Journalist Colm Flynn meeting Sham in O’Connor’s Pub, Killarney
Meeting and greeting Pope Leo in the Vatican is one thing – but experiencing a private audience with Sham in Killarney is an altogether different experience.
When TV journalist Colm Flynn interviewed hugely popular retired Killarney farmer Seamus Courtney – better known as Sham – in O’Connor’s Pub on High Street eight years ago, the recording went viral on social media.
Their casual chat reached millions of viewers all over the world – including 10.8 million on YouTube alone.
The former reporter on RTÉ Today Show interviewed Loughquittane legend Sham about Killarney, tourism, jarveys, traditional music and his favourite hostelries in town and, to say their enounter was a smash hit, is quite the understatement.
Colm shared this image on social media showing him greeting Pope Leo in the Vatican
Sham is still enjoying himself in Killarney but life has moved on for insightful reporter Colm who is now based in Rome covering Vatican news for EWTN, a global Catholic TV network and the largest religious broadcaster in the world.
While his encounter with Sham will live long in his memory, Colm has just posted a snapshot on social media showing him in the company of another very famous individual in recent days.
He and his wife, Paola, had a personal audience with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican.
Meeting the pontiff might have been a very moving experience for Colm, who specialises in reporting amazing tales about ordinary people, but, in terms of fun and good-natured banter, Sham’s story is still top of the pops.
And it’s difficult to imagine the Vatican meeting have anything like the impact the O’Connor’s Pub encounter had around the world.
KillarneyToday: Every post reaches thousands of readers every day. To advertise call 087-2229761 or email news@killarneytoday.com