Jason Manford on his Irish roots, and how humour kept him out of trouble in Manchester

The Manchester comedian took his first steps towards showbiz by singing Irish ballads alongside his grandmother in Irish bars 

 Jason Manford is currently touring Ireland, including an upcoming appearance at the Everyman in Cork. (Photo by John Phillips/John Phillips/Getty)

Jason Manford likely got the performing bug from his mother’s side of the family. His maternal grandparents, a folk-singing duo called The Peates, emigrated from Dublin to Manchester in the 1950s. Later, they jumped on the showband wagon. As a kid, Manford, now 44, remembers his grandmother, Nora, playing in Irish bars on Sunday afternoons in the 1980s.

“My memory of those afternoons is sitting under the pool table with me brothers eating crisps hearing my nana singing, Grace or The Fields of Athenry. At some point, my parents worked out that I was able to sing. Nana took a shine to me because of that. As soon as I was able to sing, I’d get up and sing a few songs with her.