EP08: After the Storm - Ryan Tubridy on Love, Life & Starting Over

In this episode of The Delusional Optimist, I sit down with broadcaster and former Late Late show host Ryan Tubridy for a thoughtful and deeply human conversation about navigating a very public storm, finding contentment in its aftermath, and what it means to start over. 

From career highs and intense scrutiny to love, reinvention, and the quiet power of perspective, Ryan reflects on the chapters that shaped him - and the ones still unfolding.

This is a conversation about resilience, identity and life beyond the headlines, with a refreshing honesty about what it takes to build and move forward.

Want to spend an evening in Ryan's company? Keep up with The Bookshelf Podcast LIVE tour dates and tickets here.

Transcript

Welcome To The Delusional Optimist

Speaker 2 0:06

Hello there and welcome to The Delusional Optimist, the podcast about fresh starts, new beginnings, and navigating the messy middle of life. If you're new around here, here's how things work. Each week I sit down with someone who is building or has built their dream to talk about the highs, lows, and everything in between. This week my guest is someone who knows exactly what it's like to live the dream, and also what it means to find your way through the more unexpected chapters in life. Ryan Tubridy is one of Ireland's most well-known and respected broadcasters and the former host of The Late Late Show, the longest running chat show in the world. But this conversation isn't about the headlines, it's about the person behind them. After a number of years of living in the UK, Ryan is back on home turf, he's got a brand new radio show and is going on tour with his Bookshelf Live Tour. And in this conversation, we talk about life, love, family, and what he describes as his happiest after yesterday. I really hope you enjoyed this conversation. Ryan Tubridy. Ryan Tubridy

Speaker 2 1:13

, welcome to the Delusional Optimist.

Speaker 1:17

Do you know what? I haven't seen you for some time, but it's really good to see you, and you seem really happy, and life is good. And here we are in a beautiful studio in the middle of Dublin City, catching up like old times.

Speaker 2 1:29

Like old times. I have to say, I was surprised that you said yes.

Speaker 1:34

I always thought you were a very lovely person. Honestly, I did. Thank you. And uh really professional, very kind, very courteous, and I get asked to do a lot of things because I'm enormously popular. And with that in mind, I I no, I did because I like you, and that's that's why I'm here.

Shackets And Small Joys

Speaker 2 1:50

Well, that's very nice. Thank you so much. I also have a confession to make.

Speaker 1:54

Please.

Speaker 2 1:54

I voted for the khaki shirt.

Speaker 1:56

Yeah, okay, so we'll explain this to people who don't know what the hell we're talking about. The last couple of days I've been doing a lot of press and media for different things for the for books, podcasts, and uh show that I'm doing, which we'll talk about later, of course. But the point is, I have these shackets. There's no longer a jacket or a shirt, they're shackets. You know about these. And when I was in Ireland and presenting the the late late show on the radio show, I always tend to wear the same thing, a v-neck in a shirt or a suit. And I've kind of pretty much pretty much haven't worn those that combo for since for two and a half years. Weirdly. So I got to London, I started wearing these because they're just really comfortable, and yet they're not too they're not too nerdy, which I don't mind. I'm a proud nerd, but they're not too not nerdy is the wrong word, not too old-fashioned. So the last few days I just put up different colours hanging up saying and did a poll on Instagram, partly because I was so chuffed I knew how to put up a poll on Instagram. And one person said yesterday after I posted, saying, saying, here's the winner, they said, Oh, this is this is the new favorite my new favorite part of the day, is finding out which one you picked, which is completely stupid. But no one wanted the brown one. So today I just said I'm wearing the brown one today. So I w they wanted the blue one, they wanted a khaki one, and today's the brown one.

Speaker 2 3:02

I like the brown one. I feel bad that I didn't vote for it. Well, do you know what?

Speaker 3:05

So did the brown one. It was feeling very unloved, and I said, Today I'm gonna take you for a walk. We're gonna go into the city, we're gonna meet Dana, we're gonna hang out and have a great day. We're gonna have a great day. So the the the it's kind of the runt of the shack at litter. Um today it's getting a hug.

Speaker 2 3:16

I feel like, you know, you said that I seem like I'm in a happy space. You seem like you're in a very happy space.

Speaker 3:21

I'm extremely happy, yeah.

Contentment After Public Turmoil

Speaker 2 3:22

How do you describe this era of your life? Because it's been a colourful, let's say, couple of things.

Speaker 3:27

What a great word. Okay, so if well, obviously there's there's the the elephant in the room about what happened in RT and everything like that. That's fine. That was horrible. And I think that what happens is you process that and you go, well, that was that was that was desperate. And everyone knows that. So it was so public that what I'm talking about, everyone can decide what they how they feel about it. But just at a personal level, it was not nice. But when you get through the clouds and and when the water stopped being chaotic and the waves stop being so high, you look around and you look at the wreckage and the debris and the detritus and you think that was tough. But I'm here and I'm happy, and you know, there are worse things that can happen in people's lives, there's no question. And you take stock then, and then you go, actually, it's not just good, it's it's really good. You know, it takes a big badness to see great goodness, and it takes big sadness to see great happiness. So suddenly everything's enhanced, the bad was bad, and the low was low, but but then the good parts feel even hyper better and uber better. I'm not gonna say super better. Hey, people put super in front of the board, and it's just a nice place to be. So that's what that's what happened. So I'm very I'm I'm I'm very content. I never wanted the pursuit of happiness is one thing, but if if we were constantly happy, it'd be like Christmas every day, it'd be un unbearable. But I think contentment is a good thing to pursue because it's like ducks in a row, and yeah, so yeah.

Speaker 2 4:51

Yeah, I did see you describe it as contentment out of awfulness. Yeah, and I think that's a really great description, but it's almost like such a shame that you had to go through that awfulness to find this level of do you know what I'm good, things are good.

Speaker 5:05

It did I what yeah, I think what it was was though, it it also gave me a a life, a nudge professionally to go to London, which I've never never lived abroad in all my life.

Speaker 2 5:15

Yeah, I heard you say that. I was 50 by the time I went and lived abroad.

London Radio And Starting From Scratch

Speaker 5:19

That was the first time, uh, because I'm a homebird and I love Ireland and I love my family, and and I didn't want to go away. And and yet for years I wanted it, I did want to have a look. I was always curious about London. And I nearly did years and years and years ago, but my girls were too little, so I I didn't want to make it the leap. And uh but this time, weirdly, the time was perfect. So for all the awfulness, the timing of the awfulness was really good. Yeah, and it meant that I was able to go over there and my girls were now women. They were they were they were like really amazing, strong, smart women. And so now I could go off going, Well, that bit's done, uh and I can have a look at London and enjoy it. So it kind of nudged me in into places that I wanted to be, doing the bookshelf, for example, working in London, following Chris Evans in the morning on on the radio on Virgin Radio, and now working on Times Radio, a live show. It's the dream show. It's three hours of me talking about and with people about current affairs, international affairs, podcasts, history. Like I said to today, just as an example, I said, Can we do an item on Sunday? This is in the UK, it's a very English station, yeah. Uh and it has Scotland Wales, but it's it's quite English. I said, I want to do an item on why you guys hate Meghan Markle so much. I said, You give her such a hard time. And they said, We'd love to do that because they're obsessed with hating her. So I said, it's not I don't want to do just a kind of a tabloid take down or take up. I want a smart look at at why you hate her. And then have you ever thought if she was your daughter, your sister, or your auntie or something, uh, what like the pain you're inflicting on her, even if you don't like her, like it's really ugly. So anyway, that it's that kind of thing. So you're doing and and then I'm I'll talk about what's happening in Iran, I'll talk about Trump thinking that he's Jesus, and I'll talk about all of these the world's gone mad. So it's not boring, it's a very interesting time to be alive, good, bad, or indifferent. So that's what that show does. So can you see what I mean? All of these things wouldn't have happened if I'd stayed behind.

