The early days of Dublin stand-up (c. 1979 - c. 1988)

1968

This article might be of interest to some.

Today, stand-up comedy is a multi-million Euro business. Comics like Dara O’Briain and Tommy Tiernan regularly do stints of ten or more nights in Vicar Street, Michael McIntyre can sell out The 02 twice over, dozens of comedian’s release DVDs for the Christmas market and a whole range of venues like The Laughter Lounge on Edan Quay, The Comedy Cellar at The International, Stand Up at Bankers pub and The Ha’Penny Bridge Inn offer people seven nights a week of comedy.


This wasn’t always the case.


From the late 1970s to the late 1980s comics struggled to establish comedy nights in the upstairs of pubs, backrooms of hotels and theatres in the city. The history of stand-up comedy in Ireland is quite an overlooked subject (we do use that phrase a lot on this blog) and besides Deirde Falvey and Stephon Dixe’s fantastic Gift of the Gag: The Explosion in Irish Comedy (1999) nothing has really been written on the topic.


Particularly interesting and forgotten is the development of Irish stand-up from the birth of ‘alternative comedy’ in the late 1970s to the establishment of the The Comedy Cellar in The International Bar on Wicklow Street in 1988. The groundwork that a small number of people did in these early years helped to nurture and progress the scene to what it is now today.


It has been said that Dublin’s first ever stand-up comedy club was set up in Harcourt Street in the mid 1970s by a Scottish performance artist called Oscar McLelland. I’ve been unable to find out any more information on this individual, so if anyone can help – please get in touch.


The 1970s were, in many ways, dark times for comedy in this country. The first so-called ‘Festival of Humour’ took place in May 1978 in Virgina, Co. Cavan. Things can be summed up by the fact that the chairman of the festival committee was the local priest Fr. Pat Morris.

Continues: http://comeheretome.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/the-early-days-of-dublin-stand-up/

Galvasean

"From the late 1970s to the late 1980s comics struggled to establish comedy nights in the upstairs of pubs, backrooms of hotels and theatres in the city. "

Some things never change