Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 2:33 pm Post subject: Ardal O'Hanlon
Funnyman Ardal still getting bantered about Father Dougal
29 April 2010
belfasttelegraph.co.uk
He’ll be the first comedian to tread the boards at this year’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, but Ardal O’Hanlon’s been here before, and he’s relishing the opportunity to get back in front of a Belfast audience, says Jamie McDowell
Ardal O’Hanlon says he always looks forward to coming to Belfast. “It reminds me of Dublin and Glasgow — there's the same sort of crowd. In Belfast you're kept on your toes, and that's what you want, really. The last thing you want as a stand-up comedian is to be playing to a sleepy commuter audience.”
The actor (44), originally from Carrickmacross, Monaghan, is talking about his gig in the city this Monday. He’s still best known for his role as Father Dougal McGuire in hit TV comedy Fr Ted, about the misadventures of three priests on an Irish island.
He has also had success as an author. His critically acclaimed book, The Talk of the Town, was included in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. He’s chuffed about it: “I was pleased that somebody found the book worthy of inclusion in the list. It wasn't down to a public vote or anything so it means nothing in that respect. Some people think that comedians like me have no business writing novels so it was really good to get mentioned in it.”
Ardal added: “It was an experience for me because, as a comedian, you can change the subject very quickly. When you're on stage you'll go through 100 different topics in one night that can all be very loosely linked. When writing the novel, I had to deal with isolation, discipline and dedication. I get side-tracked very easily and have a very short attention span.”
His family circumstances have changed the way he works: “When I was younger and living in London I would have done two to three gigs a night and was working seven nights a week. But now I have three kids, Emily (12), Rebecca (10) and Redmond (7), so I limit myself to the odd tour or festival abroad. If I'm performing in Australia for example, I can bring my family with me and make a holiday out of it. It's a lot harder these days trying to maintain a work/life balance.”
He added: “As I get older I'm becoming more of a grumpy old man. But why else would you do it? In stand-up you want to communicate your frustrations with life to the crowd, albeit the very silly bits on the fringes, but it's all about expressing yourself and the state of the nation which provides me with plenty of fodder.”
He’s performed all over the world, and found himself playing to crowds in some quite surreal surroundings. He recently embarked on a tour of China. “China is full of ex-pats who've been starved of this sort of entertainment for a long time. There are plenty of people from Canada, America, the UK and Ireland living or working there at the moment. There's an agent living in China who brings over acts from England for them. In some cases the venues aren't perfect. I've found myself doing shows in hotel lobbies or restaurants.”
Stand-up is the one medium that has remained constant throughout his career. Since his most memorable role in Father Ted, Ardal has starred in shows such as the BBC’s My Hero and Val Falvey on RTE.
Regarding Father Ted, he said: “It was the first big thing that I ever did and it was a great break for me. I've got great memories of the show and the location where we filmed it. We all got on very because we were all Irish people working in London and that made us all a bit giddy.” Dermot Morgan, who played Father Ted Crilly, died suddenly in 1998. “It was obviously very shocking at the time because it happened so suddenly. It closed that chapter in our lives.”
Ardal still gets people asking him about the role: “If I'm doing stand-up, someone will give me a bit of banter about Dougal. I don't get it as much now though as I did about 10 years ago. It’s nice when you see younger kids getting interested in the show and just knowing that it's still popular today.”
What can punters expect on Monday? “I like to think my shows are a bit irregular and cutting edge. I'll talk about issues that affect us now like the recession and just a general catalogue of woe but also about our ability to deal with it and stay positive.”
Ardal O’Hanlon, Festival Marquee, Monday, 8pm. See www.cqaf.com or telephone: 028 9023 2403
COMEDIAN Ardal O'Hanlon has revealed that there were actors lining up to become Father Ted in the aftermath of Dermot Morgan's sudden death. In a revealing interview, he also spoke of his frustration at being typecast as the gormless priest, Father Dougal -- which he partly based on the character traits of a cocker spaniel.
