28/09/2026
"Mother of Jesus, what have I done to you." - The last words spoken by Rock Star Phil Lynott to his Mother Philomena, before he died on January 4th 1986. She had just discovered the extent of her son's drug abuse.
On this week's edition of 'Stories from Cork and Beyond', on CUH fm Hospital Radio, John Greene looks back on an interview recorded with Philomena Lynott who died on June 12th 2019.
At the age of 17, she left for England and took up work as a nurse in Manchester. Being unmarried and the mother of a mixed race son, she lost her job as a nurse and ended up in a Workhouse and Home, where she fought an almost daily battle against Racial Bigotry and physical and mental abuse. She refused to have her baby taken from her for adoption.
How many of those who referred to her baby as an 'Illegitimate Bastard' could have imagined that this baby would later become one of the world's biggest Rock Stars.
Although very proud of her son, she would always tell his fans to admire his talent but not his lifestyle.
We also meet Phil Lynott's biggest fan, the title bestowed on Corkman Trevor Thompson by Philomena.
The songs of Thin Lizzy and the story of the band's frontman Phil Lynott, as told by his Mother Philomena, in conversation with John Greene, on Stories from Cork and Beyond, this Sunday between 3 and 6pm on CUH fm Hospital Radio
