The mother of Dolores O’Riordan made a special appearance on the The Late Late Show tonight (Friday).

Ahead of what would have been the late Cranberries singer’s 50th birthday on Monday September 6th, her mother Eileen O'Riordan and Cranberries drummer Fergal Lawler chatted to  Ryan Tubridy about the day Dolores arrived in the world – "she was a beautiful baby," Eileen said – her remarkable honesty and her extraordinary talent from a young age as a singer.

Fergal Lawler from The Cranberries spoke with refreshing candour about how difficult it is for him, hearing music by The Cranberries on the radio – laced it is with both pleasure and a deep sadness.

That must have been especially so tonight, as the Irish Chamber Orchestra were joined on the show for a special musical tribute, with vocals by Emma Langford and Kellie Lewis, performing a medley that included 'Dreams', 'Linger' and 'Zombie'.

To celebrate what would have been Dolores 50th birthday, her Cranberries bandmates Fergal Lawler and Mike and Noel Hogan will be gathering in Limerick on Monday September 6th for a special livestream event, which will start at 7pm. An interview will be conducted during the live stream by Stuart Clark of Hot Press – who is also the curator of Why Can't We? – the upcoming book that tells the story of The Cranberries.

Eileen is also set to join Miriam O’Callaghan at 10am on her RTÉ Radio 1 Sunday show this weekend.

Also up for discussion was the forthcoming book WHY CAN’T WE? The Story Of The Cranberries And The Band’s Iconic Frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan As Told Through The Pages Of Hot Press.

Currently available for pre-sale, it is fully supported by the Cranberries and the estate of Dolores O’Riordan and includes new contributions from Michael Stipe, Simon Le Bon, Stephen Street, award-winning author Kevin Barry, Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee, ‘Linger’ video director Melodie McDaniel, Zucchero and Dolores’ boyfriend and collaborator in the band D.A.R.K., Olé Koretsky.