Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

Unfunny Irish comedians <<MOD note in OP>>

  • 24-11-2016 3:34pm
    #1
    Stonedpilot
    Registered Users Posts: 1,253 ✭✭✭


    Please note that this thread is about comedians you do not find funny, any discussion of other storied regarding comedians is not allowed




    What is it with people who are desperately UNFUNNY making lucrative careers in comedy in Ireland?. As far as I'm concerned the list here is endless from comedians who incessantly laugh at their own rambling barely coherent unfunny stories (Tommy Tiernan) to those that have humour for 2 year olds (Jason Byrne) to those that see themselves as edgy and sharp whilst simultaneously sucking on the teets of crap RTE shows (think anyone who's ever been on Republic of Telly) or worse the god awful Des Bishop. Incessantly speaking condescendingly about Irish people only for them to lap it up and think he's profound and funny for speaking about Ireland with contempt as if we were backwater primitive slobs.

    It seems crap Irish comedians are 10 a penny now. All being 'edgy' sometimes getting up on their pedestal and preaching after being funny perhaps once (think Rubberbandits). It seems comedians are abundant but bereft of talent here. I suppose what I'm getting at is it has been so dumbed down comedy, these chancers know they don't need wit, or timing, or impeccable delivery or even to be funny. Just to get on some RTE show is good enough and then read out rubbish topical jokes they wrote several days in advance whilst simultaneously letting on it's on the spot.

    Before anyone says I don't have a sense of humour I love comedy. Comedians I like well George Carlin is one of the greats, nowadays, Steve Hughes is amazing, Rich Hall is great, Greg Morton always cracks me up, Stewart Lee's dry humour is impeccably timed and Romesh Ranganathan is worth a mention.

    Can I think of a single Irish comedian now who can lace their boots?. Nope, won't stop them getting a crap intelligence insulting comedy (Bridget and Eamon/Damo and Ivor etc) or guest spot on some awful panel show with scripted jokes and toilet humour.

    Christ we gave the World Oscar Wilde for God's sake!.

    Unfunniest Irish Comedian Ever?. 1608 votes

    Jason Byrne
    32% 520 votes
    Alison Spittle
    17% 284 votes
    Maeve Higgins
    20% 333 votes
    Des Bishop
    8% 129 votes
    Pat Shortt
    3% 58 votes
    Andrew Maxwell
    2% 38 votes
    Ed Byrne
    4% 71 votes
    Dara O Briain
    5% 82 votes
    PJ Gallagher
    2% 37 votes
    Other
    3% 56 votes


«134567…103

Comments

  • #2
    osarusan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,545 ✭✭✭✭osarusan


    Andrew Maxwell is the unfunniest person ever.


  • #3
    suicide_circus
    Registered Users Posts: 19,802 ✭✭✭✭suicide_circus


    That young fella whose whole shtick is that he's gay and now that he's depressed. Not a single glimmer of originality.


  • #4
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Tommy Tiernan used to be funny until he started trying to imitate the likes of Jimmy Carr & Frankie Boyle.


  • #5
    harry Bailey esq
    Registered Users Posts: 4,814 ✭✭✭harry Bailey esq


    suicide_circus wrote: »
    That young fella whose whole shtick is that he's gay and now that he's depressed. Not a single glimmer of originality.

    Al Porter.Nothing funny about him whatsoever.Cringeworthy


  • #6
    El Weirdo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,646 ✭✭✭✭El Weirdo


    Maeve Higgins.

    /thread


  • Advertisement
  • #7
    Liam28
    Registered Users Posts: 118 ✭✭Liam28


    Al Porter anyone? Best I can say about him is that he is not as bad as Oliver Callan. And the original and worst unfunny comedian, Brendan O'Carroll. Say 'feck' enough times and some people will laugh. Still he has made his fortune in the UK.
    Agree about Tommy Tiernan and Des Bishop who have not been funny in 10 years. And Jason Byrne never was and never will be funny.
    There are some good Irish comedians. Dara OBriain is funny and witty. Mario Rosenstock is talented and funny some of the time. Eh, I'm sure there are more.
    Here's a classic sketch from the late, great Dave Allen.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upEBdKFGlPg


  • #8
    nelly17
    Registered Users Posts: 1,210 ✭✭✭nelly17


    The rubber bandits are funny - as are The Hardy Bucks. IMO but would tend to agree most of those you mentioned


  • #9
    MeatTwoVeg
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 861 ✭✭✭MeatTwoVeg


    Tommy Tiernan.
    Mostly because he obviously had talent when he first came out but then decided to waste it by tailoring his act for pissed up morons, - real lowest common denominator stuff.