Speaker 2 7:21

Pitching a segment like the Meghan Markle thing, where you're encouraging the British press, which can be, you know, a lot more aggressive than the Irish press, to consider the person behind the.

Speaker 7:30

Well, we're giving them a run for our money now, I can tell you from first personal experience.

Speaker 2 7:34

Well, I was gonna say, do you feel like having been through what you've been through, where you became, I suppose, the villain in the press for a certain amount of story made you think more about the other side of like how it affects people? Because I suppose until you're going through it, you don't fully understand the weight of something like that happening to you. You can imagine, but you can't fully comprehend.

Speaker 7:55

Well, I think it's it's people see a headline or they see a version of a story, and you think, That's not that's not how it is. That's not what happened. That's that's not a nice portrayal, that's not fair. And you you you're you're desperately looking at the coverage and thinking, how how is this even here? It's not that it's just that there was a lot of Were you reading the coverage? No, I wasn't. I I I I was it was some of it was brought to me. Like someone's got, can you believe this guy? It's written like six articles about you in the Irish Times. You go, what what the Irish why? And I think a lot of people got stuff off their chest. There was there was a bit of act, there was some access to grind and so on. That's the the nature of it. But I look it at the end of the day, it it was it was a bit surprising just the the level of of of vitriol and the coverage. But it was and which was totally at odds with people. Uh on the street, people were lovely and and people writing to me and stuff. It was just so it was it was quite a contradiction. So I don't know who was right, who was wrong, but I I know my story and it wasn't as bad as they said it was.

Speaker 2 8:56

Time has passed. How do you feel now when you're sitting you know, face to face with some of those journalists all over again now that you're promoting, you know, the podcast and all your own. Okay, so you can put that aside.

Speaker 9:08

Yeah, I met one guy.

Speaker 2 9:10

So you feel like they were just doing their job at the time, even though it was to an extreme level?

Speaker 9:14

I think that some of them got a little bit high on the story. Yeah. And I think that the pylon got a little intense and it kind of became a kind of like a contagion, and there was they were bidding to outdo each other with headlines. But I've met a few of them heads that wrote really mean things, and to be honest with you, I'll shake hands and say, How are you? and there's your kids and think about them when you're doing that next time. Because I'm strong enough, but I'd feel sorry for somebody else who isn't doesn't have thick skin.

Speaker 1 9:39

Yeah.

Speaker 9:39

Sometimes the the character in the drama, because that's what it comes becomes, it doesn't become the person in the story, it becomes the character in the drama and becomes some sort of ghoulish showbiz uh gets forgotten. So yeah, I'd I'd have new sense of empathy for others in the news.

Tabloids Empathy And Claire's Loyalty

Speaker 2 9:54

For sure. And you spoke about how your beautiful wife Claire stood by you during that time, despite only really having been dating a couple of months ago.

Speaker 10:01

She was within her rights to give me the full elbow and say, I'm out of here. Me, me like roadrunner. She could have just gone down through the And you actually said it to her.

Speaker 2 10:08

You were like, listen, if you you know, if you don't want to be a part of this, that's okay. Yeah. What did it mean to you when she was like, No, Ryan, like I I'm here for you and I want to be with you, in spite and despite all of this. It's just a it's just a it's just an unfortunate chapter.

Speaker 10:22

We we'd only met in March, April, May, June, early June, then boom, bomb drops. So you know, I was for the birds at that stage uh as the story unveil unfolded. And I did have that conversation with her, and I said, you know, look this thing is it doesn't look like it's getting any easier or any better, and you have your life, and you know, you're an extraordinary person and you don't deserve this. And she she didn't bat she didn't bat an eyelid, she just said straight away, she said no. What she said was really quite striking because it it kind of it was like uh it was a lovely uh life raft where she said, you know, I've seen you at your best because I for I finished with the Late Late Show and I got such this lovely show and a lovely send-off from all my colleagues who some of whom went quite silent after some of whom stayed great friends. And she'd seen all that, and and I thought, you know, that's nice, who doesn't want to be part of that? But then she saw the trough after that peak, and I said, that's when I said to her, Okay, you know, you can get a train, you can get a plane.

Speaker 2 11:27

There's multiple ways to leave.

Speaker 11:28

There's free now, there's there's loads of buses on the Monkstown road.

Speaker 2 11:33

You know, you can also walk if you really need to.

Speaker 11:35

I can give you can crawl, I can give you my leap card.

Speaker 2 11:38

Do you want to lift?

Speaker 11:39

Do you want to lift to the police station? Like guards, like what are you? How can I help you here? Uh yeah, yeah. Do you want to piggyback to the dart? Uh whatever, but you know what I'm saying. I've and uh she she she didn't give it a second thought. She said, No, I've seen that at your best. And if this is you at your worst, how could I turn away from you? You know, this this is How did that feel hearing that? It was like somebody said, There's the six numbers you've just wanted.

Speaker 2 12:02

Yeah, I mean it's the ultimate test for a relationship as well. I mean, if you can overcome something like that together, you're the public face of somebody else's scandal.

Speaker 12:11

Yeah. Essentially, for what went on for months and months and months. Uh because it was there was a relentless hunger for stories with my name on the top. It became clickbait in the end for the papers, particularly the the the anyway, the pr the so-called broadsheets. But uh so it was just unending. And I thought, gosh, you know, she could go. But she wasn't going anywhere, she wasn't going anywhere.

Speaker 2 12:34

How did you keep and not that I I don't want to keep dwelling on this, by the way, but how did you keep your cool in the midst of all the But it was frustrating because you felt you had to do it? All you want to do is just scream and be like, no, this is this is actually what happened.

Speaker 12:47

Well what you do is you you you you know, as I did, I went into the Euroctus for seven hours and said, I have nothing to hide, whatever you need to know, you know. And you know, and and I told them everything because and that's why I was able to sleep at night. Because I but unfortunately that the the portrayal of it was that that uh that wasn't the case for a lot of people. And and even when you know the the boss of RT came out and said, look, we accept 90% of this, and two reports came out saying he he didn't know anything was happening, that wasn't covered with the same gusto.

Speaker 2 13:14

Yeah.

Speaker 13:14

Uh which is a shame.

Speaker 2 13:16

I heard that on the way to that meeting in the Oracle.

Speaker 13:19

Beautiful day out.

Speaker 2 13:20

You saw was it a headline or something in the newspaper about two young boys, and it put everything into perspective.

Speaker 13:26

Yeah, I was I was uh in the back of a taxi, and the guy who didn't stop talking from the the moment he picked me up and I wasn't really in the form of the case.

Speaker 2 13:31

You're like, this is not the day.

Speaker 13:33

I really never forget it because he just didn't stop talking. I was thinking, I've got to my head's a bit full now. But anyway, I zoned out and we passed by St. Michael's College in in in where is that, Ballsbridge wherever it is, uh and uh Marion Road. And two young lads had had died in on a holiday in in their summer holiday after the leaving search. And and I really that that I thought about those boys and their families, and that was a huge land because I thought, okay, so I'm gonna go in to talk to these head the balls about something that may or may not have happened, and everyone in the country seems to be interested in it, and that's it. That's sad and it's annoying. What they're going through is life-changing, life-ending. And it just put manners on me and it humbled me and it made me go into the hearings with a sense of uh humility is one word, but certainly with a sense that there are more important things in this world. And uh and uh I'm lucky in that in all the other regards. Yeah.

