Brendan O’Carroll has revealed he spends the run up to Christmas sobbing as he watches families reunite in the airport.
The Mrs Brown’s Boys star still enjoys heading to Dublin Airport to see the joy of families brought back together – after knowing the reality of emigration.
He said: “By the time I was 10, a lot of my brothers and sisters had emigrated. In those days, most Irish women had to leave to find work.
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“And that’s what happened with me – my sister Fiona, for example, went to Canada. I spent days waiting to meet them at Dublin Airport.
“To this day, my favourite place to be is the arrivals lounge at the airport.
“In fact, I still sometimes go there at Christmas time to witness the joy of people reuniting as they emerge from behind those sliding doors, arms outstretched, and embrace family or friends they’ve missed and who missed them. And yes, I cry as I watch.”
Meanwhile Brendan, 59, told TV Times how his Christmas as a kid was saved by the St Vincent de Paul in Dublin.
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He added: “Sometimes Christmas was about getting a vest or just a tangerine. The look of disappointment on my mother’s face was worse than realising my present was just a satsuma.
“We’d have had no Christmas if it wasn’t for the St Vincent de Paul. Two of their men used to come to the house every Friday. Sometimes they paid our electricity bill, or they would pay for the coal.
“We’d get a box of chocolates on the odd occasion. My mother used to tell me they were my Uncle Vincent and Uncle Paul.
“I grew up thinking these two fellas really were my uncles. But the result is that I know how much good these charities do and how passionate they are about their work.”
