Mel Gibson on his Irish Heritage, 1993

Actor Mel Gibson explains how he was named after Saint Mel’s Cathedral in Longford.
Pat Kenny travels to London to interview Hollywood star Mel Gibson who talks about his Irish roots.
He lives in Australia, he works most of the time in America and he makes only very fleeting visits to Europe.
Over tea, at London’s Dorchester Hotel Pat and Mel discuss his Irish family and the fact that he was named after Saint Mel’s Cathedral in the town of Longford, where his mother was born and reared. He also has Irish roots on his father’s side, whose family came from Cork and subsequently emigrated to Australia. His parents met and married in New York, where Mel was born. The family then moved to Australia.
Mel Gibson describes his upbringing and attending a strict Christian Brother’s school in Australia. While he resented the Christian Brother’s discipline at the time, he feels that his education helped him to develop values.
This episode of ‘Kenny Live’ was broadcast on 27 March 1993. The presenter is Pat Kenny.

[@gladroad]

The long standing tradition of badgering celebs about their irish roots.

[@dannicatzer305]

Be a short conversation with me, You have Irish roots, yes my mothers family on both sides were Irish.. Where about? No idea she never said..

[@KingMob.]

Pat Kenny is the worst badgering clebs about their Irish heritage. As if it means anything, seriously who f#cking cares? As if being Irish means you're special, better than the rest of humanity...what a childish, stupid notion. I wondered if Mel's Irish roots has anything to do with his acolohlism and drunken racist outbursts? Why doesn't Pat Kenny press him on that instead of slobbering all over him like a puppy, wanting to be told "Irish people are special, cute, green, beautiful, sexy & wonderful". Are we Irish that insecure ??? ☘️

[@personl7949]

@@KingMob. funny.... Not.

[@phylk4683]

I love it - love hearing about famous people’s Irish connections considering the tragedies Ireland has gone through and where they come in the diaspora. Very proud of being Irish ☘️

[@phylk4683]

@@KingMob. I don’t see a connection there 🤷‍♂️

[@gungagalunga9040]

Imagine meeting Pat Kenny in a hotel in London. I'd be on the drink for the whole weekend afterwards.

[@stidesheaven1972]

🤣👍

[@seancourtney9021]

a good one! lol

[@upsidedown1986]

😂😂😂🥴

[@chrisvillines9934]

I still enjoy mel gibson a great actor and director he irish heritage gives him such character what can I say I love the irish people

[@scottlally8374]

I'm Irish from Galway and thank you 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

[@22grena]

Mel is becoming more important by the year

[@jaymcd8577]

Legend, glad he's Irish

[@bullsnutsoz]

sos the aussies

[@pyotrpyotrovitch]

@Macavity Macavity what that Jew-baiting misogynistic wife-beater? Yeah, great guy.

[@joebyrne3159]

@@bullsnutsoz, Mel was born in Peekskill, N. Y.

[@bullsnutsoz]

@@joebyrne3159 Yeah we all claim Mel

[@tomweldon7608]

@@joebyrne3159 40 million Americans born in America are of Irish heritage and so rightly claim to be Irish, being born in a place makes you a citizen of that place, but it's Irish blood the runs through his vains

[@Shay-bp7yt]

Love Mel 🇮🇪

[@dadedouglas2504]

Im Scottish but boy do I love Mel Gibson. Great fucking actor.

[@democratpro]

i know one of your kinsmen

[@dadedouglas2504]

Oh really!? From what parts?

[@notthisprickagain8499]

@@democratpro Mel hates Communists 😃

[@democratpro]

@@notthisprickagain8499 who doesnt?

[@f0otball41]

Of course you do lol

[@personl7949]

Yeah Longford..... Love Mel Gibson. ♥️💋

[@melcolumcillegerardgibson9214]

I want to Specially appreciate you for being a big fan Thanks for your nice comment on my post, it means a lot to me. I want you to send me a direct message via hangouts using my personal email or you can as well indicated below. Also endeavor to add your name to the text so I can know you are the one texting because I don't reply unnecessary messages Hangouts mail: [e-mail]

[@gb7414]

Pat the plank truly is a dire interviewer

[@Donalob]

Pat is a brilliant interviewer. Mel just wasn't giving him anything.

[@michaelwalsh9145]

@@Donalob which proves Pat is a useless interviewer. A good interviewer would have got more information out of him.

[@conorsmith8551]

Pat “Mel, the public are dying to know… what’s your favourite colour?”

