CHRISTY DIGNAM HAS said that he’s happy but is sometimes scared about what is ahead.
The Aslan lead singer sat down on the Ryan Tubridy Show to speak about his mortality and the 10-year illness that now has him at home in palliative care.
Dignam described feeling that palliative care was like “a conveyor belt to heaven” but that he’s happy to be able to spend it at home.
Explaining that he isn’t quite sure about how he feels about religion, he says has prayed even if he’s unsure who he was praying to.
“I remember saying my prayers, and saying I just want ten more years. Now that it’s ten years I just want to ask for ten more,” he said.
Tubridy joked with Dignam that he’s probably been on The Late Late Show “for the last time” about six times, with Dignam himself joking that his friends tease him that he must “have shares” in the show.
The interview took place in Dignam’s front room, which now has a hospital bed for the singer.
He describes the worst time of his life as when he was fighting addiction but that the birth of his daughter Kiera was his happiest.
On his love for his wife Kathryn, Dignam said:
I have made loads of dodgy decisions in my life you know; loads of mistakes I have made. I don’t regret them because I am happy where I am at now you know… but one decision was I feel I won the Lotto when I kind of met Kathryn, you know.
The singer said he dreams about gigging even though he physically doesn’t do it anymore. Sometimes, there’s nightmares about not being able to remember the words.
There’s no feeling on earth like somebody’s singing your songs back to you. When we’re doing a gig, I break the song down and get the audience to sing, that feeling is amazing, you know.
Dignam said he would like his daughter Kiera to carry on his legacy, his love for Celtic and of course his music.
“If I was looking down from, if there was a heaven, I would dearly love Kiera to carry my legacy. Because if there is anyone on earth that has a right to sing those songs, it would be her, do you know what I mean. So that’s a big vibe with me.”
In some ways, she’s been unlucky being my daughter, because people might think that’s the only ’cause she’s Christy’s daughter’, but she has a real talent.
Asked if he’s thought about his funeral, Dignam said:
“I would rather just die. David Bowie’s was the best funeral ever, you know. You just die and get cremated and that’s it. Nobody knew where it was, who it was. Do you know what I mean, he was just gone and that’s it, just a little puff of smoke. That’s the way I would like it. Because you know I don’t want to be sitting and with everybody [at the wake] and people saying ‘oh, he is freezing!’”
Is he happy, sad, or scared?
“I’m happy and I get very sad and I get very scared. You know the thing about this diagnosis, anybody with cancer actually, that’s why I used to love listening to Vicki Phelan because when you do get into a particular emotion, you get into it. You know what I mean? You don’t do it by halves, do you know what I mean? Because everything is so serious. Do you know what I mean? There’s no, there’s no time for bullshit.”
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