Speaker 2 14:31

Are you sick of talking about humanity?

Speaker 14:33

Yeah, I'm really sick of it.

Speaker 2 14:34

I I am, and I'll tell you why, because especially because you've been on on quite the promo trail, and everyone wants to talk about it.

Speaker 14:39

Well, I came back, you know, after the two years and I said, right, I'm gonna land in and I'll do a few interviews.

Speaker 1 14:44

Yeah.

Speaker 14:45

And they were alright. I wasn't that happy with them, but I did them anyway. And they were I won't go into it. They were grand. I think they were really top-heavy on what happened two years later, and that's fine. I was happy to do a bit, but they went a bit on about it. And then but I felt, okay, look, I ripped the plaster off. That's what that's that's my story. But I have found since I've been doing lots of different bits, bits and pieces, and the interest is there. But in as far as I'm concerned, it's it's the past. But it's hard to move remove myself from the past because it was such a big story. I do understand the curiosity to be quite honest with you. But like I'm in a I'm very happy. I've got this, I've had this job in the UK for the last two and a half years. So when I think back to when people ask me about that, I was like another world.

Speaker 2 15:29

That was another eye and another year, another era.

Speaker 15:32

A very, a very sad, unhappy person caught up in somebody else's mess, as far as I could see. So, and now I've got this joy, so yeah, I prefer to focus on the on on the present, on the happy future that I'm looking forward to, and the very happy present. But I do understand the the need for a few questions on the other side.

Speaker 2 15:49

For me, it's more about the human side, I appreciate it. And it's just more like I appreciate that you know you're a public persona, but you're also a human behind it all. And you just did not deserve any of that. But we'll move on. Okay.

Speaker 16:03

Okay, I'm happy to move on.

Speaker 2 16:05

RTE. We're moving on, but not moving on.

Speaker 16:08

I love that. We move on. RTE.

Speaker 2 16:10

We'll move on. It still involves RTE because I wanted to go back to you as a kid, and you basically found your true calling at the age of twelve, and it kind of was thanks to RTE as well. You built your your career in there in there.

Speaker 16:22

And I always say the nicest things about the play.

Speaker 2 16:24

Tell me about twelve-year-old Ryan and how he felt when you got the call from RTE, giving him an opportunity.

Speaker 16:38

We ran out of films. My dad said, Write to the the Irish Times and my dad's very shy person. I was surprised he even said it, but he said, Write to the Irish Times and said and uh complained. So I wrote this totally pretentious, precocious, not pretentious, precocious letter, saying that, oh, there's only the Goonies and you know what's happening? And from right over the age 12 and a half or so. It's like total Adrian Moe job. Anyway, the uh the TV kids TV program at the time, Anything Goes, got in touch and said, Would you like to come and review some films? So I did. And I sat in front of the cameras reviewing this film thinking, wow, this is great. And I got paid and to talk about films. And then I heard the radio, I had the kids talking on the radio, and I said, I'd love a go at that. And I started uh doing book reviews for two years for children, and I got bitten by the bug, and I nearly did law because I thought, you know, it's the they're they nearly talk as much bullshit as I do, so I could have I could have had a go at that. And then I just thought, well, do you know what? And I went to King's Inns for a week, one week, and I didn't like it. So I said, I'll I might just throw my hat in uh the ring here in RT as a runner, like literally start at the bottom, and uh and so it began.

Speaker 2 17:42

For Jerry Ryan, right?

Speaker 17:43

Jerry Ryan, exactly. I was Jerry Ryan's coffee and tea maker, Danish pastry provider, and I loved Jerry, he was great. Like if you're gonna learn from somebody, he was so irreverent and interesting and interested, and a brilliant broadcaster. So I loved working for him.

Speaker 2 17:58

When did you feel like you got your first big break then? How did that come about?

Speaker 18:02

I I think yeah, there was a producer who said, Do you want to do some reports for Pat Kenny on his radio show on Radio One, which was the biggest show in town? Well, there was Gabe Byrne and Pat Kenny. And I said, Yeah, and I think that was a big break because I started doing reports, small reports. I mean, it was everything was incremental. Everything was learn, learn, go, learn, learn, go. It was like graded. I was not an overnight success, I was not a uh meteoric rise. Exactly. So it that would that was probably it on PK, and then I did a quiz show um and then somebody saw that and said, Oh, you'd be good on TV, you should do Present the Rosa Trilese. So I presented that for two years. And then they saw that and said, Oh, you should do a chat show. So I got Tuberty tonight for five years, and Pat Kenny retired, and then I was the next guy.

Speaker 2 18:48

Aaron Ross Powell Were there things along that journey where maybe you were striving for, goals that you were striving for in the broadcasting space that you didn't quite make, or maybe opportunities that you wanted but didn't get? Because I'm interested in the failures as well. Like they're they're what build us to become you know the resilient people.

Speaker 19:06

Well I think the first 50 minutes of today's interview is probably about the the dark side of the early years. But in the early years, no, because everything was it was and there's so that was it. No, the early years were all about climbing, rising, earning, and by earning I mean earning the right to do the next thing.

Speaker 1 19:22

Yeah.

Speaker 19:22

And it was a great it was a great climb. I I did there was no gig or job I didn't get that I wish I had got. Okay.

Speaker 1 19:28

You're lucky then.

Speaker 19:29

No, I'm more than lucky. But but I worked hard for it. So there's luck and there's there's I don't have imposter syndrome, put it that way. Yeah. And you won't meet a lot of people who'll say that because it sounds so cocky. But I think that if you work really hard and you're that passionate and you're that keen and you're that hungry for something, it luck is nice, but lottery is lucky. You know what I mean? You you can't you can't uh earn the lottery.

Speaker 2 19:50

True, that's true.

From Runner To Late Late Host

Speaker 19:51

So so I think yeah, with the with the jobs, I just put my my my shoulder to the wheel and and kept going. So yeah, I met some great people along the way who were very instrumental in my you know rise in that regard. But yeah, it all moved along. Happened a bit fast. I was saying recently that I felt the late late show. I kind of wish I had another five years of Tuberty tonight. Yeah. I've been thinking about that.

Speaker 2 20:13

And you d you didn't you didn't mean that from a perspective of like talent, but more from wisdom, I think you said it's definitely life experience.

Speaker 20:19

Yeah, but but that feeds into talent. I think it would my I would have been a more talented presenter of the late late show if I had more life experience. So yeah, I think I could have done a bit five more years I had I left of being giddy and being the kind of the the naughty younger brother show on the on the Saturday kind of scrappy show. And then when you get the late late show, it it it is such a it is such an honour, but you are wearing your dad's old suit and clomping around in the shoes. Yeah. Uh waiting for them to fit. You know, so in that sense it's it's it's an inherited behemoth versus You were very, very young.

Speaker 2 20:56

How how old were you?

Speaker 20:58

I think I was.

Speaker 2 20:58

Yeah, yeah, I was very huge responsibility.

Speaker 21:01

Yeah, it's very young. It's like be becoming Tae Shot too young, you know. You kind of go, I've you know, you oh yeah, it it's kind of young and bright-eyed and bushy tail, but you're going, yeah, but you need those uh edges, you know, sorted out. So but but I'm sure I I gave it a go, and not more than gave it a go. I I stayed there for 14 years. I could have probably done twenty if they wanted, but uh after fourteen I was I was back. Turned out, ready to go. I was, and that's why I left. I was banjaxed. And uh that's what happened. And I and I left.

