Top Ten Heroes of Irish Comedy
Had planned to get this up before Paddy’s Day but Guinness got in the Way! The celebration of ‘Orishness’ often overlooks Ireland’s more alternative comedy voices. Although we have a great tradition comedy on the page from Jonathan Swift to Lawrence Sterne to Flann O’Brien, getting decent Irish comedy in other media has always been a struggle as the likes of Leave it to Mrs. O’Brien will attest. So I’ve compiled a wee list of my top ten heroes of Irish Comedy, in no particular order:
1. Podge and Rodge. One of the best Irish comedy shows of recent years is Podge and Rodge: A Scare at Bedtime. It is the demented brainchild of They have a current show on RTE but I haven't got to see it yet.
2. Scrap Saturday. Dermot Morgan's biggest breakthrough before Father Ted, great political satire like a radio version of Spitting Image.
3. Flann O’Brien 'nuff siad, apparently sales have been going up beacuse of Lost, who'd a thunk it!.
4. Clamnuts this picture never fails to make me laugh.
5. Sean’s Show Criminally unrepeated and almost forgotten Channel four TV show from Sean Hughes no sign of it on DVD either.
6. Hall’s Pictorial Weekly
7. Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews. Best known for Father Ted, they deserve an entry on their own. They have contriubted to Big Train, Brass Eye, Jam, Black Books and many more. I loved Linehan's 'Filmgoers Companian' in much-missed film mag Neon--couldn't find any scans but here's a nice bit in The Idler. Especially the one about the ill-fated passengers of the 'Iceberg Desdemona' which was tragically sunk by the Titantic. Read Linehan's Livejounral here.
8. Ding Dong Denny O Reilly. One of the alter egos of Paul Woodfull aka Paul Wonderful, a sort of spoof versions of patriotic outfits like The Wolfe Tones. He does great songs like 'The Craic we Had they we died for Ireland' and 'The Potatoes Aren't Lookin' the Best'.
9. Toasted Heretic.
10. Frank Kelly’s Christmas Countdown. The folks had this on vinyl with tracks by the great The Ayatollah Ceili Band
Any other suggestions?
3 comments:
Did you happen to catch Podge & Rodge on the Late Late with Pat Kenny. Very funny, though they went a bit easy on the biscuit himself.
Wonder how many complaints, if any, RTE recieved.
Ah fair play nigga! yeah, Sean's Show was deadly. New Podge and Rodge is swell too, weird format with an audience but it's good. You know the artist who done all the cartoons for Hall's Pictorial Weekly, well I've bagged him for issue 3 of the Shiznit.
I can't believe you missed out Willie O'Dea!
http://joseph-mcmanus.blogspot.com/2005/11/minister-of-defence-proves.html
Post a Comment