Irish shows at
Just For Laughs

JFL presents some of the best of Irish comedians

By Byron Toben

The world wide Irish Diaspora numbers over 80 million persons who claim Irish as their primary ethnicity. This dwarfs the population of 4,8 million back in the “Auld Sod”. It also guarantees a core audience for travelling Irish shows.

The 2018 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival is no exception. Here is a non-exhaustive list of a half dozen such presentations:

Jimmy Carr, a frequent visitor here, tops the list. On his Best Of, Ultimate Gold, Greatest Hits Tour, he appears at the Gesu for 5 shows all at 9:30 pm, from July 24 to 28.

Dylan Moran, whom French fans have dubbed “the greatest comedian in the world” appears in Crumbling Mustard at the Maison Theatre twice, July 26 and 28, both at 7 pm.

Katherine Ryan

Catherine Ryan, popular in the USA, hosts other comics in a special at L’Astral two nights July 25 and 27, with a double bill at 7 and 10 pm each night.

Colin Quinn expounds on One In Every Crowd at La Chapelle on four nights July 23 to 26 at 7 pm.

The young Mike O’Brien is nevertheless a veteran, as he explains in I’ve Been Doing Stand-Up My Whole Life at the intimate Montreal Improv Theatre twice on July 26 and 28, both at 10:30 pm.

Neal Brennan

Neal Brennan gets a much larger venue, at the Place des Arts Salle Claude Lavalee for his Here We Go Tour for four nights on July 24 to 27, each at 10 pm,

The Irish Diaspora came out in numbers for the female boxer M’Cushla in Clint Eastwoods award winning film Million Dollar Baby. Will the same prove true for these and others I may have missed? Let us know. We love your feedback.

Visit hahaha.com for further info and tickets.

Feature image: courtesy Jimmy Carr
Other images: courtesy Just For Laughs

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Byron Toben is the immediate past-president of the Montreal Press Club.