Seán Hughes - an Irishman at heart

With a gig in the Project this week, comic Seán Hughes reflects on his success in Britain, writes Richard Fitzpatrick.

THE comedian Seán Hughes is back in Dublin this week (April 10) for a gig at the Project Arts Centre, and he’s here to talk about penguins, and other matters. Why on earth has he decided to call his show Penguins? “When you’re four years of age,” he says, “you’re pretty much sent out like migrating penguins to deal with life on your own. People tend to use the analogy of sheep, but I think the idea of penguins is a bit more joyful.

“Later on in life you’re told you’re going to like booze. You’re told you’re going to like sex. You’re told all these things, people telling us what we should like, and in that sense we’re very much like penguins.