Yes, the Late Late Show's country music special was the highest rated episode this year

We're still scratching our heads at the idea of Ryan Tubridy in jeans 'n' shieuxs, talking to Saorise Ronan about country music.

Last week's special on the weird world of country music saw RTE pulls in its highest ratings for the Late Late Show this year, with a whopping 52% of all Irish televisions tuned into the show.

As Tubridy describes it, it was no surprise at all. "We knew that country is huge when we decided to have this special, so it’s no surprise to us that so many people tuned in on Friday night. It was truly one of the most enjoyable Late Late Show’s I’ve ever presented and the reaction to Big Tom’s appearance, and that very special performance of Four Country Roads, was something to remember."

The show also featured Saoirse Ronan, fresh from her performance in upcoming period drama Brooklyn and IRFU coach Joe Schmidt on the couch, but it seems more people were interested in 'oul Daniel O'Donnell and Nathan Carter than anything else.

We thought everyone was tuning in to see Tubbers in jeans 'n' shieuxs. It's why we did, in fairness.