Review by Steve Bennett

For all his home-nation fame and Celtic Tiger wealth, Tommy Tiernan prides himself on remaining an eejit on the fringes of acceptable society. He tells us be brought a swanky car, but looked such a tit in it that he swapped it for a 1981 Ford Capri, that was somehow more ‘him’; an anecdote that firmly establishes his credentials.

He shouts himself hoarse, as usual, with an impassioned delivery in which every syllable is pushed home with the force of a JCB – yet somehow maintaining the nuances of the material in a perfect combination of power and precision that engineers would boast about.

As he talks about his life as a father of five, and in particular of the trials of trying to have sex while there are small children in the house, everything is so delightfully described that you can picture perfectly the scenarios, and snort laughs of recognition and embarrassment at every one. Apparently throwaway phrases have the elegance and memorability of other comedians’ finely honed catchphrases, while the subject matter is disarmingly honest, if largely the sort of topics you should probably avoid in polite company.

It’s an irresistible combination of frankness and fiery delivery. If only we saw it more often on these shores.

Review date: 13 Sep 2009
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Old Royal Naval College