‘The Ryanair James Bond’. ‘The offspring of Shannon and Pete Doherty’. ‘Former Miss Ireland’. David O’Doherty has been called many things in his career (his current look as ‘Jaws-era Steven Spielberg’ is hard to beat, to be honest) but one thing holds absolutely true; the man’s pretty damn sharp.
Known for his madcap – and often musical – stylings, the award-winning Dubliner brings new show, the ambitious-sounding David O’Doherty Will Try to Fix Everything to Whelan’s from December 11 – 15 for a five-night run (six shows in total, there’s a matinee on the 14th). Will he fix everything? Probably not, but dammit, he’ll try. It says it in the name of the show so he’s hardly going to lie, is he?
It’ll be plastic bags at the ready as Limerick City’s finest, The Rubberbandits, descend on the capital for one night only when they headline The Button Factory on December 14. Having graced the cover of the Christmas Hot Press two years back, we’re well-versed in the madness that comes wih Mr Chrome and Blindboy Boat Club celebrating the festive season. In fact, we never did get that tinsel back…
Elsewhere, there’s heavyweight American comedy in town in the form of Whose Line Is It Anyway? stalwart Greg Proops, who takes to The Sugar Club on December 9 withhis The Smartest Man In The World show in tow. Modesty was always his strong suit.
And then there’s Bill Burr. A once criminally underrated comedian who seems to have finally hit the big time, Burr is a straight-talking Bostonian who figures “I love my dog. I hate bankers. I have issues with women. In my head, I’m a great guy.” He’s certainly a great stand-up. As un-PC and blunt as they come these days, you can find him, exasperated, taking down every sacred cow he sees in Vicar Street on December 9.
If you’re not familiar with his work, check out his massively popular Monday Morning Podcast and start getting excited about the show. Just don’t sit in the front row if you’ve had any work done. “What would you rather be?” he’s known to ask. “52 and look 52, or 52 and look like a 28-year-old lizard?”
Meanwhile, Tommy Tiernan’s World Tour of Donegal takes in the Abby Hotel (December 6), the Great Northern Hotel (7), Colgan Hall (13), Ostan Loch Altan (14), Inishowen Gateway Hotel (20) and Mount Errigal Hotel (21) before heading to Mayo’s Royal Theatre and Event Centre the following day.
Not to be outdone, Brendan Grace kicks off a mammoth 38-date nationwide tour in Auburn Lodge, Clare on December 27 that is set to run all the way into March. Full details available at brendangrace.com

BEST OF THE REST
Brendan O’Carroll’s For The Love of Mrs Brown comes to The O2 from Dec 10 – 14
David McSavage plays Kavanagh’s of Portlaoise on December 28