Des Bishop (
Deasún Mac an Easpaig in
IrishIrish is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now only spoken natively by a small minority of the Irish population but also plays an important symbolic role in the life of the Irish state, and is used...
) (born 12 November 1975) is a
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
born comedian and was brought up in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He is now primarily based in
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
, after moving to
County WexfordCounty Wexford is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the town of Wexford . In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnsealaig, whose capital was at Ferns...
in 1990 at the age of 14.
Bishop's comedy was originally heavily based on his observation of Irish society, supported by his talent for impersonating the regional variations of the Irish accent. His website says "Des has developed a unique style of observational comedy, most critical of his adopted home in Ireland and the America he left behind." .
Bishop's comedy has since grappled with social issues, such as poverty.
Des Bishop (
Deasún Mac an Easpaig in
IrishIrish is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now only spoken natively by a small minority of the Irish population but also plays an important symbolic role in the life of the Irish state, and is used...
) (born 12 November 1975) is a
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
born comedian and was brought up in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He is now primarily based in
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
, after moving to
County WexfordCounty Wexford is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the town of Wexford . In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnsealaig, whose capital was at Ferns...
in 1990 at the age of 14.
Approach to Comedy
Bishop's comedy was originally heavily based on his observation of Irish society, supported by his talent for impersonating the regional variations of the Irish accent. His website says "Des has developed a unique style of observational comedy, most critical of his adopted home in Ireland and the America he left behind." .
Bishop's comedy has since grappled with social issues, such as poverty. In 2000, Bishop was diagnosed with
testicular cancerTesticular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.In the United States, between 7,500 and 8,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer are made each year. Over his lifetime, a man's risk of testicular cancer is roughly 1 in 250 . It is most common among...
- rather than shy away from this subject, Des went on to turn his experiences into comedy material.
Life & Career
Des has worked as a comic in Ireland since the late 1990s. He began hosting shows at the International Comedy Cellar - a venue set up by Irish comics such as
Ardal O'HanlonArdal O'Hanlon is an Irish comedian and actor, best known for his roles in television sitcoms as Father Dougal McGuire in Father Ted and George Sunday in My Hero.-Early life:...
, Kevin Gildea and
Barry MurphyBarry Murphy is an Irish comedian. He is famous for being one of the stars of Après Match. He was recognised as one of The 10 Kings Of Irish Comedy over the last twenty years by Hot Press Magazine...
. It was here that Bishop honed his act.
Bishop first reached a TV audience in early 2000, after appearing on
Don't Feed the GondolasDon't Feed The Gondolas was an Irish television quiz show on RTÉ, similar in format to the BBC's Have I Got News For You and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. It ran from 1998 to 2000...
, a news based topical TV show. He later had to pull out of this show due to personal reasons.
Bishop created a "hip-hopera" called "
RAP ÉIRE" along with Arthur Riordan. "Rap Éire" was a satire following the story of an ambitious American who finds himself mixed up with a group of political types during the throes of early Celtic Tiger fervour. The show had two runs - firstly in the Project Arts centre in February 2001 and afterwards in the Andrews Lane Theatre the following summer. Bishop performed every night of the first run while receiving radiotherapy for testicular Cancer (the original premier date for the play at the Dublin Fringe Festival 2000 had to be cancelled as a result of the original diagnosis of cancer).
Bishop appeared in the 2002 film,
In AmericaIn America is a 2002 Irish drama film directed by Jim Sheridan. The semi-autobiographical screenplay by Sheridan and his daughters Naomi and Kirsten focuses on an immigrant Irish family's efforts to survive in New York City, as seen through the eyes of the elder daughter.The film was nominated for...
, in which he played a high stockbroker rapping in the back of a NYC taxi cab.
He reached a broader audience after his TV show
The Des Bishop Work Experience screened on
RTÉ TwoRTÉ Two is Ireland's second-oldest television channel, operated by Irish state broadcaster RTÉ. RTÉ Two is universally available throughout the island of Ireland on the VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of Sky Digital.-History:There had been much debate...
in 2004. The show featured him attempting to survive for one month working a
minimum wageA minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labor. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion...
job in various parts of Ireland. During the series, he worked at
AbrakebabraAbrakebabra is a chain of Irish fast food restaurants that stays open late to capitalise on the post-pub crowd. In 2002, they completely revised their menu with the addition of their now famous "Taco Fries", a mainstay on their menu...
,
WaterfordWaterford is the primary city of the South East region of Ireland. Founded in 914 AD by the Vikings, it is country's oldest city and its fifth largest. The city is situated at the head of Waterford Harbour...
; The Aqua-dome,
TraleeTralee is the county town of County Kerry, in the southwest corner of Ireland. The town is situated on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula. Tralee is the largest town in Kerry...
;
SuperquinnSuperquinn is an Irish supermarket chain. Until 2005, the company was entirely privately held by the Quinn family. It is now a subsidiary of Select Retail Holdings Limited.-Products and Services:...
,
DundalkDundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland, situated close to the border with Northern Ireland, within legally defined boundaries it is the second largest town in Ireland. It was granted its charter in 1189. It is sited on the lowest bridging point of the Castletown River...
; and the Central Hotel,
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
.
A more recent TV show, named
Joy in the HoodJoy in the Hood is an Irish comedy series featuring Des Bishop. Aired in 2005 on Ireland's channel RTÉ Two as a part of its Monday-night comedy slot, it showed Bishop's antics as he travelled to impoverished areas of Ireland, such as Ballymun in Dublin, Southill in Limerick and Knocknaheeny in Cork...
, featured him travelling to impoverished areas of Ireland's major cities and mentoring local people in stand-up comedy.
Bishop and Riordan co-wrote "
Shooting Gallery", their second collaboration. This had a short run in Dublin in 2005.
Personal & Family
Bishop attended
St. Francis Preparatory SchoolSt. Francis Preparatory School, commonly known as St. Francis Prep, is a private, independent Catholic college preparatory school in the Fresh Meadows neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. It is the largest Catholic high school in the United States. Located within the Roman Catholic...
in the Fresh Meadows neighborhood of the
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
borough of
QueensQueens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Five Boroughs which form New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a subdivision of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States.Located on...
. At the age of 16, he began school at
St Peter's College, WexfordSt Peter's College, Wexford is an Irish secondary school and former seminary located in Summerhill, over looking Wexford town. It is a single sex school for male pupils. Currently its school population is approximately 650. The current principal is Mr. Patrick Quigley and the current vice-principal...
in Ireland. He later re-sat his Leaving Certificate at
Blackrock CollegeBlackrock College is a private Catholic voluntary fee-paying secondary school for boys, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. The College, set in 63 acres of grounds, lies 6 kilometres from the city centre of Dublin, just in from the sea...
, Dublin. He has a degree in English and History from University College Cork.
Des' brother Aidan is now a working comedian in Ireland. Both are involved in running the International Comedy Club.
Irish Language
Des's TV show,
In the Name of the FadaIn the Name of the Fada was a show that aired on RTÉ from 13 March to 17 April 2008, documenting Irish-American comedian Des Bishop and his pursuit of fluency in the Irish language. The show was a 6-part mini-series in which Bishop spends a year living in Tír an Fhia, which is one of many Gaeltacht...
premiered in 2008. It deals with Des trying to learn
IrishIrish is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now only spoken natively by a small minority of the Irish population but also plays an important symbolic role in the life of the Irish state, and is used...
to a standard sufficient to perform an entire standup act through the language. He later used his Irish to sing the Irish version of the song 'Jump Around' called 'Léim Thart'
The DVD of his live show Tongues and The DVD of the series In the Name of the Fada were released 14/11/08
External links