When Sinead O'Connor and Van Morrison sang gorgeous and jovial duet of 'Have I Told You Lately'

27 July 2023, 10:34

Two of the greatest singers from each side of Ireland once teamed up on American television for a stunning performance.

Northern Ireland's legendary artist Van Morrison appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman on 1995 to perform his version of the classic ballad 'Have I Told You Lately'.

During the performance, he was joined on stage by Irish star Sinead O'Connor, and it proved to be a perfect collaboration.

Following Sinead O'Connor's death at the age of 56, David Letterman posted the video on his official YouTube channel in tribute to the singer.

The performance was a rather quirky one, in that towards the end Van Morrison starts making strange "blah blah" noises and grabs Sinead's microphone. However, it all appears to be in jest, as the pair are seen smiling and laughing throughout.

The duet was backed by the traditional Irish folk band The Chieftains.

Watch the performance below:

Sinead O'Connor & Van Morrison Sing "Have I Told You Lately?" | Letterman

Sinead wrote about discovering Van Morrison's music when she was younger in her Rememberings book.

She wrote: "Nigel [a friend] gave me two tapes of Van Morrison songs. I never heard him before. He sounds like one of those Tibetan monks, the kind who use their voices for healing.

"I get hoovered up by him into some university beyond the veil. It isn’t about his words; it’s what he does with the sounds of them. He’s taken me to where I’m supposed to study. I see beautiful stone buildings, golden-buttressed."

Van Morrison wrote and recorded 'Have I Told You Lately' for his 1989 album Avalon Sunset, and the ballad was later a hit for Rod Stewart.

In 1995, Van joined The Chieftains on a recording of the song for their album The Long Black Veil, which won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.