Patrick Kielty told Jon Bon Jovi that having the legendary singer as a guest on The Late Late Show was "a bit of a pinch-me moment" because Bon Jovi were the soundtrack to the presenter's teenage years in Co Down.
"When I was growing up in Dundrum, Co Down - little village - when I was 15, I remember taking my cassette player and actually recording your songs on the radio to play to my Gaelic football team! You have no idea!" Kielty recounted.
"This is true!" Kielty continued. "I mean, you have no idea how many times we played You Give Love a Bad Name and thought we were going to win - and still got beaten!"
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With Bon Jovi set to play Croke Park next August, Kielty also had a surprise in store for the singer - a Down jersey.
"You're playing Croke Park. Jon, if you could actually do me a favour..." said the host. "I talked about my Gaelic football team earlier on. They're called Co Down. They very rarely get to Croke Park! So this is a little gift - you can bring this with you for luck!"
Bon Jovi's history with Ireland stretches back to October 1988 when they made their Irish debut - and kicked off the New Jersey Syndicate Tour - at the RDS on Halloween Night that year.
Having last played Ireland in June 2019, they will play Croke Park on 30 August 2026.
"It's been too long," said the singer. "Looking forward to being back on the road - and the first place in the world I come to announce it is here in Dublin. So it makes my heart feel good, just to see old friends again."
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