  • #10
    goose2005
    Registered Users Posts: 4,798 ✭✭✭goose2005


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Tommy Tiernan used to be funny until he started trying to imitate the likes of Jimmy Carr & Frankie Boyle.

    Tommy Tiernan used to be funny until i hit puberty


  • #11
    theteal
    Registered Users Posts: 7,593 ✭✭✭theteal


    Irish people have paid money to attend Pat Shortt gigs. . . .



    I don't know where else to go after that


  • Advertisement
  • #12
    Cortina_MK_IV
    Registered Users Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭Cortina_MK_IV


    Ehhhhhhhhhhhh... Dara Ó Briain.


  • #13
    Stonedpilot
    Registered Users Posts: 1,253 ✭✭✭Stonedpilot


    osarusan wrote: »
    Andrew Maxwell is the unfunniest person ever.

    +1.

    My point there, these guys get good salaries, TV shows, slots on God awful panel shows, DVD specials etc etc etc and yet have little to no comedic ability whatsoever. I mean in any other job to excel you have to at least be competent. Not so with comedians in Ireland. I sometimes get the impression that RTE and the like are TRYING to give comedians who aren't funny platforms. Christ I see a new show for Des Bishop advertised for RTE. Cue more self righteous ego masturbation on how profound his observations are pointing out how defunct Irish society is all while simultaneously trying in vain to be funny.

    Ugh round and round we go, but certainly they seem to be getting worse and worse, like to the point where anything they say is not even remotely funny.


  • #14
    The Moldy Gowl
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,889 ✭✭✭✭The Moldy Gowl


    I went to the rubberbandits last month in dublin and the lad who does the impressions from police academy was meant to open for them.

    Imagine my dismay when Fred cook had to open for them.
    The cringe was too much. He really beats the was secondary school gas lads. Remember when so and so happened.
    And the usual sthick about how original Irish mothers are.

    Painful wasn't the word. The worst hour of my life.


  • #15
    Outlaw Pete
    Registered Users Posts: 10,423 ✭✭✭✭Outlaw Pete


    I have never laughed at anything Dara O'Briain has said. His smug (usually sarcastic) delivery, as he smacks his lips, laughs and says 'And eh..' drives me nuts.

    How he so popular I'll never know.


  • #16
    topper75
    Registered Users Posts: 5,942 ✭✭✭topper75


    Stonedpilot wrote: »
    ... Steve Hughes is amazing, Rich Hall is great, Greg Morton always cracks me up, Stewart Lee's dry humour is impeccably timed and Romesh Ranganathan is worth a mention.

    Steve Hughes is funny yes. But I saw one show in Galway where practically the entire second half was a sarcastic U.S/Israel/Pal rant. I was just seconds short of instructing him out loud to get back to the jokes we paid to hear.

    Stewart Lee sees himself as some kind of liberal left messiah. I never laughed once at his material.

    So those Rubber Bandits, bad as they are, aren't exactly the only guilty ones on that front.

    Your general point is solid though. Foot in the door and who cares after that.


  • #17
    Red Kev
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,795 ✭✭✭Red Kev


    Most of them seem to be well in with RTE so they're on a never ending carousel of Late Late Show, Ray D'Arcy, RTE Radio 1, 2 FM etc etc etc etc. You need a good manager who has his own parking spot in Montrose, then you can be as crap as you want; the taxpayer will give you a few bob every couple of months and promote the bejayzus out of whatever you're doing.

    Having a presenter who's a good buddy helps; Joe Duffy and his mates in the Funny Friday schtick is a perfectly good example. Utter drivel and pure nepotism funded by the taxpayer with the threat of a prison sentence hanging over you if you don't comply.


  • #18
    Stonedpilot
    Registered Users Posts: 1,253 ✭✭✭Stonedpilot


    El Weirdo wrote: »
    Maeve Higgins.

    /thread


    +1.

