
Keys To My Life airs every Sunday at 7.30pm on RTE One.
It was over 40 years ago and the railings, gate, garden and front door were the same BRENDAN COURTNEY YESTERDAY