Before Laois Homecoming Award Professor Noel Fitzpatrick Says Geldof Would Be Great President

Noel Fitzpatrick, the renowned veterinary surgeon – widely known for his TV appearances as Supervet – has told Hot Press that he’d love to see Bob Geldof becoming the next President of Ireland.

Fitzpatrick, who in addition to his fame as a TV star has numerous best-selling books to his credit, is coming to Ireland this weekend to receive a very special award at the Laois Homecoming Festival. The planned weekend of Laois-focussed festivities will take place in towns across the county and also involves artists like The Sawdoctors – who will deliver a songwriting workshop in Portlaoise prison – and actor, singer and poet Patrick Bergin, who will appear in Preston House, Abbeyleix on Saturday 6 September for An Audience with Patrick Bergin.

Fitzpatrick, who is from the village of Ballyfin, will be honoured – and presented with the special award – at the Lovely Laois Gala Dinner, in the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise on Saturday night. The award will be in recognition of his unique and enduring contribution to animal welfare, the advancement of medical treatment for animals and his contributions to literature and to television.

Noel spoke exclusively to Hot Press about the possibility of Bob Geldof as president.

"I first knew of Bob Geldof as the scraggy-haired front man of a band, but soon he became the kind of man I wanted to become. This was not because he was charming or in a band, but because he expressed better than anyone I had ever seen, a deep yearning to ‘be human’ with all of our faults and failings, in caring profoundly about the plight of one’s fellow man – regardless of their geographical location, their colour, gender or political affiliation. Here was a man who cared about mankind.

"On my birthday, 13th December 1984, I stared inside a record shop window in Portlaoise at the vinyl single of ‘Do they know it’s Christmas’, and though I had no money and couldn’t buy it, I wanted to support this man somehow because I knew he was trying to do good things. So I stared at that record and just tried to channel all the love I could toward what it represented. I knew that he felt the pain of the world deeply and he was channelling all the love he could to people who weren’t represented at all. I was in my second to final year at Ballyfin college, having been bullied mercilessly – and other stuff – for years – so I too held a deep desire to try to alleviate the pain of all beings – animal or man. I gravitated toward caring for animals and Bob went on to change the world in a day – specifically July 13, 1985 – Live Aid Day.

“I have since met Bob on a few occasions. The man is the ‘real deal’. Bob Geldof is what he says he is. Many men can say many things, but Bob, more than anyone I have ever known, takes immediate action following such words, with an unshakable passion for doing the right thing. Words in a vacuum will never achieve anything and Bob has demonstrated innumerable times that ‘action’ flows through his veins.

"One only has to glance at the grace with which he has endured the vicissitudes of his own life to know that if he commits to anything at all – he is ‘all in,’ unwavering and undeterred in his pursuit of this right thing to do. Our world needs this quality more than ever right now – a quality which resonates truth, justice, and a passion for selflessly acting for the greater good. We have a choice right now – a choice for a world torn apart by self-interest, power, greed and separatism, or a choice for unity, understanding, calm compassion and empathy. I know with absolute certainty that Bob Geldof is the mediator and guardian that we need for the challenging times which lie ahead."

OUTSTANDING AMBASSADOR
Among the highlights at the event will be a performance by Noel Fitzpatrick’s band, Fitzpatrick – a handle that was suggested to the pioneering Supervet by Queen guitarist Brian May, a friend who has encouraged him to forge a path in music. Though they played the Isle of Wight Festival during the summer – and went down a storm – this will be the band’s first-ever live appearance in Ireland.

“At the moment, it's mostly a covers band,” Noel Fitzpatrick reveals with a grin. “But we’re starting to introduce original songs – there’s two that I’ll be playing that I’m really proud of, so we’ll be building on that steadily over the next 12 months.

"Tomorrow night we’ll open with ’The Boys Are Back In Town’ and close with ‘Rat Trap’ – two of the greatest Irish songs of all time,” he adds. "I met Bob at Carfest, where The Boomtown Rats performed recently, and he gave me a few tips in terms of playing 'Rat Trap', which were extremely helpful.”

Why does someone who has been as successful as Noel Fitzpatrick, in his role as a pioneering veterinary surgeon, want to make sweet music at this stage of his career? The answer: it is all about – literally – spreading the love.

“For me," he says, “the band is going to be a message of love to the world. If you look at the moment at what is happening in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Sudan, in Ethiopia, in Myanmar, and so on, I am really concerned that compassion is being sidelined and forgotten. Hate is winning. We have to turn that around.

“We should all be very proud that President Michael D. Higgins has argued so passionately and so well for peace, for compassion, and for love. He has represented Ireland with great courage and great dignity on the world stage, particularly in relation to Gaza. I think it is all important that we continue in that vein.

“I only see love in my consulting room,” he reflects. "That is one of the marvellous things about people’s relationship with the animals in their lives. There is so much love involved – it brings out the best in people. But I believe that, in everything we do, we have to spread a lot more love. The way I see it, Irish people should strive to be a beacon of love in the world. And I want to contribute to that in any and every way I can. That’s what the band is all about.”

It also brings us back to Geldof’s potential run at the Presidency.

“Bob Geldof has such a track record not just of espousing compassion, but of living it,” Noel Fitzpatrick says. “That’s what Live Aid was all about. It was about doing everything possible to help the most vulnerable people on the planet, and doing it with compassion and with love. That is Bob Geldof's legacy and it is extraordinary. To have associated Irish people and the Irish nation with what are the most important qualities in a world that is at risk of spinning out of control is an amazing achievement. So to add to Michael D’s incredible work, I’d love to see Bob Geldof in Áras an Úachtaráin. Michael D has said a few kind things about me in a lovely letter he sent in support of the Lovely Laois Homecoming – and I’d like to pass what kindness I can toward Bob in support of his earnest endeavours to be an outstanding ambassador for our nation. "

What the organisers describe as "four unsung Laois heroes” will also be honoured on the night: PATH (Portlaoise Action to Homelessness), Jack McDonald (Founder of The Laois People Worldwide, Christy Cullen (Songwriter of Lovely Laois) and Ger Thompson (Chairman of The Laois Association in Dublin).

The Laois spectacular is organised by Trudi Lalor, a proud Laois native, who is the original singer of ‘Lovely Laois’ – the official county anthem, first recorded 30 years ago. Trudy has 10 studio albums to her credit, and was named Female Artist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year along the way.

Other events over the weekend include The Spirit of Luke – Celebrating the Music of Luke Kelly & The Dubliners, featuring Kevin Morrin & The Abbeyfolk (The Abbeyleix Manor Hotel, Abbeyleix, Friday 5 Sept); Céilí Mór with the Kilfenora Céilí Band (Castletown Community Centre, Saturday Sept 6); and Stars of Irish Country, with Brendan Shine, Trudi Lalor, Paddy O’Brien & more (The Midland Park Hotel, Portlaoise, Sun 7 September). Music at the Gala Dinner (which is sold out) will also be provided by The Musketeers (Mick Foster, Billy Morrissey and T. R. Dallas).