Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty paid an emotional tribute to his mum and revealed his reason for hosting tonight's show.

Mary Kielty died just hours after her son hosted the RTE show last Friday. Her funeral took place on Monday and there were doubts the grieving presenter would host this week's St Patrick's Day special.

However Patrick is hosting tonight's episode and confirmed he was doing so because it was what his beloved mum would have wanted having not missed a show in 50 years. Fighting back tears, Patrick addressed the studio audience and viewers at home for their well wishes throughout the week.

Fighting back tears, he added: "My mum watched this show religiously and she loved it so much, she still kept watching even after I got the gig. In over 50 years Mary never missed a Late Late Show and there was no way she'd want me to miss this one for her tonight. And so, I couldn't be prouder to stand her and say 'this one's for you Mary'."

Mary's funeral took place at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Dundrum, Co Down. During the service Patrick's brother John remembered Mary as a "brilliant mother".

He said: "Now 1970s in Ireland associated with the darkness days of the Troubles. Our memories are different. We had a brilliant childhood. We had the beach, the school, the castle and the football field a few hundred yards, and summer holidays in Wexford.

"What was there not to like? As a stay-at-home housewife, Mary was a brilliant mother. Between his day job and bands and dances at night, daddy was never there, and mammy took us everywhere.

"I assumed that daddy started us off playing football, but Mary did, taking us and half of Dundrum to matches in the car. He (daddy) jumped on later on when he discovered when we might be half good at it.

"Mary's life changed in 1988, when daddy was killed. Left with three sons, 18 and under, it was a real bad hand of cards. But she got a job at a school and got involved in the football club. She even managed to become chairperson, and she got the three of us reared.

"The 1990s brought grandchildren. They gave her a new lease of life. She became granny Kielty and now as well as her three sons that could do no wrong, she also had seven grandchildren who all loved her and could do no wrong either."

Tonight's Late Late St Patrick's Day special kicked off with a spectacular performance from Riverdance before Kietly welcome Niall Quinn, Mick McCarthy, Andy Townsend and Ray Houghton to reminisce about Italia '90. Most of the rest of the squad from Ireland's first World Cup appearance are also set to appear along with Cian Ducrot, Dancing with the Stars finalists Jack Woolley, Rhys McClenaghan, Kayleigh Trappe and Danny O'Carroll and '90s icons B*Witched.

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