[@josephwanjiku6853]

And of course pushing the plan demic helps his credibility

[@jackspring7709]

True.

[@KraigOliver]

Amazing!

[@irishguy9311]

Must of been disappointing for Mel to meet Pat Kenny!!!😂😂😂 Mel Gibson is a Legend Best Actor & Director!! 😎👍🏻🍀

[@personl7949]

True. 👍🇮🇪

[@conorsmith8551]

Where was he going with this interview? 🤣🤣 Let's ask Mel about the christian brothers. What a bizarre take lol

[@michaelwalsh9145]

Imagine sending the plank to London to interview a legend, RTE never lost it.

[@michaelwalsh9145]

@@conorsmith8551 you’d imagine that he had plenty time in the flight to think up some better questions to ask him.

[@TT_1221]

Pat is alright, he was always better on the radio, actually he's the only one left on the radio today that I can listen to for any time.

[@aleksandradolinska7164]

God bless Mel Gibson

[@FAMEROB]

@MsMissy bean

[@gepettosplaylists]

@MsMissy Curious as to why you'd say that? 🤔

[@LauRa-re9un]

@@gepettosplaylists May be he rejected her or something LOL

[@sylviaconlon5428]

My late mum met him,,,,, when he was making brave heart ♥ and my relatives are frm co Longford

[@sylviaconlon5428]

The day she met him was Sunday me my kids were waiting on here there was no mobile phones bk then to ring I was wondering where is she when she arrived to pick us up she told us I nearly fainted I was never same again after that she was wit her friend coming out of church ⛪ on the curragh where film was made,,,,,, she said he was very nice person to talk to and small they had a gr chat for 35 minutes so Brave heart ♥ on of my favourite 🎥 movies

[@sylviaconlon5428]

FREEDOM ♥️♥️

[@marynadononeill]

@@sylviaconlon5428 great story!

[@sylviaconlon5428]

@@marynadononeill love love brave heart ♥ ♥️♥️🇮🇪🇮🇪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@killoe95]

I’m from county Longford! It’s so cool Mels mother comes from here

[@mickmoriarty7372]

Straight up actor..hard to find now

[@katoness]

Kenny looks like he is on Valium.

[@huzcer]

He is "pat the plank" after all.

[@rudithedog7534]

Pat the back of me bollix

[@devanman7920]

he's named after the Cathedral in Longford thats mad haha

[@allisnotwhatitseems.]

Didn't know there was a Cathedral in that kip.

[@zombievikinggaming4258]

@@allisnotwhatitseems. Behave

[@kevinburke7018]

@@allisnotwhatitseems. now now

[@hillarebelloc6014]

Pat always makes people feel uncomfortable

[@EIREriddick13]

Yea you're right the Gibo is constantly fidgeting

[@michaelwalsh9145]

He’s an embarrassment just like Tubridy, I guess that’s what happens when you promote the tea boy who got the job with a pull from his relations working in RTE.

[@johnandersen6752]

Interesting, when "Braveheart" came out, he talked about how Scottish he was. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@robanks3895]

Yeah, I thought Gibson was a Scottish name anyway

[@manufacturedconsent8046]

Both Celts

[@democratpro]

they are the same people, slightly different cultures...origin story is the same.

[@warrenmilford1329]

Because of his Australian connection, he, like so many of us, may have a combination of Irish, Scottish, English and Welsh ancestry. Also quite often, a diverse mix of Catholic and Protestant as well, through those generational lines.

[@phylk4683]

@@democratpro emm no we’re all Celts but Scottish and Irish have different history

[@DMCM1]

Legend

[@tickedoffnow]

Explains the good looks and why he's so strong minded 🙏♥️🍀

[@stidesheaven1972]

Interesting how Kenny was somewhat pro Irish back then, now he, Tubs and Joe Duffy all look down on native Irish people who they call far right. All in their efforts to appear "progressive"

[@MultiAlanR]

The guy wants to keep his RTE salary.

[@marynadononeill]

the brainwashing from the media in this country is enough to turn your stomach

[@gearoiddom]

I have not listened to Pat in quite a while. He is still Covid-obsessed I take it?

[@ManannanmacLir69]

Christians brothers didn't do him any harm. Tell that to my friend who was beaten with every instrument including trophies and had cigarettes stubbed out on his arm.

[@zombievikinggaming4258]

Ok crybaby

[@MikeyJMJ]

He wasn't the brightest of kids I imagine

[@ManannanmacLir69]

@@MikeyJMJ Actually he is a computer software engineer you sack of turds.

