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My new weekly column in The Irish Post has been up and running for the last three weeks.  The first one is about reminding yourself you’re Irish.  The second one is about children falling on their face. And this week’s article is about feeling shit about yourself in January.  Each one is like stupid essay. I’ve tried to make them as funny as possible so you know, enjoy. And if you don’t enjoy, then do something else.

Such as download the new episodes of the podcast.  Last week’s Irishman Abroad featured former world snooker champion Ken Doherty and this week I spoke to the Irish comedy icon Ardal O’Hanlon.  It’s on Soundcloud and iTunes obviously.  Click on the new dates tab and you can see where I’ll be next. This weekend Birmingham.  Next weekend I’ll be doing a very special solo show as part of the Leicester Comedy Festival.  Tickets are available here.

Hard to believe that the character of Nidge from Love Hate is inside Tom Vaughan Lawlor. I’ve never met a kinder person. We shared a coffee at his house and spoke to me about his journey and his life to this point. If this conversation doesn’t affect you in some way you are officially made of stone. Enjoy.

https://soundcloud.com/an-irishman-abroad/episode-17-tom-vaughan-lawlor

On iTunes or on Soundcloud.

Hope you had a very happy holiday season. There’s a lot of very exciting things coming up in 2014 and this time I really mean that. Not like the other times when it was just more of the same shite! To start with the podcast was named as in iTunes list of Best Of 2013. Really chuffed and grateful to all the guests, listeners and of course my producer Brian Connolly for making this possible.  I’ll do my best to update the blog more often in the coming year. Promise. If you want more up to the minute updates just give us a follow on Twitter @jarlath.  Thanks for all the support.  If you’d like to enter the league of super friends and legends just drop us a small donation and the podcast will continue into the future. Seriously, a donation would be a huge help.

Jar.

Thanks to everyone who has downloaded and listened to the podcast.  “An Irishman Abroad” has been atop the iTunes hit parade for weeks now – which is crazy to me.  It has been recommended by The Guardian newspaper – which is also nuts. And we now have hundreds of thousands of weekly listeners – which actually melts a small part of my brain every time I think about it.

If you haven’t got involved yet all you need to do is look in the mirror and say “Irishman, Irishman, Irishman” and I will appear and guide you through the steps of downloading it to your phone or computer. That’s not true but don’t be ashamed to try it just in case it is. For everyone else there is this handy link to iTunes or Soundcloud.

The podcast has had a couple of very generous sponsors and advertisers which have kept the whole thing a float. I hate when a podcast has the same ads week in week out so just email me at jarlo11@yahoo.com if you’d like your web business to sponsor the show or if you just want to get in touch.  It costs very little to take an episode (something in the region of one hundred to one hundred thousand dollars) and you get a whole load of fringe benefits.

If you would like to support the podcast and you don’t have a web business just buy a pack of cards from the shop. I will be launching a special 2013 Christmas pack in the coming weeks.

Once again thanks to everyone who has made the show what it is.

Jar.

Thanks to everyone who downloaded the new album from Bandcamp. A lot of people (some people = seems like a lot due to my crankiness) have asked how they can get a hardcopy of it. First of all, seriously? A hardcopy of an album? What’ll it be next an internet connection that you can use while someone is on the landline? Secondly, you can get a hardcopy of the album at any of these up-coming shows by coming up to me afterwards (not during).

May 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th…International Bar, Dublin

May 9th, 10th, 11th…The Laughter Lounge, Dublin

May 15th…The Comedy Cellar Dublin / Inn Jokes at The Patriot’s Inn

May 16th…BBC Telly Thing, Glasgow Scotland

May 18th…The Bankers, Dublin

May 19th…Salisbury Arts Centre, Edinburgh Preview Show

May 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th…The Stand, Edinburgh

May 31st – June 3rd…Something I can’t talk about*

June 4th…St Abans, Dandy Comedy Club

June 5th…The Courtyard, Shoreditch – Edinburgh Preview

June 6th…The Stag Theatre, Windsor

June 7th…Surrey Comedy Club, Somewhere in Surrey I guess?

*The thing I can’t tell you about is starting on May 31st. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for ages. I’ve never been so excited about a thing.  I promise to tell you as soon as I can.

Apart from that you can see me on the BBC on May 15th in a show I did about the Eurovision.

In other news, yesterday a woman who works for the British government asked me what name is on my birth certificate. I told her it’s actually Brian but everyone calls me Jarlath. She said, “Well it’s Ireland isn’t it.” Then like a fucking eejit I said, “Yeah!”

That’s right,

If you live in England and like my stuff you’re in luck. And if you live in Ireland and don’t like my stuff, you’re also in luck. I live in North London now.  I moved a while ago but there is a big delay on the internet here so this post is quite late.  If you want to contact me my email is still jarlo11@yahoo.com – I’m not sure what the international access code is but it should be +353. If you want to book me to do things the best thing to do is contact this very nice lady – sophiec@avalonuk.com .  More announcements to follow shortly but for now, here are some live dates that might be near you:

Mar 15th, Worthing Theatre

Mar 16th, Marketplace Armagh

Mar 17th London Irish Festival Trafalgar Sq

Mar 19th / 20th Berkhamsted Comedy Festival

Mar 21st Chiswick Headliners

Mar 23rd East Yard, Camden Town

Mar 28th Therapy Room, Tumbridge Wells

Mar 29th Bottle Rocket Comedy Club, Coventry

Mar 31st The Cube, Leeds

April 5th The Glee Club, Birmigham

April 6th Hilarity Bites, Darlington

April 7th Hampstead Comedy Club

April 11th Windsor Firestation

April 12th / 13th The Cube, Leeds

April 16th The Magic Garden, Battersea

April 19th / 20th Bristol Comedy Box

April 22nd Sheffield University

Hope to see you at one of the shows. I’ll be back in Ireland for a couple of shows in May / June.

Jar.