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AS 2025 DRAWS to a close, we’ve taken a look back at some of the biggest and best moments from this year’s Late Late Show.
It’s one of the longest-running chat shows in the world and still one of the most beloved and most watched in Ireland.
From Italia 90 reunions to reliving the Saipan saga, and Rosie O’Donnell to Daniel O’Donnell, there’ve been plenty of standout moments over the past year.
In March, American comedian Rosie O’Donnell revealed she had moved to Ireland to escape the “cruelty” of her government shortly before Donald Trump began his second term as US President in January.
A day after O’Donnell announced that she would move to Ireland, her decision received some ridicule from Trump during his meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the White House.
Shortly thereafter, she appeared on the Late Late where she described Trump as “a man with the personality of a teenage boy”.
And in true Late Late fashion, country star Daniel O’Donnell was featured beside his namesake on the show to discuss a recent family trip to Disneyland and recreating his Communion photo for The Guardian.
In October, Westlife announced five nights at Dublin’s 3Arena as part of their 25th anniversary world tour.
It soon expanded to ten nights and a Westlife Special on the Late Late followed soon after this announcement.
Here’s an interview with the Westlife lads on their world tour.
And a special Westlife medley with the Discovery Gospel Choir.
The Late Late is also known for tackling heavy issues and in September, the parents of Harvey Sherratt were on the show to discuss losing their son aged nine.
Gillian Sherratt and Stephen Morrison have campaigned to get answers on the timeline of their son’s care, and a decision to remove him from a spinal surgery waitlist.
Last month, the government committed to statutory inquiry into care of children with scoliosis and spina bifida.
Prior to this in September, Harvey’s parents told the Late Late that they “need to see real change for these children”.
In May, Joe Duffy shocked listeners when he called time on a 27-year stint at the helm of Liveline.
He went on the Late Late to discuss the move and remarked that he will “miss it so badly”.
“I love getting a call from people who are upset, or they’ve been ripped off, and that’s just the internal RTÉ calls!” he added, prompting laughter from the studio audience.
On this year’s St Patrick’s Day special, host Patrick Kielty was joined by a host of the Italia 90 squad.
This included players such as Mick McCarthy, Niall Quinn, Packie Bonner, Ronnie Whelan, Ray Houghton, John Aldridge, David O’Leary, Andy Townsend, Steve Staunton, and Kevin Moran.
The episode marked 35 years since Ireland first qualified for the World Cup.
This episode also featured a Riverdance showcase as part of the Late Late’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
And while Italia 90 success was being toasted in March we reflected on what could have been at the 2002 World Cup last month.
Saipan, a movie on the infamous bust-up between captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy on the eve of the 2002 World Cup will be released in Irish cinemas on New Year’s Day.
Cork actor Éanna Hardwicke, who plays fellow Corkonian Keane, and Steve Coogan who plays McCarthy, spoke to the Late Late and Coogan revealed he thought the original script was a “little bit too pro-Roy”.
Actress and comedian Miriam Margoyles made headlines around the world after her October appearance on the Late Late.
She said she was “shocked at the way it took so long for the international community to respond to what was going on” in Gaza and added that she felt it was important to speak out because she is Jewish.
“It’s very important that people realise that all Jewish people are not killers, it’s not like that.
“It’s just a section of the Israeli people that are like that, not Jewish people, and I want that to be known and understood and be clear.”
The GAA lost an icon in April with the passing of Mick O’Dwyer.
Regarded as one of one of the greatest managers in the history of the sport, ‘Micko’ was an iconic presence in Kerry as both player and manager.
Jack O’Shea, Jimmy Deenihan, Marty Morrissey, Des Cahill, Johnny Doyle and Ross Munnelly paid tribute to Micko on that week’s edition of the Late Late.
The Country Special is always well watched and this year it featured Priscilla Presley, who was, of course, married to Elvis.
She was on to speak about her new memoir Softly As I Leave You.
National treasures Philomena Begley and Daniel O’Donnell also appeared, alongside Nathan Carter, Michael English and Cliona O’Hagan.
A host of country royalty kicked off the special with a rendition of End of the Line.
This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Miami Showband massacre.
On the night of 31 July 1975, three members of the popular Irish band were shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries at Buskhill, near Newry in County Down.
The victims were lead singer Fran O’Toole, guitarist Tony Geraghty, and trumpeter Brian McCoy.
Two other band members, Stephen Travers and Des Lee, survived the attack but sustained serious injuries.
Travers and Lee, alongside a longtime friend of the band, Father Brian D’Arcy, joined the Late Late in September to retell how they survived that night in 1975, their lifelong search for truth, and the enduring legacy of their bandmates.
In April, Amanda Knox joined Kielty on the Late Late and was stopped by US police on her way to Dublin.
However, Knox said she had a much more positive experience with gardaí on the other side at Dublin Airport.
Knox was a 20-year-old exchange student in the university town of Perugia in Italy in 2007 when she and her then-boyfriend were accused of murdering her housemate, 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher.
Knox and her then boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were arrested and later convicted of murder and sexual assault in 2009.
The pair maintained their innocence and, after years of legal battles, she and Sollecito were acquitted of sexual assault and murder by Italy’s highest court in 2015.
Knox was on the Late Late to discuss the journey of rebuilding her life after two trials and two appeals.
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