Speaker 2 21:30

See when you're critiquing those first five years, like do you have I enjoyed them, but I just looking back at it, that's reflecting on it. Yeah. Do you have an interview or a period of time where you look back and you're like, ugh, I can't watch that. I would approach it completely different now.

Speaker 21:45

I've never watched one lele show that I've done.

Speaker 2 21:48

Really? How do you escape that?

Speaker 21:50

By not turning it on. No, not being smart. I'm sorry, I am being smart, but I don't mean to be, because you're too nice for someone to be a smart ass, too.

Speaker 2 21:57

No, you can be a smart ass, don't worry. I'm not too nice. That's

Speaker 22:00

That's conduct unbecoming. Oh, that's not true. That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 22:03

That annoys me.

Speaker 22:04

She's so nice. Oh, I'll show you nice. You want to see me.

Speaker 2 22:11

Oh, there you go. Not because I'm not nice. I am a nice person, but it just makes me feel it it's almost like people don't think I'm capable of doing grittier stuff or things that go a little bit deeper. Because when I asked about opportunities in RTE and if there were any that maybe, you know, you wanted but didn't come your way, you weren't given the chance to, I felt so frustrated when I was finishing up doing kids TV because I was constantly banging on Bill Bill Malone's door being shame.

Speaker 22:37

Good man.

Speaker 2 22:37

Go on, go on, Bill. Being like, I really want to make documentaries. And his response was, but you're so nice.

Speaker 22:46

Wow. Well, okay, well, welcome to Ireland where nice is an insult.

Speaker 2 22:50

I think uh I'd say as a woman, you know, nice is an insult, ambitious can be an insult because then you're steely and you're determined and you can't win.

Speaker 22:58

America ambition is a compliment. Ireland ambition is notions, and that's a very different bulg. I agree with you about the word nice. I kind of regret saying that. I should say kind. I think kind is less nice. Kind is much nice, is a much nice, is a much more uh welcome compliment. So okay, I'll gonna take that slap. See, you are mean. You slap me. I'll take it. There it is. Okay, job done. Where were we?

Speaker 2 23:19

Oh, I can't even remember. Can't even remember. I'm too busy ranting.

Speaker 23:23

Yeah, you were ranting about uh opportunities lost. Maybe we should swap seats and discuss your poems.

Bag Of Cans After The Show

Speaker 2 23:28

We were talking about, I suppose, the late late and your your rise to to being the Ryan that you are today. What I loved is when I when I was doing my research, you talked about the things that we wouldn't have heard about at the time on The Late Late, which was, you know, the bag of cans with celebrities in your house.

Speaker 1 23:44

Yeah.

Speaker 2 23:44

Well, that happens to be a lot of people. Which is I just thought that was so lovely to hear that side of it because you know you see the rapport on TV and it's obvious that you're getting on with somebody, but it's lovely to hear that certain relationships continued off-screen as well.

Speaker 23:57

Russell was one. I always loved Alan Leach and Hugh Bonneville. Came back for a little glass one night and lit the fire. And yeah, a very small house, but big heart and and and and loads of books. Uh so it's a it's a nice place to go. I used to bring the team back sometimes and we'd have a big old night. It's just I saw after the the late late, you were so sort of up and uh the adrenaline was coursing that you just wanted to unl unleash the after being too sensible for two hours. That's right. And especially as you were captain sensible in the late late and you had to be the you know, it's the late late show, you know, you had to be quite serious and respect it, and rightly so. But I was I I'm kind of giddy. And uh so the odd time we do the green room, then we might do the bag of cans, or depending if the green room is quiet. So yeah, I'm a fan of a bag of cans.

Speaker 2 24:46

Yeah, that's just such a funny image.

Speaker 24:48

I know I this is the but it comes back to you being nice and me being serious. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. You know, being kind of the guy in the suit.

Speaker 2 24:53

Yeah, not like kind of serious and s not stuffy, but smug.

Speaker 24:58

Do you want to add smug at that sometimes?

Speaker 2 25:00

I just I always feel like it's funny because over the years, anytime I met you, this version of Ryan was there. The giddy almost like just you know, just acting the magic. Or like even when we did the Eurovision song contest results, and I would sit through like a whole I think I did it twice, but we would sit through the whole rehearsal and I was like, that's a different Ryan.

Speaker 25:19

Yeah, that's the real me. And because you have to put you have to have a bit of a face for the late late because it's it's the audience expects something. Or at least that's what I thought. Could I have been more myself back if I was to do it all again? Yeah, I probably would be. I think that if I was to ever, you know, if I was to do the late late show again, it this is not going to happen. But if I was to do the late late show again, it would be with such an interestingly different head and a different approach and a very different presenter to the one that did it for 14 years. It's it's because of everything that's happened and because of life and age. But I was talking to somebody the the other day about childhood, and I said how much I loved being a child. My inner child never left, so I still have a giddy kid in me, and I also have a a giddy, childlike sense of curiosity and joy and awe. Like I like being over I went to see the pyramids of you know in in Egypt. And I was like, look at them.

Speaker 2 26:16

These exist. How?

Speaker 26:18

I thought they were just cartoons, you know. I thought they were just made up for the history. And and I just think that's going to keep me interested in in life and the world. So I yeah, I I would do it differently. And there was that different side to me that you're pointing out about the um your vision. And I'll and and actually sometimes people in the audience said, Yeah, I really enjoyed the show, but we our favourite bit was it during the outbreaks when you come on and just chatting with us.

Speaker 2 26:40

Yeah, and shooting the breeze. And that's what You're really good at shooting the breeze.

Speaker 26:42

I love shooting the breeze. But that's what this I'm sorry to clunkily say it, but that's what this bookshelf podcast is. Half of it is me doing this with the audience and a QR code saying, What do you want to know? And it's all these questions. And I'm telling stories about stuff like who came back to the house and where did you go? And and and it's really not because people are f people are curious. I mentioned clickbait earlier on for different reasons. But people want to know more for whatever they want to know more. If you're on TV or if you're well-known figure, they want to know more. And if they're if their questions are fair and kind and polite and judicious, and I'm happy to answer them. And I think it's that that's part of the fun of this.

Speaker 2 27:16

What's the funniest question you've got so far on the tour?

Speaker 27:19

I think the the the one is about this bizarre, most bizarre situation you've ever been in. And the story's too long to tell. It's like it it it takes quite a while to tell, but it involves the White House and Martin McGuinness, a cast of characters, and me. And it is it is wild. But so so there's just these I realize as as the questions came up, but the amount of stories I had, whether it's with Hillary Clinton or Michael Bouble, or Vicky Phelan, or Catherine Corless, you know, or whoever it might be, so it just weaves in around. That's the beauty of the Late Late Show and the radio show down through the years, with just the the variety of people you met. So there's loads of stories to tell.

Speaker 2 27:53

I think you need to write a book on specifically that chapter and all these juicy stories you've got. I did hear that Martin McGuinness story in another podcast, and it's a particularly brilliant one. I'm so glad you heard it.

Speaker 28:02

It's a great story.

Speaker 2 28:04

Yeah, it's a wild one.

Speaker 28:05

Comes complete with accents.

Speaker 2 28:06

The Talking Bollocks podcast, I believe, if anyone wants to go here.

Speaker 28:10

They're nice fellas too.

Speaker 2 28:11

They were nice.

Speaker 28:12

See, I did it again. Yes, they did that.

