Straight Outta Cork

Greystones bound…

rowing up in the wilds of Cork, Chris Kent never for a moment thought that he could join his comedy heroes in this business we call show.

Watching the likes of D’Unbelievables and Ardal O’Hanlon have his family in stitches, the young Chris was too busy laughing to think about how to become the one telling the jokes.

But that all changed when some of his friends popped up on Des Bishop’s RTÉ show Joy In The Hood. Cracking jokes through that Fourth Wall.

Coming back to The Whale on Friday, December 1st and Saturday 2nd, the much-loved stand-up explains just how he found his feet…

I got into comedy back in 2005 after Des Bishop did a show on RTE called Joy In The Hood, a show where Des went around Ireland doing comedy workshops in disadvantaged areas getting people into standup. They started doing gigs on the comedy circuit and I was unaware this world existed.

I didn’t do the show myself but I knew people who took part and I went to watch them perform. It never occurred to me how stand ups started out and it was thrilling watching friends and strangers try make people laugh in a small room above a pub. I eventually got up and gave it a go myself and I got the bug for it straight away. It started as a hobby that I secretly dreamed would become my full-time job.

Four years later in 2009, after relentlessly working the comedy circuit after work and every weekend, the economy crashed and I lost my job as an electrician. As a result, this left stand-up as my next best option, so dreams really do come true!

I love watching stand up but I’d say my family and their humor inspire my comedy. I’d say I’m a mix of both my parents. My dad is hilarious but has no idea really, and often isn’t even trying to make anyone laugh. My Mam is extremely witty and very quick off the mark and makes me laugh a lot.

My inspirations and heroes are…

The D’Unbelievables
D’Unbelievables were one of the first acts that I remember laughing at with my family. It is an amazing experience bonding in that way; all sat around the TV at Christmas laughing and enjoying each other’s laugher. Everyone got it.

We were only kids but laughed as much as our parents; even our cousins from England understood the humor, which might seem very Irish but it just shows that funny is funny.

I have so many favorite sketches from them; the audience interaction is really amazing. If I had to pick it’d be Pat Shortt playing the teacher “Lift out your boot… lift it, lift out, your boot… IS THERE SOMEONE AFTER DRAGGING SHIT IN AROUND THE PLACE?”

Father Ted
Father Ted was another show we all watched as a family, recording them to watch over and over again. I think it has something for everyone. As a kid Father Jack was my favorite but it changed to Ted later on. The cameo characters were always great too.
“These cows are small but the ones out there are far away”…

Richard Pryor: Live In Concert
I was late enough getting into stand up really, I hadn’t watched a lot before I gave it a go myself. A friend I worked with gave me Tommy Tiernan Live and Richard Pryor Live In Concert, a pretty good starter kit for anyone wanting to watch stand up. I loved both shows and still do. Tommy’s bit about a fire alarm going off in a pub in Ireland was so good and Richard Pryor shooting the tires on his car when his wife tried to leave him would be bits I vividly remember to this day.

This interview first appeared on February 10th 2022. Chris Kent brings his latest show, Back At It, to The Whale on December 1st and 2nd 2023 – tickets here.