Folk icon Christy Moore has remembered the late Tommie Gorman saying the former RTÉ journalist was a "very special friend" who "was always there when you wanted him".
The Kildare singer-songwriter recalled how Gorman, who died in June at the age of 68, had a part to play in his first music video, Don't Forget Your Shovel in 1983.
Speaking on Friday's Late Late Show with Patrick Kielty, the 79-year-old musician explained how the broadcaster arranged for the video to be shot on a building site in Limerick.
"Ronan Collins took a shine to that song and used to play it every morning and then Tommie heard the song.
"He was down in Limerick with an RTÉ News crew and he set the whole thing up on a building site. There was no director, there was no nothing," he said.
Moore has dedicated his new album, A Terrible Beauty, to Gorman and joked about how their friendship blossomed over The Irish Times, a pint of milk and a pan loaf.
"Tommie was a dear friend. He was always there when you wanted him. He'd be at the end of the phone if you wanted to have a chat. He was a very special friend and I'm so sorry that he's no longer with us," he said.
He added: "Tommie came to a lot of gigs. If I said something that was out of order, he'd tell me, and I liked that about him. He pulled me up on things a few times and I had to rethink them.
"The first time I met him was in a campervan. There was a knock on the window in the morning and there was Tommie with the Irish Times, a pint of milk and a pan loaf - and that was the start of our friendship!"
Across his five-decade career, Moore has been at the the frontier of Irish folk music, and the iconic singer admits he still has to "pinch myself sometimes".
"I've got to pinch myself sometimes to think that it's still going on for me. When I started writing songs, the only thing that I dreamt of was getting a gig somewhere and here I am all of these years later on the Late Late Show with new songs. It's some privilege."
Christy Moore 👏#latelate pic.twitter.com/fzJO7yz92E
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) November 1, 2024
Discussing his "decades" of sobriety, Moore said he's been "enjoying life a lot better".
"I have been on the straight and narrow for decades now and enjoying life a lot better. The picture is a lot clearer," he said.
With the big 8-0 approaching, Moore said he's no plans for a big party yet, but insists he'll make sure the craic will be had.
"I'll be 80 next May if I make it. If I'm still here I'll plan something huge," he said.
Ticked off Paddy's bucket list 🥹🫶#latelate pic.twitter.com/yrTVyyJGKa
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) November 1, 2024
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