Speaker 2 28:14

But you think of them in a different way when you say nice.

Speaker 28:16

You say that because you've got a problem with the word nice, then that's the problem.

unknown 28:19

That's your problem.

Speaker 2 28:19

I was, I have to say.

Speaker 28:20

Between you and your psychologist. I think that the two lads, yeah, the two lads, I had never met them before, but I I knew about them and I knew about their show and their show. And you know, I was a bit of the to it, suppose in some ways it's like the lion's down, because I'm like Posh Mac Posh as far as they're concerned, and they're the inner city lads and they wear it on their sleeves.

Speaker 1 28:39

Yeah.

Speaker 28:40

And I was kind of going in and wait, expecting them to go, here he comes, you know, this guy, this guy. And actually, from the moment I wasn't really did. I really enjoy their company. They were crack, and but they're but that's what it is. It's not about status if you can help it. It's uh are you a good egg or bad egg? Like that's I'm just about the eggs. But I suppose it's more like, yeah. I there's a few people that I used to work around, some presenters and people, and they just go, Why aren't you nice? Like you're they're kind of dark or just not that much fun. And then you meet the nice ones, like Jerry was cracking keeping the egg thing going. Joe Duffy, also great fun, and you know, and Pat Kenny was very, very, very he's straight, but he's he's loyal. Uh, and uh, you know, so there's there's there's some great eggs all right all the same. But though I like the talking bollocks lads, you know. That's the great thing about a podcast. The great thing it's a long-form interview and it's the breeze shoot. I love that.

Speaker 2 29:34

It's such it's such a rarity. Like we we would not have had this experience five years ago. You would not have had time to sit down with somebody for an hour.

Speaker 29:41

I would have had to get somebody to call you to say I don't have time.

Speaker 2 29:44

Yeah, well, you do get someone to email me to say you do have time.

Speaker 29:48

That's because I'm not nice like you now.

Speaker 2 29:50

Something's changed. Or nothing's changed, but something has changed.

Speaker 29:54

God, you're really proving you're not nice.

Speaker 2 29:56

The good thing that's changed is just that you do have that time.

Speaker 29:58

I do, I do, I do, yeah, well I do, or I do make that time.

Freedom Homecoming And Fatherhood

Speaker 2 30:02

You make that time, yeah. Are you enjoying this era of just freedom? Yeah. Being able to just have have have the time to just talk about what you like, yes, when you like, with whom you like.

Speaker 30:14

Yeah, nicely put. And I was a very different person up until a few years ago, and you know, through the through the battles, you become a different person. And I think that I could have become bitter. Bitter. Yeah, yeah, really, really very very well said. I could have become bitter, deeply unhappy, and I could have withdrawn and uh from into myself from public life or whatever. And then I thought, what are you talking about? Like you that's never gonna be my style. You withdraw if you're wrong, you withdraw if you've done something wrong, you withdraw if you're sad, you don't withdraw if you feel good and you feel that you know that you feel right and you feel happy and confident and l in in in love and loved by family and friends and everyone that's important to you. So it's it's yeah, it's a good place to be. And it's you said the word freedom, and this keeps coming up in in conversations with people. I wasn't a prisoner in Northe by any means. I loved it. I loved the the teams I worked with and the shows I worked on. But when I stepped away from it with a gentle two hands on my back, let's face it. It shoved me in a place where I went, oh God, I was I was I wasn't in prison, but I was slavishly devoted. I wasn't a slave. I was slavishly devoted to the place. And and uh and I didn't know much else beyond it. And suddenly you're you know on the tube in London, going, This is your new life now. Starting from scratch, going into the building, going into a you know, a floor full of presenters and and researchers where you walk through the streets in Dublin, you walk through the the radio studios in in in RT or wherever it is, and everyone stops to say hello, whatever, and now you're just this specter walking through, and no one cares. So you had just you I had to kind of basically go from scratch.

Speaker 2 32:03

You described yourself as a ghost?

Speaker 32:04

Yeah, I was a ghost, yeah. I used to do this thing in in the during the outbreaks uh where I'd imitate the the reactions I get from people on the street, which you know because some people you know, the nudging and the and it and and it still happens to this day. And I actually can I can lip read my name really clearly now, which is kind of my like it before I came in here, I went to the art gallery, the National Gallery for a minute, and two different school groups, and I thought, well, they're not gonna care because they're too young, they won't remember the toy show. But they were just nine and ten. Okay. So I was their first toy shows, so of course, photographs and uh and I love that, I'll be honest with you. But after everything that happened, I did need a r a break from Ireland, I I really did, and London gave me that refuge. I just needed not to be all the time, not to be looking over my shoulder, looking in front of me or people saying hello, just for that time. And and and about 18 months later, I went, Okay, I'm ready. I'd look up into the sky and see the plains above Regents Park and think, I want to be on that now, I want to go home. And now it's love, it's absolutely lovely again.

Speaker 2 33:08

What were you missing about home?

Speaker 33:09

The sea, proximity to my family, mother, one daughter, one's in London anyway, so that's wonderful. Claire was coming and going, so I it wasn't that I'd missing her, so that was that was good. We had that kind of sorted and uh and warmth of people. I I love Ireland, I love Irish people, and they were so good to me when I was in in trouble. And I come home and people like on walking down the street, people are shouting welcome home.

Speaker 2 33:34

Like it's that's such a lovely feel, and I can only imagine.

Speaker 33:39

If you're in an empty car and somebody fills you with petrol, that's what it's like. If your phone is on no battery and you plug it in, that's what it's like. It's so lovely. So yeah, I'm I'm yeah, things are good and people are good.

Speaker 2 33:49

Even Ellen Keene, who, as you know, I am. And who you're a great fan of, and she's a huge fan of yours. She was like, I'm just so happy he's home. He belongs here, he didn't belong in London.

Speaker 33:59

It's funny she should say that because first of all, she's great fun, and and she's a she's a divil in a good way, and she's brilliant as well. She but she but it is funny the amount of people on Instagram who are saying, Yeah, that's grand. Now you've now you've had your fun over there. Come back now. Yeah, yeah, come back now. That's fine. And that's quite sweet.

Speaker 2 34:18

It's like we've all watched our teenager flee the nest, and now he's home again, and we're like, great, we can make a nice home-cooked meal.

Speaker 34:27

We can do your laundry. Oh, yeah, get the laundry's fresh.

Speaker 2 34:30

We can bring you up a cup of in the morning, like we can look after you now.

Speaker 34:33

Well, I married somebody who does all those things. I know, but the nation. But she'd laugh, she'd roar laughing if she heard that. What do you mean? Trad wife, are you kidding me? I also make the coffee, so it's good. But the nation. No, that is such a cosy picture you paint. As my girls would say, it's wholesome. Yeah. And I love a bit of wholesome, you know, it's sweet.

Speaker 2 34:49

How have your daughters found growing up with Ryan Tubberty, their dad? Yeah?

Speaker 34:54

Yeah. Could you imagine?

Speaker 2 34:55

Was it not a cool experience?

Speaker 34:57

No, it's like park as far away from the school gate as you possibly can.

Speaker 2 35:00

But dad gets to have really cool people come home after the late late show and can get them into VIP areas.

