The Mammy State

The difficult second album. The tricky sequel. The impossible follow-up. It’s a load of old cobblers, no? Currently adorning bookshelves near you, Colm O’Regan’s That’s More Of It Now: The Second Book of Irish Mammies guffaws off such anticipated hurdles and delves deep into the strange parallel universe first established with the @irishmammies Twitter account (110, 697 followers and counting) and subsequent bestseller Isn’t It Well For Ye? The Book of Irish Mammies.

Back for more, the Cork funnyman serves up mirthsome advice on everything from how to tell mammy she’s about to be a granny to how to discipline a child (all the way up to the tender age of 45). There’s also strict attention paid to the Irish mammies’ role in the worlds of sport, the workplace, technology, culture and, of course, religion. There’s also some essential, considered apps from the Modern Mammy’s tablet.
Elsewhere, the madcap Jimeoin brings his new What?! show to Belfast’s Odyssey Arena on October 26 (Dublin’s Vicar Street follows this December). Speaking to Hot Press recently, the Australia-based funnyman insists he’s growing old gracefully.
“I think I’ve moved on from when I used to think I was cool a wee bit recently,” he said. “Which I think is a good thing. I still get embarrassed but now I can take it on the chin. You see it a lot as you get older... that dignity goes!”
Indeed it does. Amazingly, Jim’s not the only one bringing a moniker that asks a common question to Irish shoes as the ridiculously youthful (okay, he’s 23, but that’s precocious in stand-up terms) Bo Burnham takes to the Vicar Street stage on November 7 with his WHAT show in tow. Having turned heads at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival, the Ohio comedian, actor, musician and writer (just showing off now, buddy) has been blazing a trail ever since. Known for his engaging stage presence, Bo promises “prolonged eye contact” as part of his latest show. Kids these days…
Finally, the Bulmer’s Galway Comedy Arts Festival winds down in rib-tickling fashion as the likes of Bobcat Goldthwait, Sean Lock, Phill Jupitus, Michael Winslow, Eddie Pepitone, and David O’Doherty close the week-long side-splitter on the October Bank Holiday weekend.