Truly heartbreaking to watch.
Last night’s Late Late Show was a difficult watch as RTE aimed to raise much needed funds for the conflict in Ukraine.
Not only did viewers there and at home get emotional, but Ryan Tubridy himself found it hard to hold back the tears as he discussed the devastating impacts that the invasion has seen.
Speaking specifically about the deaths of two young Ukrainian siblings, 10 year old Polina who died after her parent’s car was hit in Kyiv and her five year old brother Seymon who sadly passed away yesterday after spending 72 hours in hospital after the attack, Ryan was visibly upset.
Ryan said: “The little girl with the pink run in her hair, she reminds me of daughters, my own, on the cusp of life.
“And just before the show, I saw her little brother died of injuries and I say this because we can’t shy away from the horror of what’s happening.”
Opening the show, Ryan gave a powerful speech showing his support for Ukraine, with viewers holding back the tears from the start.
He said: “Tonight, we stand with Ukraine. With a million lost souls having been chased by Putin’s missiles, we stand with the millions who are left in cellars, sewers and facing a long night of terror ahead of them.
“We stand against want and aggression, against blind violence to threaten democratic Europe.”
Ryan was joined by Adi Roche and Michael Martin for a fundraising appeal for The Red Cross on last night’s show, which saw them raise €2 million for the appeal.
During the night, the Taoiseach branded Vladamir Putin “dangerous” and accused the Russian president of ignoring how his actions are affecting his own people adding “he’s an evil man as far as I’m concerned.”
The total for the fundraiser currently stands at more than €2 million, but unfortunately, the donation page crashed during the show, but was soon resolved with viewers able to donate through the app.
At the end of the show, RTÉ revealed that it had raised €2.2 million, saying: “A total of over €2,200,000 raised tonight for the Ukraine Crisis Appeal.
“Once again, the Irish people have shown their overwhelming generosity. We cannot thank you enough.”
