It's an unlikely friendship, but it would seem a robust one. Morrissey has long been vocal in his admiration of Damien Dempsey, and now the Dubliner has returned the favour by writing a poem for his Mancunian mate.
The pair have been known to socialise together when Moz is in Dublin, and Dempsey has previously played support to Morrissey on tour.
Posted on fan website true-to-you.net - which the former Smiths singer uses as his official mouthpiece - 'Ordinary Poem by an Ordinary Man for the Poet Morrissey' sees Dempsey describe the singer as "one of the greatest poets of any century."
You can read the full text for yourself:
ORDINARY POEM BY AN ORDINARY MAN FOR THE POET MORRISSEY
Morrissey,one of the greatest poets of any century
i sometimes reckon i'd rather a frontal lobe lobotomy
than be cursed with a brain of such searing primed lyrical monumental pain
for i have sorely realized that to overtly analyze and incessantly scrutinize
entices demons to set up camp in the cranium
yet steven pat ventures into these very camps
looks these terrors up and down with a magnificent frown
and bursts into sublime siren song
seduces them by the flickering firelight
then lies in their araby tents with them all night long
dreaming of an even more malevolent camp to come
then at dawn sneaks away before they ready the cage
back to the studio,then stage
and with lust loathing and rage
sings their praise as they weep for his absence
through this maze of apathy this sage soldiers on gallantly through the storm
gracefully,forcefully,valiantly,i think he's rubbing off on me
this damned elusive Morrissey
Damien Dempsey 2014
Morrissey plays 3Arena on December 1st.