Speaker 35:07

They would they were they weren't showbiz kids and they weren't into it and they didn't want it and they didn't expect anything. And I the odd time I'd have to drag them in and say, Come on, you want do you not want to say hello to Ed Sharon? Like, come on. And they would just it's okay. You know they they said that man is not the toy man, he's our dad. Yes, that man is not the guy from the TV, he's our dad, that's not the guy, the guy on the radio, that's different. He's that so so it's different. Now they're 27 and 21. Can I tell you the joy of having kids that are that age now? When they come over to the house and with a bag of cans, and we have nights out, and I say please bring your friends. I don't invite any adults, I mean adults, they're adults, but I don't invite any of them. It's not a heebie jeeby night for everyone. I just say just your pals and your pals. We have we have just a great and I hope they're not just indulging me, but they're the nicest that's why when I hear when I P see people, you know, Gen Z are lazy or I say I own two of them. They're amazing. Stop giving out about them. You know, I don't like young people getting knocked. It just drives me mad. It's so easy and it's kind of lazy journalism.

Speaker 2 36:16

So your face lights up so much when you talk about it.

Speaker 36:20

That's because there might be all and end all. That's it.

Speaker 2 36:22

Yeah. You strike me as someone who is very confident and content in your own skin.

Speaker 36:27

Tiresome, tiresomely confident.

Speaker 2 36:30

Were you always like that? Was or was there a point when there was a turning point?

Speaker 36:34

No, I was constantly constantly like.

Speaker 2 36:36

Were you constantly like that? But how?

Speaker 36:38

Like how did that how how I don't know, because my parents weren't pushy. You know what I mean? Where did it come from? I don't know. Like my family are low key. They would not be interested in being on TV, on the radio. They'd be horrified by all of it. They I had to drag them into the audience at the late light every now and again. They they just weren't, they're just so backroom. So as for me, what am I? I mean, people will say, What are you the middle child? Oh, I'm second from the bottom of five. So I wasn't middle anything, really. Just needy. And no, but really, I mean, obviously I was looking for for attention, and that begot the confidence. But I quite I quite like walking into a room with full of people. I don't care.

Speaker 2 37:16

Did you never get intimidated?

Speaker 37:18

Not really. What about when Because I th here's why I don't get intimidated, because everyone's a punter.

Speaker 2 37:22

Yeah.

Speaker 37:23

I don't give a damn what your job title is. My mum, in fairness to her, said you go into a building, it starts that reception, and everyone no one gets better. No one gets better. I think it's a great lesson. So that's what helps me stop being intimidated. You're the boss. Well, that's great, you've earned that and you've got there, but you're not better than me. So I'm not gonna kowtow. You drive the bus and you're really nice. Well, I'd love to have a chat with you because you're fun.

Speaker 2 37:49

So it's not about it, it's a case-by-case basis, then it's how do you stay cool then when you know there's millions of people watching The Late Light, for example, and you're interviewing someone who is super high profile, it's a really important interview. You have to make sure you nail the markers and you get what you need out of it. What if it's not going well? How do you stop yourself from crumbling?

Speaker 38:07

Well, mostly it's live. Yeah, well, I know that's live. So that was fine.

Speaker 2 38:11

I suppose that's the best school for keeping your cool.

Speaker 38:13

I think it probably is. Um, and you know, very few interviews when were pear-shaped. I think some were might have been over prepared, some might have been prepared by committee, some I mightn't have had my head in, which is on me completely. And yeah, so but that's when you're doing 32 shows of two and a half hours of live every Friday. People in the UK can't believe that actually happened. But it prepares you beautifully then when you're on you know the the radio in London and and they say, Oh, there's a call not coming through, and everyone's having connection. You're just going, We could just do something else. I can talk. You know, and they're like, Oh, this is great. So, you know, you're prepared. So, yeah, no, I I was I always I always had uh a certain confidence. There are times like anyone else where I just don't fancy it.

Speaker 2 38:56

Yeah.

Speaker 38:57

Where I just my social battery as the I love that experience.

Speaker 2 39:00

It's good to hear that because you seem like someone who's always on.

Speaker 39:02

No, no, I no, no, no, no, no. It's really important to say that I'm not constantly walking around going, yeah, I want to meet more people. No. Let's get this straight. There are times where I say I'm not a robot. Like when I finish with Mr. Sulu this evening at the Starship Enterprise, that'll be about 5.30. I'm out. I don't want to see my phone. I don't want to go go out, I don't want to do anything. I'm going on a big, mad lunch, charity lunch tomorrow. I don't like day drinking, so I'll have a few scoops at about five or six, which is evening drinking, because I just think it wrecks your day. But I'm looking forward to it immensely, and that'll be really high social energy. And and then the next few days will be, you know, I'll fly to London on Saturday, I'll do the show on Sunday. I've got a meeting at 10, 12, and half three in London, and then I'll be home by about ten o'clock in Dublin on Monday night. And and and again, I'll have two or three days where I'll just go, no, absolutely not. Uh like or at home. I love I close the gate or the door, whatever it is. I light the fire, still have a real fire, and I'm in heaven.

Interviewing Skills And The Ugly Baby

Speaker 2 40:03

Okay, so you're good at putting a boundary in place and you know when the time comes to switch off is right. I want to talk about the art of interviewing, right? It's it's a it's a difficult thing to do sometimes, especially if you're not bonding or gelling with the person, or maybe you're interviewing someone who's promoting something that you just thought was rubbish. Rubbish, right? I heard you talk about the ugly baby analogy, and Oprah Winfrey has Oprah Winfrey's thing is if she's interviewing someone and she hasn't seen the movie or didn't like it, she'll just go, What a movie.

Speaker 40:34

Oh, okay, yeah, that's good.

Speaker 2 40:36

Or like, you know, what a shirt.

Speaker 40:38

Yeah, yeah. You've just done it. I've just been Oprah's by you. You hate this.

Speaker 2 40:42

By the way, this is my Oprah interview. You are my Oprah. You are I was so excited. Come on! So nervous.

Speaker 40:49

This is so well, you don't seem nervous.

Speaker 2 40:50

I gave myself a migraine with stress.

Speaker 40:52

This is so silly. How are you? How's it going so far for you?

Speaker 2 40:55

I think it's going okay. How are you enjoying it?

Speaker 40:57

I'm enjoying it. Well, you make it very easy. You're you're very, very sociable and charming and and uh able, so I don't think you should have been as nervous as you might have been. But anyway, yeah, ugly babies.

Speaker 2 41:08

Ugly babies, tell me about your thing.

Speaker 41:10

When you are out interviewing an actor, actress, actor, whatever you're having yourself, about this or film, and the film is truly awful. Let's say the housemaid, and you're saying, Okay, I want to ask you about the film, and Sydney Sweeney, welcome to the show. Congratulations on the film, thank you. Hmm, ugly baby. So, what happens is you go down for a walk on the prom in Salt Hill, wherever you might be, and you see somebody you haven't seen for a long time, and you look in the pram, this is what you mean, and you see the baby, and you go, Oh, and the baby's like Winston Churchill, like with the dragon's tongue, huh?

Speaker 1 41:48

Yeah, and you're going, oh shit.

Speaker 41:50

And you say, you don't want to light them and say, God, is he okay? Yeah, yeah. And you just go, Oh, this pram is amazing. State of the art. Look at the the wheels and the it's kind of suspension, you got a real place to put your coffee. It's beautiful. So go back to Sydney Sweeney. Did you like my movie? Yes, the the the house in which it was set with the spiral staircase. Where did they find it? Connecticut, was it Connecticut or Airbnb? Was it Airbnb? Where did they find it? Did you stay there? I mean, it was amazing. And I must say, the c the way they did the credits. The credits were I mean, I'm only talking through my hat, but you know, so the ugly baby. So you because you want to say something nice, but it's not always easy.

Speaker 2 42:29

Have you had to apply the ugly baby in many interviews?