"In the days and weeks that followed Dermot's death, casting agents and agents were ringing up the production company offering the services of various actors, some esteemed, some not so-esteemed," he said. "We just wouldn't have done it. There were other suggestions there would be spin-offs without Father Ted, which wouldn't work either. With the best will in the world Mrs Doyle, Fr Jack and Fr Dougal were foils for Father Ted. Father Ted was the only three-dimensional character. It was a superb creation."
In a BBC radio interview yesterday, he said the writers, Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, had already decided they would write no further episodes of the iconic series. "They wanted to keep the quality high and they were adamant they weren't going to make any more anyway if Dermot hadn't died," he said.
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I've seen this story repeated on more than a few sites, but none have the actual audio... lazy buggers!
Comic with a cause
SHANNON HARVEY
The West Australian
March 30, 2011
Given the careers of his famous father and grandfather, Irish funnyman Ardal O'Hanlon feels a "wee bit inadequate" in comparison. "My father gave his life to public service as a hard-working, selfless politician," O'Hanlon says from London, where he now lives. "And my grandfather was in the IRA during the War of Independence. He was part of Michael Collins' infamous hit squads that assassinated British secret service agents during Bloody Sunday. He ended up in the Irish Civil War as well. He was sentenced to death. He escaped from jail. He had a fantastic life."
O'Hanlon, originally from County Monaghan, only discovered his secret family history while taking part in the Irish version of Who Do You Think You Are? The revelation not only took him by surprise but put his career choice into perspective. "I was a bit overcome with emotion," he admits ahead of his upcoming Australian tour. "I barely knew my grandfather - I was a kid when he died - but I was dimly aware of his role. He was always spoken of with tremendous reverence in our family, and it was very moving to walk in his shadow and sense what he went through. He was an ordinary guy - a kid - at the time but he was prepared to sacrifice his life for an ideal. Sometimes I think all I do is reduce everything to a one-liner, and that makes me feel a bit inadequate by comparison."
While his grandfather's exploits featured in the Liam Neeson film Michael Collins and the U2 song Sunday Bloody Sunday, 45-year-old O'Hanlon has become a celebrated humorist and star of shows such as Father Ted (playing Father Dougal McGuire), My Hero and the Ben Elton-penned sitcom Blessed. Yet telling jokes has made O'Hanlon more famous as a comedian than his father or grandfather ever were as Irish political heroes - an irony that is not lost on him.
"I'm not sure that's something to be proud of," he chuckles. "But while comedy may not be the most important thing in the world, it's a great way of trying to make sense of the world. It can be a force for good and a force for change. It's a fantastic outlet for all my frustrations and gripes with the world. It can be used wisely, and I try to use it in a really positive way."
Married with three kids, O'Hanlon helped kick-start the comedy scene in Ireland when none existed. He established Dublin's Comedy Cellar with fellow wags Barry Murphy and Kevin Gildea, who are still going strong today. "Soon guys like Jason Byrne and Dylan Moran came around. There's far too many Irish comedians now - it's one of our chief exports - some of us should be culled. But it's no shame to be a performer in Ireland. We have tremendous respect for our literary heritage. We have a gallows humour that plays a huge part in Irish life, and everyone has a song or story."
O'Hanlon toured Australia to sellout shows in 2007 and is eager to catch up with mate Ben Elton on his first trip to Perth. "My stand-up is usually based on my life. It's about fears and frustrations and hope, and trying to stay positive in the face of adversity. I think all stand-up shows are based on where you're at in life. My approach is a bit gentler I guess. Someone said I turn innocence to a deadly comic weapon. I like that." His father and grandfather - given their weapons of choice - might like that too.
"While comedy may not be the most important thing in the world, it's a great way of trying to make sense of the world. It can be a force for good and a force for change. It's a fantastic outlet for all my frustrations and gripes with the world."
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