    Seen a show of hers at a upstairs comedy night in Dublin where she and Eleanor Tiernan just spewed crap unfunny bile against men. The misandry continued when no one laughed and both died on their arses, then Maeve tried to tell people like a teacher speaking to a young child to sit down 'SIT! SIT DOWN! SIT DOWN! whom stood up either to challenge her and or walk out. Desperate desperate stuff altogether.


  • #19
    gramar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,045 ✭✭✭✭gramar


    Dara O'Briain and Karl Spain. Two heavyweights but not comic heavyweights.


  • #20
    clintondaly
    Registered Users Posts: 1,813 ✭✭✭clintondaly


    Porter,Rosenstock and Callan, I'd rather listen to a screeching cat

    It must be at least a week since one of them was wheeled out to fill some RTE air time.


  • #21
    uch
    Registered Users Posts: 7,008 ✭✭✭uch


    All them

    21/25



  • Advertisement
  • #22
    LithiumKid1976
    Registered Users Posts: 432 ✭✭LithiumKid1976


    i personally cannot stand

    PJ gallagher,
    Jason Byrne
    karl Spain

    terrible in my opinion, but then again all comedy is subjective, so to each their own :)


  • #23
    PoorAuldDivil
    Registered Users Posts: 43 ✭PoorAuldDivil


    I find Tommy Tiernan to be very funny in conversation, his radio/television interviews tend to be quite entertaining. Not the best at stand-up however.


  • #24
    murpho999
    Registered Users Posts: 28,388 ✭✭✭✭murpho999


    This thread is just going to lead to every known Irish comedian and how unfunny they are despite having successful careers as comedians.


    Why can't people accept that different people have different tastes?


  • #25
    Badly Drunk Boy
    Registered Users Posts: 6,441 ✭✭✭Badly Drunk Boy


    Stonedpilot wrote: »

    Before anyone says I don't have a sense of humour I love comedy. Comedians I like well George Carlin is one of the greats, nowadays, Steve Hughes is amazing, Rich Hall is great, Greg Morton always cracks me up, Stewart Lee's dry humour is impeccably timed and Romesh Ranganathan is worth a mention.

    I'm not mad about Irish comedians but your list there isn't very impressive. But people have different tastes. I like Romesh, but mainly for his anger at mundane things. Rich Hall is okay but his accent really gets to me.

    Aisling Bea isn't too bad. For a girl. Who's Irish. In small doses, she's grand.

    As PoorAuldDivil said, Tommy Tiernan and a few others are better in conversation/interviews than as stand-ups.


  • #26
    MEGA BRO WOLF 5000
    Registered Users Posts: 17,382 ✭✭✭✭MEGA BRO WOLF 5000


    Tommy teirnan has to be the worst offender here...simply because of how much hes loved compared to how desperately unfunny he actually is.


  • #27
    buck65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,969 ✭✭✭buck65


    I saw a guy called Michael Mee once in Cork, he was very funny, he was asking the crowd questions I said something accidentally funny we clicked and I became the accidental heckler, he actually thanked me afterwards.

    I was half cut and have tried desperately to get to being funny again but I either drink too much and talk ****e or not enough and am my usual surly reclusive self.


  • #28
    MeatTwoVeg
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 861 ✭✭✭MeatTwoVeg


    murpho999 wrote:
    Why can't people accept that different people have different tastes?


    Because I find the very concept distasteful.


  • #29
    Mr. CooL ICE
    Registered Users Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭Mr. CooL ICE


    Bernard O'Shea. First time I saw him, he was MCing for rag week in college and emptied the place. His bits on Republic of Telly were by far the worst part of that program. How he is still relevant is beyond me.


  • #30
    DEFTLEFTHAND
    Registered Users Posts: 16,500 ✭✭✭✭DEFTLEFTHAND


    Nicolas Cage wrote: »
    Bernard O'Shea. First time I saw him, he was MCing for rag week in college and emptied the place. His bits on Republic of Telly were by far the worst part of that program. How he is still relevant is beyond me.


    He's on radio I suppose. It's a good platform to promote a comedy career.

    Look what it did for the likes of Rosenstock.


  • Advertisement
  • #31
    pragmatic1
    Registered Users Posts: 5,573 ✭✭✭pragmatic1


    Apart from Andrew Maxwell, Dave McSavage, Dylan Moran, and at a stretch David O'Doherty, all of them.

    Actually remember seeing an Ed Byrne special that was ****in hilarious years ago. Also to be fair Jason Byrne can also be funny as ****.


Advertisement