RTE Late Late Show, Tribute to Jim Sheridan, October 31, 2003
by Patrick Lynch

Gavin and Maurice were among the many guests who appeared on a two hour tribute show to film director Jim Sheridan on Ireland’s Late Late show on Friday night.

Gavin told host Pat Kenny they have worked with Sheridan since 1993′s In The Name of the Father. Gavin has known Sheridan since the late 70s, when Sheridan ran the Project Arts Centre in Dublin and gave the Virgin Prunes a stage to play on. Doing a spot on impression of the director he said Jim had approached them saying: “We’ve got forty million for The Boxer, but I want youse to do the score and if Hollywood don’t like it, sure I’ll pay yis anyway!”

Andrea Corr, with Maurice on piano accompaniment, performed a moving rendition of the inspiring Time Enough For Tears a song co written for the soundtrack of In America by Gavin Friday, Maurice Seezer and Bono.
Friday joined Andrea for the last verse and chorus of the song before talking about its origins with her, Sheridan and Kenny. Gavin also spoke of Project Arts Centre memories, and that the Virgin Prunes were much more interesting looking that their U2 counterparts. He also revealed how he would like to become a ‘Count Friday’, and drew a laugh from all when he said that he would get Bono to arrange it with the Pope.

Bono, who performed the song Falling at your feet with The Edge and Daniel Lanois, acknowledged how the new Irish are better at been themselves than trying to be like anyone else and how they now look to themselves more through the art of Sheridan’s movies. He also described Jim as a great bodyguard, someone who would encourage them through their failures or self-doubts.

TV maker Gary Jermyn described as a ‘poet laureate’ to the Dalkey network of friends and neighbours who came on to read a poem to Sheridan.