Copyright irishmirror
US late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has heaped praise on the Irish people after he recently paid a visit to Co Mayo to trace his ancestral roots. The comedian, who has has fronted Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003, travelled to the west coast of Ireland earlier this month for a family holiday after looking up his ancestors online. “My kids, my brother and his kids, my sister and her kids, my parents, my granddaughter… we packed up the whole family and went to Ireland,” Kimmel told viewers during the most recent episode of his late night talk show. "It was a great trip. We got to see the house where my Dad's great-grandparents were born in County Mayo," he added. "We had a lot of family there; we found them on ancestry.com, which could go either way, you know, but we had a great time with them.” Kimmel had nothing but kind things to say about the Irish people he encountered during his stay here as he told viewers how a local woman went above and beyond to ensure that his niece was reunited with her lost purse. "Everything they say about the Irish people is true," he said. "We had not one bad experience with anyone. "My niece left her purse at a pub. A woman she'd never met before figured out where she was staying and drove it to our hotel and refused to accept money for it." “She seemed confused about the idea that my niece would even offer her money for it," joked Kimmel. “They don’t know that we have more of a hostage-type situation." Kimmel's trip to Ireland coincided with the recent presidential election , with the comedian joking that it was a shock to see Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys treat each other with respect given the divisive nature of US politics. "We didn't know until we got there, but we were there during their presidential election. Friday was their election, and no one seemed terrified", he said. "There were the candidates, Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphries, and what about this photograph feels different to you?", he said, before showing a picture of the two candidates shaking hands. "Two women, yes, that's a big one, but also the day before the election, sharing a warm embrace. "Connolly won and get this, her opponent said: 'Catherine will be a president for all of us, she will be my president, and I would really like to wish her all the very, very best.' "No caps, no whining about the election being rigged. Makes you wonder, what’s wrong with these people?” Kimmel also joked that Irish people are “very worried” about the current state of the US under president Donald Trump . “In case you’re wondering what other countries think about what’s going on here in our country, I’ll tell you – they’re worried about us, they’re very worried," he said. “They’re worried about us in the same way you worry about a nephew who maybe you haven’t seen for a few years and shows up at Thanksgiving missing all his front teeth.” Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
