Review: Live at the Marquee welcomes back old friend Tommy Tiernan
Tommy Tiernan at Cork's Live at the Marquee: The guffawing crowd was hanging on his every word as he commanded the venue with his arms in the air frequently in an almost evangelical way. Picture: Ray Keogh
You could tell the audience for Tommy Tiernan’s Live at the Marquee gig was a bit more sensible than your usual summer festival attendee long before reaching the iconic blue and yellow striped tent beside the Marina.
A queue of traffic snaked its way along Centre Park Rd on Sunday evening before an amiable garda told each driver the car park was full, available only for the many who pre-booked their space ahead of the show, and directed cars towards a nearby parking area to try their luck instead.
Clearly both those forward-planning drivers and other suitably dressed attendees making their way to the venue on foot paid heed to the downpours of the previous two nights which, thankfully, did not dampen the atmosphere at the latest in the comic’s Tomfoolery tour.
Given the popularity of his chat show, his podcast with Hector Ó hEochagáin and Laurita Blewitt, and his star turns as Da Gerry in Derry Girls and more recently as Dennis in Conversations with Friends, it’s easy to forget that Tiernan has another string to his bow that predates those successes: a very established stand-up comedy career.
Sligo comedian John Colleary opened the show, getting the laughs going easily in his 30-minute set.
In fact, he has been bringing laughs to audiences since the 1990s and he will also perform at Cork Opera House and Dublin’s Vicar Street later this year.
It was a joy to see Tiernan back where he seems most comfortable — making audiences laugh.
There was a jovial atmosphere from the bar to inside the packed venue — it felt like a comfortable coming together for a catch-up with a pal we haven’t seen in years, although we’ve spotted him more than a few times on the telly in that time.
Tommy was a perfect host. “You’re all so welcome. As the fella says, come on back to my tent,” he said welcoming his fans to the show.
Laughter filled the tent more and more as the night went on as Tiernan touched upon topics like when he met his wife, how power changes politics, and the way his life was altered in lockdown — especially his relationship with his Bernese mountain dog.
The guffawing crowd was hanging on his every word as he commanded the venue with his arms in the air frequently in an almost evangelical way.
Crowded House will kick off the Marquee’s final week of gigs on Monday night, and the series of events wraps on Wednesday with US pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour tour.
