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In May 1997, aged forty, I did my first ever stand-up gig in front of a thousand people in The Gaiety Theatre. It was the Irish heats of the BBC new comedy awards, and the Beeb had cleverly worked out
I crossed paths, and made friends with, a cocky, but hugely likeable, twenty-one-year-old Des Bishop that night.
And since then, despite always having a day job, stand-up has been an amazing mid-life crisis adventure for me.
After finding huge fame, Des Bishop took pity on me and hauled me up to Vicar St to support him over a dozen times. Richard Cook was kind enough to let me play six Kilkenny Cat Laughs. And in one of them I even got to support the legendary Louis CK, who had at
Don’t worry…
ne of Ireland’s hardest working stand-ups, Tommy Nicholson talks to the Greystones Guide about the funny people that make him laugh. 
And who made him grab a mic and get up there on the stage. You can catch Tommy in action on Thursday, November 12th 9pm, at the Harbour Bar’s free monthly stand-up night, 
how to pull in an audience of that size to watch comedy rookies. By making Barry Murphy and Dylan Moran co-host the event.
that time, an Emmy Award for writing and performing on Letterman. While I had a FAS certificate. For a two day boiler management course in Finglas. Gods truth that! Didn’t like to produce my cert, in case Louis was crushed. “What has my looser career amounted to? Standing here with my poxy Emmy!?”