Tommy's back in town.

Tommy's Tiernan's world tour hits Cavan

Sean McMahon

Tommy Tiernan’s 'world tour' of Cavan and Monaghan is in full swing and the Meath man told The Anglo-Celt this week that he has a special affection for our 'colourful' use of language here in the Border counties.
Tommy said it has been around two years since he performed in either county but he feels a kinship with both, and some of his favourite writers come from here: Kavanagh, McCabe, Harding and McIntyre...
The South Ulster/North Leinster way of talking is his “mother tongue”, a language in which he is fluent, he says.
When it was suggested to Tommy that people in these counties have an ability to laugh at themselves, he said: “Monaghan always struck me as an under pressure Meath – there’s tension in Monaghan, whereas Cavan, I think yiz are calmed by the lakes. I think that has a huge affect on yous. 'Ye border Fermanagh, while Monaghan borders Armagh. People in Monaghan are in a hurry to tell you how close they are to the border – 'you’re only a mile from the border here, you know’.”
I ventured to say that people like a laugh in times of recession, and with perfect timing, Tommy quipped: “Cavan and Monaghan were boom proof – they are places where the recession is not under any pressure – the recession can relax – the Celtic Tiger was only a kitten.”
Tommy revealed that there is a “fierce pleasure to be obtained from watching people laugh, the way they do. There is a huge opportunity for people to laugh hard, in a way they normally don’t get an opportunity to do so”.
Tommy says he picks up ideas for his act when on the ground. “When you go out on stage at night, you just go for it and see what happens. Every show will be different.”
Tommy’s Ramor Theatre gig in Virginia is already booked out. But he’s appearing on Thursday, April 24, in the Errigal Hotel, Cootehill; Friday night, the Creighton in Clones, also sold out; Thursday, May 1, Nuremore, Carrickmacross and Friday, May 2, Hotel Kilmore, Cavan.