*Tommy Hilfiger visiting the home of Eddie Lenihan.
FASHION designer Tommy Hilfiger was inspired to visit the home of Eddie Lenihan due to the Clare author’s most prominent publication.
The Crusheen resident received a curious phonecall last Sunday from Hilfiger’s driver, requesting if he would accept a home visit in the from one of the world’s most famous fashion designers.
Mr Hilfiger had been staying at Newmarket-on-Fergus’ world-famous Dromoland Castle and as he set off on the next leg of his journey to Ashford Castle, the New Yorker made it his business to call to the Lenihan household.
“You’re inclined to associate [famous people] with, ‘well they must be rich and sometimes riches turns people into bollocks’, idiots,” scoffed Eddie as he recounted Mr Hilfiger’s visit to Crusheen. Softening up, Ireland’s greatest story-teller continued, “But other times it doesn’t, which is nice. As far as I could see, he’s a very nice person, just ordinary.”
Eddie invited Mr Hilfiger and his daughter, Elizabeth into his home for tea and biscuits and reveals that the multi-millionaire’s daughter brought an edition of his book, Meeting The Other Crowd, a worldwide hit which has been translated into numerous languages including Chinese, Japanese and Italian.
“His daughter Elizabeth had got her hands on the book. She brought it, she wanted it signed. I suppose she persuaded him to stop off,” Eddie told The Clare Echo.
“I knew him only by name as a clothes man and maybe the young ones like him and the kind of clothes he advertises, and fine. I don’t buy those kinds of clothes, all of mine are rags. My shirts are all worn out, look,” said Eddie, showing off a tear in his jeans.
When it was suggested that Tommy should have brought him a new pair of jeans, Eddie revealed that Hilfiger (73) has promised to send a selection of his brand’s clothes to Lenihan for his grandchildren, who were present during the visit as they were at their grandparents’ house for Sunday dinner.
Eddie, who is currently working on a book titled Military Memories, revealed that they chatted mostly about fairies and his book. He described Elizabeth as “an intelligent person” and added that Mr Hilfiger regarded his Crusheen visit “as one of the highlights of his trip”.
“I could see why maybe, because if you have money that you can do anything with, I mean what’s the big deal about going to a 5- or a 10-star hotel, you can buy that. You can buy anything you want and have people bowing down before you because they know you have money. But when you come into an ordinary house, you can’t because people don’t care whether you have money or don’t have money.”
He added, “He was very nice, down to earth man. I suppose he realises that, to be invited into an ordinary house and given biscuits and tea, is different… I don’t care if a fella has 10 million or a billion or he’s poor. The least you can do is offer a cup of tea and that’s what we did, and he thought very highly of it.”
