By Grace Hanna
Picture this. You’re at a comedy gig, the lights dim and as the audience settles in, there’s an unspoken assumption that punchlines will be delivered spontaneously and without forethought.
However, what many don’t realise is that behind every off-the-cuff quip lies the meticulous process of comedic preparation.
Indeed, in comedy, laughter often dances at the edge of chaos and comedian Jarlath Regan is a master juggler in that sense. Balancing stand-up comedy, podcasting and social media he has crafted his niche to resonate with audiences worldwide.
Finding his flow
Like all comedians, a career in comedy doesn’t begin with three sold out nights in the Olympia Theatre, but by taking the initial leap.
“I wanted to be a comedian since I was very small but I just didn’t realise it,” he said.
After, graduating from UCD with a degree in politics, Jarlath began working in a graphic design consulting company.
“I did what loads of people do, I [did] the job they think will make their parents happy.
“When I hit 25, I was really unhappy, the company was facing financial difficulty and I was let go from my office job.”
Jarlath recalled coming home from work to start looking for a job, when his girlfriend Tina who is now his wife said: “’Why are you looking for a job? You know what you want to do.'”
“And that was it, I closed my laptop and went for it.”
Jarlath spent the next year, knocking on doors, seeing who needed jokes written for them.
“I would ask every TV and radio show. That was when the hustle really began.”
An Irish Man Abroad
Jarlath said his love for podcasts started in 2012, right from the minute Ricky Gervais put up one.
“I used to listen to them whilst travelling back and forth to the UK for gigs.”
“There were so rare and so few of them at the time,” he said.
After deciding he wanted to make his own, Jarlath began to ring people to see would they talk about how they made their way abroad.
“I recorded the first episode to iTunes with no plan for an episode two,” he explained.
“It then went straight to number one. It was quite surreal really and The Irish Times then covered it on their front page.
“I think it was a nerve that connected with a lot of people who were abroad at the time.”
Since then, the podcast has won numerous awards and now has different spin off episodes and series.
Memorable moments
With three episodes out every week, the podcast has delved into all from politics, health and everything in between.
With notable guests such as Bob Geldof, Hozier, Paul Mescal and Sonia O Sullivan, Jarlath said it’s hard to pick his most memorable moment.
“Mary Robinson was one that really meant a lot to me,” he explained.
“She’s just an amazing human, an excellent ambassador for Ireland and also someone I never thought I’d be able to sit down and chat to for two hours.”
“When you’re sitting down with Bob Geldoff for two hours, I had to get over my famous people anxiety,” he laughed.
“I began to realise, every one of them is just a normal person, who took an unusual path, who became very well known.”
The Universal “Irish Mammy”
Jarlath’s schedule is currently divided between the UK, Ireland and America.
“I’m just back from America and 90 per cent of the audience were American when I expected them all to be Irish.”
“They say to me that your Irish mammy videos resonate with their, Deep South Mothers, their Jewish mothers, and their Mexican mothers,” he said jokingly.
“Universality is something I’ve always wanted to pursue.
“I’ve always wanted to write jokes that would stand the test of time and speak to the most amount of people as possible.”
Jarlath says the hardest thing to do is make everyone laugh.
“Everyone knows a good song that they and their friends love”, he said
“But do you know how to write that song to get everyone dancing at the wedding? That’s what’s really hard.
“It’s a difficult challenge, but I love it.”
Navigating an online presence
Speaking about navigating his impressive online presence, Jarlath said: “Personally, I found it really difficult to get going with social media.”
“I was extremely self-conscious and shy which may seem hard to believe,” he added.
“It actually took me a long time to move by that and it was nearly like releasing myself from the judgement that was in my own head.”
Being completely self-taught in social media he said he likes to have “both hands on the steering wheel at all times”.
“I watched YouTube tutorials on how to post videos and I am continuously learning.
“I definitely don’t think I have it sussed, my numbers are small compared to others but it definitely has changed my life.”
Switching off
Throughout the year, each one of Jarlath’s show tours get endless notes into his iPhone.
“Every July and August, I go to Kerry and write every single morning from 6am to 8pm and by September there is then two good hours of material there.
“It’s hours and hours of writing and thinking with sometimes hair pulling thrown in but there isn’t a moment that goes by that I don’t consider myself extremely lucky.”
For Jarlath, his only sense of overwhelm is that he “doesn’t rest enough”.
“I work 24 hours a day and my biggest problem, which I think resonates with most online people, is that there is no end of the day.”
“With social media, it’s very easy to feel like you need to be producing content 24/7,” he added.
‘”There’s also this weird kind of Irish guilt that you shouldn’t be complaining, but I really can’t I absolutely love it.”
Galway gigs
Jarlath is currently preparing for his brand new show “In Bits” which will come to Galway on 11, 12 and 13 December in the Town Hall Theatre.
The show is about the absurdity of life and how we are all moving through it.
“There’s a bit of Irish mammy in there if people are coming for that, don’t worry she’ll make an appearance,” he laughed.
“But, my job is to put people in pain with laughter, I’m trying to inflict pain.
“I want people to be sore in their face and abdominals from laughing so much and forget about their problems for an hour.”
For a full breakdown of Jarlath’s shows see here