Irish America

Comedy

Des Bishop Is Seriously Funny

By Adam Farley, Deputy Editor
June / July 2015

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He grew up in Queens, went to high school in Ireland, spent a year in the Gaeltacht, two years in China, and just bought an apartment back in New York. And here is an incomplete list of things he has done stand-up sets or made RTÉ documentaries about: living on minimum wage, alcoholism, his father’s lung cancer, low-income housing, the state of the Irish language, the … [Read more...] about Des Bishop Is Seriously Funny

Hunger: Tragedy, Comedy, Both?

By Matthew Skwiat, Contributing Editor
February / March 2015

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The British broadcaster Channel 4 plans to create a sitcom based on a script by Irish writer Hugh Travers. "Hunger" centers on the Irish Famine and has become a lightening rod of controversy. While the proposed production is still in its infancy and no one has yet to see a finished product, many prominent historians, politicians, and social media talking heads have attacked the … [Read more...] about Hunger: Tragedy, Comedy, Both?

The Laughter and the Drink

By Sheila Langan, Deputy Editor
August / September 2013

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The Irish are known for ‘the craic and the drink.’ Many well-known comedians have given up on one. People of Irish descent face a host of notions and expectations of how they should be – some based in reality, others plucked from the air and given weight over time. Chancers, charmers, affable but discerning, fiery but kind, quick-witted storytellers, and good drinkers. It’s … [Read more...] about The Laughter and the Drink

Brendan Gleeson: The Good, the Bad and the Funny

By Sheila Langan, Deputy Editor
August / September 2011

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The dynamic Irish actor talks about his latest role in The Guard, working with the brothers McDonagh and his upcoming directorial debut with Flann O’Brien’s At Swim Two Birds. It’s a Thursday morning in late June, and I am sitting at a table in the empty ballroom of the opulent Beverly Wilshire hotel, waiting for Brendan Gleeson. The press conference scheduled prior to our … [Read more...] about Brendan Gleeson: The Good, the Bad and the Funny

The Real Bill Maher

By Kelly Carlin-McCall
October / November 2008

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Bill Maher gets real with Kelly Carlin-McCall about life, work and religion. Smart, funny, bold, proverbial line-crosser – all of these words could be used to describe Bill Maher.  They also could have been used to describe my father, the late George Carlin. Earlier this year, I got the chance to meet Bill Maher.  Unfortunately it was under circumstances I could have done … [Read more...] about The Real Bill Maher