Speaker 42:32

Yeah, I'm gonna take it to the grave. Me and the ugly baby. Me and the ugly baby are gonna be buried together.

Speaker 2 42:37

Ah, give me an ugly baby scenario. Come on.

Speaker 42:40

I can't think of one, the last one that that where it was just so atrocious.

Speaker 2 42:43

I can think of a few books that I've read, I've just gone, oh yes, I saw that the correspondent was one that you just couldn't get on board with.

Speaker 42:50

I couldn't get on board of the correspondent because it's just uh written in emails, I think, or something. I just can't do it. But what I do in those cases is because I'd never I'd never diss a book if I can help it. Because I it's somebody else's joy.

Speaker 1 43:03

Yeah.

Speaker 43:03

So I will I will take the hit myself and say, incidentally, this book mightn't be for me, but by all accounts it's it's very, very good. Yeah. So yeah. Like the housemate. Yeah. Let me talk about the housemate again. Sorry, because I watched that last night.

Speaker 2 43:15

So you weren't a fan.

Speaker 43:16

No, I thought it was truly awful. Yeah. And I was I was kind of kidding. I have room for awfulness in my life. Like I love awfulness. Like I'm not sitting there watching, you know, black and white films that I've burner hertz, like not really.

Speaker 2 43:27

No?

Speaker 43:27

No, no, no. I love first dates already.

Speaker 2 43:30

That would fit the version of Ryan that we would have thought of before. The one who sips like the finest wine and watches black and white.

Speaker 43:38

I watch a black and white movie with with you know James James Stewart or something, but I'm not gonna be watching kind of like Seventh Veil or something. So yeah, I I think there's a lot of perception people have of me that it's so off off the beaten track. But that's for them to decide.

Speaker 2 43:51

I can only be Well, you're getting your moment to just show the true rhyme.

Speaker 43:54

Thank you.

Speaker 2 43:54

Not just on this podcast, but with your own podcast, with your own radio shows, with your tour.

Speaker 44:00

It's a very different vibe.

Speaker 2 44:01

I want to come and see you on tour. Tell me about what's ahead.

Speaker 44:04

Please come as as my guest.

Speaker 2 44:05

You're interviewing Tommy Tiernan.

Speaker 44:06

So Galway, we're going to be with Tommy Tiernan. That's that's sold out. We Blind Boy is going to be our guest in Limerick, which is very exciting. And in Cork, uh we have Francis and John Brennan together, the Brennan brothers, which I love because John is dyslexic. So the point of the bookshelf podcast is this it's not just for book lovers, it's for people who love stories, as I always keep saying. And so I'll tell stories, and then the guest comes out and we ask them three questions about their life from their bookshelves. The book from your childhood, the book that changed your life, and the book that brings you joy. And then finally we ask the question, which all the people listening and watching this can play you can play at home, kids. Which is what is the name of your life story as a book? Which is kind of good fun too.

Speaker 2 44:48

So what's yours?

Speaker 44:49

Mine is at the moment it's changed. Two years ago it was on one thing and now it's another thing. So at the moment it's there's a great Elvis Presley song when he sings gospel. It's a gospel song, but I love a bit of gospel. Without being religious, I just like a gospel song. It's like incense in a church. You don't have to believe in everything to like a nice smell. Yeah. Or an evocative smell. And so Elvis sings a beautiful song called Peace in the Valley. And I love that expression, peace there will be peace in the valley for me someday. And the point of that is that I never like to leave a conversation unresolved. I never like to leave a robust conversation unresolved. I always like peace in the valley. That's why when the RT thing bust up, I was like, that's so not me. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not what I'm not that guy. Like not at all. I'm just the furthest thing from a negative person if I can help it. And um so peace in the valley. I think if I had that etched on my tombstone, I think I would have achieved what I wanted, which is to find peace in the valley with peace with my relationships, peace with my uh daughters, family, and just going for they can look at that and say, Oh yeah, he's okay. Wherever that wherever that valley is, he's okay. It's quite nice.

Speaker 2 45:53

And the book that changed your life?

Speaker 45:55

The book that changed my life is The Chronicle of the Twentieth Century, which is a this completely ridiculous tome of a book. And not a lot of people will remember this actually, because it was it was just a little f a brief phenomenon, like a comet. And it was the world every year, you know, like a massive annual, this size, from 1900 to 1987, 88, and every year was done like a newspaper. So it I kind of I got really interested in newspapers and journalism and pop culture and history, uh particularly 20th century. So, you know, 1912 was the Titanic, and then 1914 World War One, 1939 World War II, and then you're into the Kennedys and Vietnam and Reagan and Thatcher and and on and on, and the Beatles and the Stones. So this book was like wonf, like a magician opening. I became I just actually, yeah. When I'm finished here, I have to go home and interview uh Mr. Sulu, one of the main characters on the deck of the Enterprise in Captain Kirk's Starship Enterprise from Star Trek.

unknown 47:01

Okay.

Speaker 47:01

And I can't tell you how excited I mean I'm excited to be. I'm sorry that I'm keeping you here. No, no, I'm excited to be interviewed by you, but I'm excited to then be interviewing him.

Speaker 1 47:09

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 47:10

And here's here's what I'm saying about finding great happiness, and I'm also having I have other things to do in between, is that what an exciting life to come here and shoot the breeze with you for an hour. I haven't seen you for a hundred years, and it's just so lovely. No, it really is lovely to see you, and I'm happy for you and Steve and for your happiness. Thank you. And um, and then you know, then you go off and interview Mr. Sulu, and then I'll probably watch a movie with Claire. And that's all I want.

Speaker 2 47:33

Yeah.

Speaker 47:34

You know?

Speaker 2 47:34

Yeah, all I want. Nice tie in there with the Claire. Hey, everyone, we're just flogging. This is just so natural. He's just so honored. Just flogging codeline. Do you know their new single is out?

Speaker 47:47

Big tour coming up.

Speaker 2 47:48

Yeah, farewell one. Make sure you go. Tickets still available.

Speaker 47:52

Just about.

Speaker 2 47:53

You must come to the Malahyde show.

Speaker 47:54

I'd be honored. You will be amazing. I've always been a fan of the band because they were they'd come in and anyway, you know them. You know, you were there a few times and they're just it was they're just they're fun.

Speaker 2 48:04

Well, I I hope I know them. I'm married to one of them.

Speaker 48:07

Just one?

Speaker 2 48:08

Just one. You know, in the beginning, they'd people would be like, You're married to Codaline. I'm like, Well, I'm married to one. Or sorry, you're dating Codaline. I'd be like, Well, I'm I'm technically no, I'm dating one.

Speaker 48:18

Polyamory is a thing, so obviously you're by not in my world, okay.

How We Proposed And Why It Matters

Speaker 2 48:23

For we part ways. And because I'm such a romantic, I wanted to ask how you propose to Claire.

Speaker 48:30

Oh, uh, that's easy. There's we were in Connemara in the west of Ireland, and there's a hotel there called the Renvile House Hotel, which we both uh love. We we got married in the c in the Abbey Glen Castle, but which is quite big. Renvile's a little more discreet set set set further into the into the by the coast. And this brilliant guy in the in the jewellery shop in Clifton, Jaunty, and I'd been kind of surreptitiously dealing with him about rings. He was my he was the ring whisperer. Like he knew he was brilliant about what to get and how to he advised me really well. And uh he said, I'm gonna I'll call out to the Renvile, I'll I'll I'll I'll get uh the Anne Marie, the lady who runs the place, to come out and meet me and I'll put in a super value bag. And I mean it was all quite surreptitious.