[@zkevzwalshz]

@@ManannanmacLir69 ever get attacked by a tub of coleslaw or tin of tuna,,,its frightneing

[@Scientist538]

you can hear all three accents in his voice

[@garysiedle6928]

How you Mel great film brave heart brother.gary siedle

[@keepthefaith9805]

I always knew Mel has a Irish heritage🙂

[@colinmontgomery1956]

Go figure, "Gibson"...

[@jackietreehorn5561]

Funny how his accent went from full blown australian to full blown american I the space of a few years

[@gsd8225]

Well he is American.

[@jackietreehorn5561]

@@gsd8225 I know born in NY....think I got that confused myself like his accent.....he went from Yankee to Mick Dundee in a matter of months lol I like Mel tho he seems like a real one

[@jamestodd8147]

Hes accent is mixed still then, he goes back in forth between australian and american.

[@2gramsovcoke]

Mad max

[@user-eo1yg9ed6d]

I think it was in 1996 after ,,Ransom’’.

[@ynysmones3816]

"As I say it didn't do you any harm" ... multiple shattered relationships, public breakdowns, and rehab visits later, I think I might beg to differ. Mel's got some problems. Childhood physical abuse causes anger issues, trust issues, substance abuse issues. This is a FACT, proven by a great number of sociological studies.

[@Hammett175]

He would've been worse without the ass kicking and the haircut they gave him.

[@Redstripe921]

Well child abuse is one thing and disciplining is another !

[@tylerhoule9234]

@@Redstripe921 what he describes in this interview is child abuse.

[@swastikausa]

he is an irish citizen.

[@theresahayes4294]

Kenny such a serious interviewer 👀👀 .. Its embarrassing to watch him interview Gibson.

[@colinmontgomery1956]

The most handsome man of all times.

[@paulreynolds7103]

Of course he's from Longford 😂

[@stephenc8]

Pat Kenny getting turned on listening to Mel Gibson talking about being lashed, he keeps asking him about it

[@Surv1ve_Thrive]

Gibson is a Scandinavian type of name (son of Gib) but I realise he's talking about his mother's heritage.

[@Surv1ve_Thrive]

@Murray David very true. I still jokingly ask Scandy friends when we can have all the gold back they stole from monasteries etc around Britain and Ireland. I read a modern estimate in dollars and it's in the billions.

[@tomweldon7608]

Names are just reminiscent of a person's heritage, it only takes 1 guy 1 time to step in to give a family of centuries of a particular country a different countries name. Also from the queen of England - Windsor - Saxe coburg gotha to the german fuhrer schicklgruber to heidler to Hitler, all changed and adopted and taken for the sake of taking. Still the queen is English but still German, names play a small part but a part all the same, it's knowing where your people come from that's your true ancestry

[@etiblmca9267]

@@tomweldon7608 great point blood is truely what a man is made of.

[@vestty5802]

@Murray David vikings were largely unsuccessful in Ireland

[@vestty5802]

He said his father also has some Irish roots

[@Feedaphile]

He looks a bit like Roy Keane

[@personl7949]

💯👌

[@johnbatziolas780]

Especially when they grow their beards too, same temper, twins 👯‍♂️ 🇮🇪

[@wotdoesthisbuttondo]

WHO IS DELETING MY COMMENT?

[@s99bf0c8]

Kenny asking very detailed questions about the corporal punishment lol he must like to get spanked no doubt

[@Max1ize]

Kenny likes been spanked by Luke O'Neill these days 😄

[@mariamoyles189]

Mel looked a bit shaken talking to Kenny. Anyway else pick up on it??

[@AndersMcTee]

He still has twangs of Aussie accent here

[@JensontheBasterd]

'how irish are you' hes made 2 films about england being evil because we live in his head rent free and hes never even been here thats how irish he is

[@notthisprickagain8499]

Mel knows who the real evil is. You're not as relevant as you think you are 👍

[@JensontheBasterd]

@@notthisprickagain8499 we clearly are in ireland and mel gibsons head we live rent there, always will. english men irish boys

[@notthisprickagain8499]

@msmissy6888 Explain?

[@Valelacerte]

Slightly reminiscent of Scott Adkins.

[@GordonGarvey]

He should've asked him about the Jew's.

[@laurencefarrelly5637]

Yeah tried to destroy him but he came out on fair play Mel Gibson you came out on top a good Catholic man like myself and Irish

[@GordonGarvey]

@@MrResearcher122 no, I'm Irish

[@GordonGarvey]

@@MrResearcher122 so did Eddie Murphy. That's usually adopted from their owners.

