As any proud Irish person is perfectly aware, when any English squad is within sniffing distance of any type of sporting victory, the singular decent patriotic course of action is to vociferously cheer on the opposing team. Regardless of who the opposition may be. So with our nearest and dearest frenemy in the form of the England Football Squad set to play against Spain in the World Cup Final, expect a national chorus of La Viva Espana to vicariously will that the Three Lions take a mauling on the football field.
But while the nation at large will be Team ABTE [Anyone But the English] some of our best-known celebrities are facing a case of irreconcilable divided sporting loyalties. Late Late host Patrick Kielty has professed himself to be the ‘proudest of Irish men’. With an All-Ireland medal under his belt and host of the biggest show in Ireland’s storied history, there is no doubting Kielty’s deepest devotion to his homeland.
The talented man-of-telly won over Irish hearts and minds the land over when he was installed as steward of The Late Late Show, our most beloved chat show. We gave him a job, and welcomed him into our hearts and homes. But London dweller Kielty is of course married to English telly star Cat Deeley with whom he shares two young boys.
So will Kielty show loyalty to his wife and support The Three Lions or will he risk the ire of his wife and cheer on Spain for the win? A Rebel with a footballing cause; Cork Model Aine May Kennedy is quite literall.