Famous Irish Comedians

Aisling Bea is an Irish actor, screenwriter, and comedian who has been serving as a team captain on the popular British comedy panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats since 2016. Apart from being a comedian and actor, Aisling Bea is also an activist; she campaigned successfully for the introduction of legal abortion and same-sex marriage legislation in Ireland.

Jimmy Carr is one of the biggest selling live comedians of Britain. The award-winning performer is best known for shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats and jokes about everything from politics to sex. He has gained fame for his signature deadpan delivery, his high-pitched laughter, and his dark humor.

London-born Irish actor and writer Sharon Horgan is best known for her BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated writing for the series Catastrophe. She has also won awards for her acting in the sitcom Pulling and established the production company Merman. She is the sister of former rugby player Shane Horgan.

Spike Milligan was a British-Irish actor, writer, poet, comedian, and playwright. He is credited with co-creating and writing the popular radio comedy program, The Goon Show. His comic novel Puckoon has been adapted into a film and stage play. In August 1999, BBC conducted a poll, according to which Spike was voted the funniest person of the last millennium.

Apart from being a comedian, Brendan O'Carroll is also a fine writer. Best known as Agnes Brown from the sitcom Mrs. Brown's Boys, he later played the role in various spin-offs and a couple of movies too. He has also penned several books and screenplays.

Born to a well-known Irish journalist, Dave Allen initially followed in his father’s footsteps but soon switched to doing stand-up comedy in night clubs and strip clubs. He later soared to fame with his iconic The Dave Allen Show. He often used his amputated forefinger as part of his acts.

Renowned English comedian Paddy McGuinness initially rose to fame with his appearances on the shows of Peter Kay, whom he knew since school. Known for his Bolton accent, he popularized the character Paddy O'Shea on shows such as Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere. His wife and three kids are all autistic.

Though he initially studied math, Dara Ó Briain later began his entertainment career as an RTE children’s show presenter and later soared to fame as a stand-up comedian. He is known for his signature style of saying “eh” at the end of his jokes. He has also penned columns and books.

Irish comedian Tommy Tiernan is best known to audiences for The Tommy Tiernan Show. The British Comedy Award winner began his stand-up career at a club in Galway City, where he still performs at times. A jazz fan, too, he learned the saxophone till his comedy tours forced him to give it up.

Known for repeatedly appearing as a clergyman in plays, series, and films, Irish actor Jim Norton is most popular as Bishop Brennan from the sitcom Father Ted. His performance in the play The Weir earned him a Laurence Olivier nomination, whereas he won both the Tony and the Olivier for The Seafarer.

Born to jazz pianist Jim Doherty, David O'Doherty was no stranger to the world of entertainment as a child. The Irish comedian and musician offers a unique blend of comedy and keyboard music in his performances. Known for his surreal humor, he has gained fame for shows such as Let's Comedy.

Eilish O Carroll is perhaps best known for playing Hillary Nicholson and Winnie McGoogan in Mrs. Brown's Boys and is the sister of Irish actor Brendan O'Carroll, who played the lead in the sitcom. She is also known for her autobiographical one-woman stage performance Live Love Laugh.

Irish comedian Andrew Maxwell is best known for hosting the British reality show Ex on the Beach on MTV. Starting his career with stand-up comedy in Dublin, he later soared to fame with shows such as Drunk History. He now has his own comedy gig Fullmooners.

Legendary Irish comedian Brendan Grace had popularized his character, Bottler. He was also known for the sitcom Father Ted. Initially a musician, he started his own band at 18 and later also created chartbusters such as The Combine Harvester. He lost his battle with lung cancer at 68.

Born into a working-class family in Belfast, Frank Carson initially worked as an electrician and plasterer. He once narrowly escaped death while serving the British Army in the Middle East. After switching to stand-up comedy, he soared to fame with the show The Comedians, and popularized catchphrases such as “What a cracker.”

Pat Shortt is best known for his award-winning performance as Josie in the Irish film Garage. He started his career as part of the duo D'Unbelievables with fellow comedian Jon Kenny. He is also one of the few actors from Ireland to be featured on an Irish postage stamp.

Dublin-born Perrier Award-nominated Irish stand-up comedian Jason Byrne is best known for his roles in projects such as the sitcom Father Ted and the TV film Alice in Wonderland. He was also a finalist on stand-up show So You Think You're Funny and is known for his insult comedy.

Born in London, Des Bishop grew up in New York and moved to Dublin at age 14. The son of actor-model Michael Bishop, Des showed his talent in comedy at the International Comedy Cellar. After being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2000, he made it a part of his acts.

