In the Name of the Bishop

Irish Voice News

In the Name of the Bishop

January 16, 2008

By April Drew

QUEENS-born, Irish-based funnyman Des Bishop crammed Rory Dolan’s in Yonkers on Friday night, January 11 with a two-hour show stopping performance before 500 people, with all proceeds going to the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR). Another two hundred were locked out.

Bishop, who is currently learning the Irish language for a new television show, In the Name of the Fada, which will be televised in Ireland in March, told the Irish Voice last week he was coming to New York to film for the show, so he decided to do the gig to raise money for the ILIR. An immigrant himself — Bishop went to Ireland when he was 14 for school and has lived there ever since — he knows first hand what the immigrant experience is like.

Bishop fans pushed through the doors of the Killeshandra Room in Rory’s at 8:30 p.m. to secure their spot in anticipation of a great night. And great it was.

Bishop, who was introduced in Gaelic by ILIR Chairman Niall O’Dowd, came bouncing on stage to the sounds of deafening applause from an audience donned in ILIR t-shirts.

After moments of cheers and giddiness Bishop’s roll began, and what a roll it was! Explaining to his fans that he spent the past 10 months in Connemara, Co. Galway immersed in the Irish language in an effort to become fluent, Bishop began the jokes.

“You’re not a true Irish speaker until you’re spitting on someone,” he explained to a slightly confused audience. He elaborated, “To be ‘líofa’ (fluent) it has to come from the back of your throat,” explaining that the “ACH” sound is the heart of the language.

According to the comedian, if you don’t have the “ACH” mastered there is no hope of becoming a true Gaelgoir (Irish speaker). “You’re not saying it right if you’re not soaking someone in the face,” ad-libbed Bishop with a vocal demonstration of the “ACH” sound, best described on paper as the clearing of one’s throat. Bishop had his fans in gales of laughter while illustrating the sounds and facial expressions used by a fluent Gaelgoirs.

Although Bishop, who admitted to the Irish Voice last week that learning Irish has changed his life, “Tá sé I mo bholg agus i mo cheann anois (it’s in my stomach and my head now),” he can’t léamh (read) or scríobh (write) yet. He does, however, plan to capture the whole language in all of its forms at some point, but for now he is concentrating on the focail labhartha (spoken word).

During his show Bishop played with several Irish language phrases and words to entertain his audience. One of the favorites on the night was his literal translation of the English slang phrase “word up,” which he hilariously translated into “focal suas.” This brought the house down around the comedian.

Bishop, who admitted he isn’t famous anywhere else in the U.S. except in Macy’s — “All I hear when I go to Macy’s is, ‘There’s Des Bishop’” he mocks in a timid womanly voice about the Irish shoppers coming to New York — told the Irish Voice in an interview as Gaeilge (in Irish) that it was “Deacair an teanga a fhoghlaim” (difficult to learn the language) but that his ultimate aim is to revitalize Irish both in Ireland and in the U.S.

Bishop certainly was making Gaeilge very hip on Friday. He even outlined an advantage of using the language in a foreign country.

While in London last year, Bishop decided to try out his cúpla focail (few words) on for size, and speaking of size, “I turned to the person with me (on the underground in London) and I said ‘féach ar an fear mór trasna orm,’ (look at the fat man across from me). Sure it was great,” remembered Bishop.

After breaking for 20 minutes to let his audience freshen up their drink glasses, Bishop returned and this time he was not holding back.

Having a play off the current immigration debate in the U.S., Bishop took a chance on his audience, made up of many undocumented Irish, and said, “Tá tú go léir Feckailte (you are all f*****), ye came here about 12 years ago, ye missed the best years in Ireland and now ye all have to go back home to an Ireland that is f*****.”

Through the chuckles and raucous lau-ghs, the un-documented appreciated the irony of Bishop’s joke.

Other one-liners from Bishop on immigration both in the U.S. and Ireland went down a treat with his audience.

“Everyone is welcome in Ireland,” he pauses, “unless you’re from another country and looking for work.”

Or, “There is loads of space in America for immigrants but in Ireland it’s like a fire regulation to have too many people,” he shouts, mocking the Irish person’s generally known view on immigration.

Staying on Irish people, Bishop poked fun at the Irish way of thinking. “I think Irish people are the only people in the world that get satisfaction out of saying, ‘I told you so.’ The economy is gone south. ‘I told ya so.’ In Ireland they would rather be poor and right!”

Bishop ended his night of action packed jokes with a Gaelic version of House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” “Léim Thart” in Irish.

It wasn’t long before everyone was off their seats and “léiming thart” Rory Dolan’s to the strains of Bishop rapping as Gaeilge.

Everyone left Rory’s with a smile on their face and a pain in their ribs from laughter on Friday night.

“He is just so funny, I never expected him to be so quick off the mark,” said one girl.

“I can’t believe how cool he made the Irish language. I’m going to have to learn it again,” said another.

“One of the best night’s out I’ve had in ages,” and “I’ve pains in my sides from laughing” were more of the words being exchanged as people spilled out the door when Bishop’s curtain came down.

ILIR were overjoyed at the success of the night, including the $7,000 that Bishop raised for the organization.

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