[@poomen]

The leather

[@ButterflyLullabyLtd]

The schooling sounds brutal.

[@timtrek]

Pat Partridge

[@alfreddunn03]

More celebrities claiming Irish heritage...their Grandparents had a Irish setter.

[@BlutundEhre]

His mom was born in Ireland his dad is of fish descent. Sounds pretty Irish too me

[@alfreddunn03]

@@BlutundEhre well yes he is more Irish I will agree, but some areblike great great great great great grandparent. I'm from England and my Grandparents were Irish, I'm proud of my lineage but like so many here, we never claim to be Irish.

[@BlutundEhre]

@@alfreddunn03 I agree with u as well abt this a lot of Americans will claim to be Irish but it was like a great great great grandparent. Also if ur grandparents are Irish if I were u I would celebrate being both. English nationality but Irish blood.

[@BlutundEhre]

@@alfreddunn03 Irish have some of the most fascinating history. Really beautiful country too.

[@fatalconceit3362]

It took Gibson a long time to finally openly admit the real reason why his father decided to move the family from the US to Australia, and it was not a desire for a new frontier with a AAA rating.

[@cyberzeroday]

Corcaigh Abu !

[@bartonseagrave9605]

I don't think Mel considered himself much of an Irishman. There he was sat in a London Hotel and not once did his eyes look out over the Irish Sea.

[@OscarDeltaSierra]

I work with maximum-security prison inmates, and what Mel says about the benefits of youthful discipline is indisputably obvious- the older guys who got smacked around in Catholic school as kids, violent and sometimes murderous criminals thought they may be, are consistently more respectful, considerate, and chivalrous than the incorrigible, unsocialized, and downright feral young kids coming in from the limp-wristed, self-esteem obsessed modern public school system, where teachers can’t even give a simple detention without a horde of helicopter parents, halfwit activists, and Laputan Educational theorists breathing down their necks.

[@zkevzwalshz]

angry scotsman says,,,IRN BRUUUU

[@COM70]

God Pat Kenny was almost as crappy a interviewer as Tubridy, another plank.

[@personl7949]

True. 👍😂

[@marynadononeill]

totally agree - wha happened to this country?

[@COM70]

@@marynadononeill well Graham Norton moved to the UK? And Terry Wogan,

[@michaelwalsh9145]

What do you expect when RTE promote their tea boys.

[@waynemcauliffe2362]

A lot of Aussies have Irish in them like me.Mel is yank but

[@google-is-a-stupid-piece-o2543]

He's also Australian, or, at least, used to be.

[@waynemcauliffe2362]

@@google-is-a-stupid-piece-o2543 Nah born over there came to Australia at 12 never got Aussie citizenship i`m pretty sure

[@patrickodonnell4828]

You got lucky got out of Ireland

[@charliemcdonald6882]

Could you see you're way to giving me a Gudddd Thrashing 🤔🥴🤛

[@fivetwoeight528]

Does this mean he's gonna run for the presidense in America in 2025.

[@notthisprickagain8499]

I wish

[@jixuscrixus1967]

Christian brothers? Marist brothers?

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

SS death camp brotherhood.

[@irishterminator.]

They should have that first word removed from them because the last thing they are is Christian

[@irishterminator.]

@EugeneWithM16 Muslim?

[@pegasus6724]

Kgb ira show host

[@AAAA-lt9hq]

My guess is Mel's Irish heritage has some part to play in his family's very strict interpretation of Catholicism (namely the rejection of the Second Vatican Council of 1962-5) that led to the controversies later in his life. Mel has often spoken out about corruption beginning at the top of the church and going down, while Mel believes most priests remain faithful to Mel's view of the religion. My guess is he does not see the last few popes as legitimate because they have introduced changes in theology, doctrine, and liturgy that he considers unacceptable. Mel probably gets many of these ideas from his late father Hutton, whose strict traditionalist views have fed into conspiracy theories and the antisemitism that many see in Mel's later work. My guess is based on his religious views if his family remained in Ireland he would probably have some Irish nationalist/IRA sympathies. I say this because traditionally in Ireland, like Spain and Italy, strict interpretations of Catholicism were tied to ethnicity and national identity. For older generations, to be Irish was to be Catholic, and to be Catholic was to be Irish. I love Mel's earlier work. The "Mad Max" films are my favorite movies of all time. But, his personal views of his later years have been a real disappointment for those of us who are his fans, although he remains an excellent director and a good actor in the right roles. He was once so charming, funny, and engaging. Then around 2004 everything started falling apart. It is sad that his alcoholism and turbulent personal life seem to have turned him into an angry, hateful person, something he tried to fix with "The Passion of the Christ," but perhaps his attempt to get in touch with his faith sent him even further down the road to extremism. That said, I think he has always believed these things--he just hid them extremely well in the 80s and 90s in order to further his career in diverse, politically liberal Hollywood. None of these observations is meant to disparage Catholicism or the Irish people. It is just unfortunate that Mel can have some very narrow views about the world when he is capable of being a much better person.