Actor, comedian, and presenter Al Porter is known for shows such as Blind Date and It's Not Me, It's You. The Irish performer, who began acting at 10, later also became a popular host on Today FM. Though accused of sexually assaulting multiple people, all charges against him were later dropped.

Though trained in dance and the piano, Patricia Collinge later found her calling in acting. The Irish-American actor is best remembered for her iconic roles such as Lavinia Penniman in The Heiress. Her performance as Aunt Birdie in the film The Little Foxes later got her nominated for an Academy Award.

Best known for his hidden-camera comedy show Naked Camera, Irish comedian P. J. Gallagher is a regular at popular live comedy venues such as Vicar Street in Dublin. He co-owns a popular podcast and has also been featured in the BBC New Stand Up Comedy Awards finals.

Niall Toibin was initially a prominent singer in a church choir in Cork. Though he later began his career as a civil service official, his love for acting made him appear in countless films such as Ryan’s Daughter. He also won a Tony for his role in the Broadway play Borstal Boy.

David Chambers, better known as Blindboy Boatclub, soared to fame as part of the Limerick-based Irish hip-hop duo The Rubberbandits. Known for his signature style of using plastic shopping bags as face coverings, he also runs a podcast, has written two bestsellers, and manages a Twitch stream.

Award-winning Irish comedian Neil Delamere began his career with the Edinburgh Festival and has since been a regular on both the BBC and RTÉ. Known for shows such as One Night Stand and Just For Laughs, Delamere has also been popular on radio, working for Today FM.

Apart from being a talented comedian and impressionist, Mario Rosenstock is also a skilled musician. Known for the Irish radio comedy show Gift Grub, he had mimicked everyone from Colin Farrell to Roy Keane. While he has performed in various musical plays, his musical parodies have topped the Irish charts.

Best known as The Viper, the main villain from the RTE sitcom Hardy Bucks, a show which he co-created, Chris Tordoff is a talented Irish comedian. He is also popular on both Twitch and YouTube, where he posts his video games regularly. He creates online comedy series, too.

The son of an ironmonger in Dublin, Jimmy O'Dea had initially studied to be an optician. However, he soon found his calling in acting and rose to be one of Ireland’s best comedians. He is known for his professional partnership with Harry O'Donovan, with whom he created the iconic character Biddy Mulligan.

While he began as a musician, Bernard O'Shea later studied theater and made a name for himself in the Irish comedy scene. Apart from live comedy, he is now also known for his shows on RTE and 2FM. The father of three has been a columnist for Irish Examiner, too.

Best known as part of the Irish comedy duo d'Unbelievables, Jon Kenny is also known for his roles in series such as Father Ted and movies such as Les Misérables. A Hodgkin's disease survivor, he has also performed solo gigs and created the theater show Mag Mell.

Better known as the host of Republic of Telly, Kevin McGahern started his career as a barman and then moved on to stand-up comedy. He also hosted the documentary series Kevin McGahern's America and wrote and directed the award-winning play The Devil's Ceili. He has also supported LGBT marriage and abortion rights.

Best known as part of the comedy trio Après Match, Irish comedian Risteárd Cooper has been a regular at Dublin’s The Abbey Theatre. He is also known for his roles such as Finbar in the play The Weir and has his own sports-related YouTube comedy sketch series.

Award-winning comedian and writer Alison Spittle soared to fame with her sitcom Nowhere Fast. She previously had her own segment on Republic of Telly and now hosts a chat show-style podcast. She has also headlined at Vicar Street and has had sold-out shows at the Edinburgh and Dublin Fringe Festivals.

Tyrone Power was a patriarch of one of the most well-known Irish acting families and the great-grandfather of romantic matinee idol Tyrone Power III. He ran away to take up acting at age 14 and later popularized the stage Irishman stock character with his performance as Looney Mactwolter in The Wag of Windsor.

Known as one of Ireland’s best comedians, Maureen Potter had also been a star of the Christmas pantomime for many years. A junior dancing champion at age 7, Potter was later scouted at a concert party, and thus began her long relationship with the Gaiety Theatre and the revue Gaels of Laughter.

Ada Rehan became a sensation in 19th-century America with her performances in Shakespearean and European comedies. She was part of the Big Four that performed under theater manager Augustin Daly and worked him for 2 decades. Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew remains one of her best-known roles.

After losing his mother at age 6, Cecil Sheridan was raised by his father, and later joined drama to gain confidence and cure himself of his stammer. Best known for his variety shows and pantomimes, the Irish comedian has also appeared in films such as The Viking Queen and Ulysses.