Late Late Show viewers donated an incredible €2.6million to the Irish Cancer Society in a matter of hours last night.

An emotional Daffodil Day special celebrated the crucial work of the Irish Cancer Society at a time when all fundraising efforts are curtailed.

Guests included Shane Filan, Jedward and Cavan footballer Oisin Kiernan, telling stories of love and loss. Pop twins Jedward shaved off their famous quiffs live on air in honour of their mum Susanna, who died from cancer in 2019.

The money raised this Daffodil Day will go towards vital services for cancer patients and crucial research, the Irish Cancer Society has said.

Here is how funds were spent in Donegal last year:

Speaking this morning, the Society’s CEO Averil Power said: “We want to express our sincere heartfelt gratitude to all the generous donors who gave such phenomenal support last night, and to Ryan and the whole Late Late show team for putting on a brilliant show. We also want to pay tribute to the amazing guests, including our incredible patients, family members and volunteers and Hilary our Night Nurse. The stories told by Oisin and Shane will resonate with families all across Ireland, and to Jedward who stole the show last night and brought such fun to the occasion.

“The public have shown true solidarity this Daffodil Day with the many people impacted by cancer. We intend to repay that faith with every cent raised going towards the running and expansion of our services like our Freephone 1800 200 700 Support Line staffed by experienced cancer nurses, our Night Nurses and our Volunteer Driver Service. We will also put these funds towards expanding our counselling supports to help cope with the huge levels of stress being experienced by cancer patients and their loved ones at the moment, as well as programmes to get life-changing cancer research back on track after the disruption of the pandemic.”