[@poomen]

Mel Gibson is based

[@wotdoesthisbuttondo]

Was his father a swindler (with others help) weirdly winning loads of money via game shows and then rinsing his U.S employer for over a 100 grand in compensation for a "workplace accident" before bolting to Australia?

[@EverGreen1888]

What a weird interview...let's interview one of the biggest celebrities at the time in Hollywood about his Irish heritage and just dig deeper into his trauma as a kid being beaten and then laugh about it in school. Nice job Pat

[@pegasus6724]

You don't harm out countries misery is coming your way

[@mariekelly7652]

li iu

[@josipmickovic2572]

Wtf was this, apology for the Christian Brothers violence? 🥴 I haven't met 1 older person who didn't say something bad about their schools or even punching them back.

[@mypillowguy445]

He looks like Colin Farrell.

[@johnerolzod7447]

Knobjockey zionist

[@seanmac.7130]

hes anti Jew.

[@johnerolzod7447]

@@seanmac.7130 very

[@pegasus6724]

Spoilt boy

[@ruairijoseph]

The chemistry was so awkward... couldn’t Mel just ACT like he’s normal 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@bruceburns1672]

So this explains his bigotry in his movies , I have wondered why .

[@notthisprickagain8499]

But was he wrong?

[@bruceburns1672]

Mel has one problem , his childhood conditioning from his father who belongs I believe to some extreme Catholic Cult , hence his anti Semitism which was a Catholic specialty up until WW2 .

[@notthisprickagain8499]

@@bruceburns1672Not trying to be rude but that isn't what I asked..

[@Neil-yg5gm]

Now we know why he made his anti-English movies. I wish Mel would move to a country that does not speak English

[@Neil-yg5gm]

@Nicholas Mead I am Australian. Millions of Irish migrated here bypassing lots of non-English speaking countries they could live in. But no, they go half way around the world to Australia and then start moaning about how bad the English are when they get here

[@q8gyj26s]

@@Neil-yg5gm Imagine being this ignorant of history. I already know you are fat just from reading your comment.

[@Neil-yg5gm]

@@q8gyj26s Why don't the Irish migrate to South America? Why follow the English to the ends of the earth???

[@MikeyJMJ]

@@Neil-yg5gm Many did emigrate to South America. Argentina have the biggest non-English speaking Irish population in the world. Saying the Irish simply followed the English around is rubbish talk. Enjoy being taken over by Asian and African immigrants, maybe you sour Aussies will fair better who knows

[@Neil-yg5gm]

@@MikeyJMJ Most Irish went to English speaking countries. Some Irish may have gone to Argentina but most went to English speaking countries then moaned about how bad the English are when they got there

[@bobbyhanly3466]

Poor Mel. Being interviewed by Pat 'the wanker' Kenny.

[@47mmot6]

I always thought Mel Gibson was Jewish, not Irish

[@jackfahy2283]

I would advise you to never ever call Mel Gibson Jewish.

[@irishterminator.]

Erm oops 😬

[@cdog2331]

@@jackfahy2283 lol. Good advice.

[@dannicatzer305]

lol His Father moved to Australia to set up an ultra Catholic church (some call it a cult) he;s a nutter. A smart nutter though he was a Jeopardy grand champion in the 60s or 70s.

[@robanks3895]

With a surname like Gibson I thought he was Scottish decent

[@tylerhoule9234]

Imagine being this ideologically dedicated to child abuse. 🤦‍♂️

[@michaelwalsh9145]

It was discipline, a bit of it wouldn’t go astray today to put some manners on the self entitled younger generation.

[@tylerhoule9234]

@@michaelwalsh9145 if an adult needs to use physical violence to "discipline" a child then they are ill equipped to mentor a child.

[@Astitwam]

If you're not a Republican you're not really Irish

[@PuffingTheHerbs]

Very smug... Great actor but that's all he is

[@shelleywelly83]

Legend