Speaker 1 49:16

Of course.

Speaker 49:16

And then I said to Claire, I'm just gonna get out and see if the bikes are okay for tomorrow. You know, the bikes, when was everywhere on a bike? And she said, Yeah, yeah. Weirdo. And she had gone out to to go for a walk because Claire's quite I was like, let's say Claire's gonna like a hippie, and I'm Larry David. So there's very they're very different. And she was out to went out to listen to the sea or something completely her. Woo stuff. Yeah, quite woo. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and there's there's gentle mockery, uh just two-way, as you can appreciate. That's quite a lava. Yeah, yeah. Would you like to eat this? Have we met? So, anyway, suffice to say, uh, she went, and then she came back in and saying, Oh, the sea sounds amazing, we should go out. And I was going, actually, do you know what I I think I will. Now, what I was going out to do was the ox. And she went, Oh, really? I said, Yeah, yeah, I said great. And I said, This is nice. And she goes, Yeah, the sea, yeah, and I said a lot of rocks and stones. She goes, Yeah, but the sea. I said, Yeah, the sea is lovely, but it's hard to get down in your knee to propose when the rocks she said to what?

Speaker 2 50:10

You said that. Yeah.

Speaker 50:12

And uh so that's when I went uh on on the knee and and I said, Look, this is this is uh here we are. You're very important to this.

Speaker 2 50:20

You had a speech.

Speaker 50:21

Oh no, I had no speech. You had no speech. Did you make a speech say something? Pretty good on the fly. Okay, you made you made a few words.

Speaker 1 50:27

You made a speech.

Speaker 50:28

I said to who it concerns no, and I and I said, you know, let's let's um yeah. So I did the thing. And she said, Would you like to marry me? What have you? And she said and eventually I did I I did say, Do you want to can I have an answer? It's kind of like he wants to bring me in there. Yeah. I phone a friend, and uh of course then it was very happy. And uh she said she can she still says she finds it really strange. She's surprised at herself at how uh emotional and how lovely that experience has been and is. Yeah. So yeah, that's how it happened. You nosy nosy.

Speaker 2 51:08

It was a little awkward, but like in the best way. Makes it even better. It was it's very stereotypical of Steve and I just goofy. Well, it was at home a few days before Christmas, under the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree. We had exchanged gifts. There was a card on the table, but like I hadn't opened it yet. So he started like putting away the wrapping paper in the recycling bin, and then he noticed that I was leaning over to get the card, and he scurried off somewhere. Steve never writes long messages in cards, he's romantic in song, but he can be, you know, wow, terse.

Speaker 51:39

I'll get a word with Steve in a second.

Speaker 2 51:41

Yeah, I have a word with him. But it was funny because this was quite a lengthy card, especially for Steve. So I'm reading, and then at the end it's like, I hope you liked your gift, and I actually have something else for you. And then he comes in with this little red bag with a bow on it. My lips started quivering. I'm like, what's that? Ugly crying crazy. And then he's like, What do you think it is? And I'm like, "a necklace?".

Speaker 52:03

Yeah, yeah, good. Manage your expectations. Well done.

Speaker 2 52:06

And then I turned around and I had to compose myself because I was like, if this is not what I think it is, that's really embarrassing for me.

Speaker 1 52:12

Yes.

Speaker 2 52:12

And then when I turned around, he was uh like on his knee. Do you want to marry me? I'm just staring at him and I'm like, mm-hmm. Like, like, yeah, come on, like waiting for the speech. And he's like, waiting for my answer. And I just went, Why? And he went, Why? And I'm like, no, like, why why do you want me to like why do you love me? Give me the speech. Like in the movies. It was like the indie version of a romantic moment.

Speaker 52:37

But you put him you put him on the Disney moment. No, but you put him on the spot to say why. Sorry, I'm trying to to to to w I'm I'm I'm proposal shaming you here, you see. This is what I'm doing. I'm putting it on you.

Speaker 2 52:47

Yeah, I know.

Speaker 52:48

You made this man feel so uncomfortable. Well, I'm surprised he actually let you have the ring.

Speaker 2 52:52

Do you want to know something better? Go on. I was really late to walk down the aisle.

Speaker 52:56

How late?

Speaker 2 52:57

Like very late.

Speaker 52:58

Okay, why? Give me a good excuse.

Speaker 2 53:00

Oh, lots of things went wrong. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There was body tape issues and things.

Speaker 53:04

Same thing happened to me. Oh, I can't believe it. Yeah, my suit was just all over the place.

Speaker 2 53:08

My veil fell off the comb.

Speaker 53:10

Oh my god.

Speaker 2 53:11

What was that feeling like for you waiting for Claire together?

Speaker 53:13

It was lovely. We stayed in the hotel. We didn't do church or anything, and it was lovely. And my daughter's walking down the aisle to the sound of honey pie by the Beatles. As from the moment that happened, everyone started, you know, dancing. And the vibe was was so intimate and warm. And uh it was a beautiful day. Yeah.

Speaker 2 53:29

Yeah. Joyful times.

Speaker 53:31

Really was. And it kind of kickstarted the next chapter.

Speaker 2 53:34

Yeah.

Speaker 53:34

That said, all right. And what a cloud's gone, fun times.

Speaker 2 53:38

Yeah, what a fantastic way to kick off a new chapter. And uh Ryan, thank you.

Speaker 53:42

Diana, thank you. Go hey, good luck with your wonderful podcast. Thank you for being so nice to me.

Speaker 2 53:48

Next time I might turn up and be a b*tch. Yeah.

Speaker 53:52

Next time. You did all right this time. Everything changed now.

Speaker 2 53:56

Just be like, you know, enough of the nice questions.

Speaker 53:58

Yeah, no more miss no more Mrs. Nice Guy.

Speaker 2 54:00

You're giving me a further chip on my shoulder. Do you know what I mean?

Speaker 54:02

As if you have space for them at this stage. But congratulations on everything and the fact that you married a whole band is so impressive.

Speaker 2 54:09

You and my four husbands.

Speaker 54:10

You and your four as polygamy. I'm not half the man I used to be. Thanks for your time. I really enjoyed our chat today.

Speaker 2 54:16

Thank you. I can't wait to come see you on the podcast. I'm gonna buy a ticket. No, no. And I'll be there. No, no, no.

Speaker 54:20

Not yet. No, no, no. I'll give you.

Speaker 2 54:22

I'm buying a ticket.

Speaker 54:25

That'll do. Thank you so much. Thank you. It's been so fun. That was a lovely chat. Thank you. I really enjoyed that.

Speaker 2 54:31

As you can hear, we had so much fun recording this podcast, and I'm truly so grateful to Ryan for not only his time but his honesty and for sharing this chapter of his life so beautifully. And I suppose for the rest of us, it's a little reminder that even the most turbulent clouds can carry a silver lining if you're willing to look for it. If you'd like to hear more of Ryan's stories or spend an evening in his gorgeous company, be sure to check out the Bookshelf Podcast Tour, which is happening all around Ireland right now. And of course, Ryan will have some amazing guests, including Brandon Brothers, some blind boys, and they'll be sharing lots of great stories on stage. They'll be fun and directment. And I believe there's still some tickets left, so grab them while you can. In the meantime, thank you so much for listening to my podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful if you could share it with a friend, either with you, send me at the end, every little bit of interaction that really makes a difference. And the more reviews, the better, because more people get to hear the podcast as well. I'll be back again next week with another great guest. But in the meantime, thank you and enjoy.