Funnywoman Katherine Lynch has hit out at the Irish comedy scene, insisting stand-ups have lost their nerve and become too “tame”.
The Leitrim native told of her concern that comedy is being increasingly killed off by the so-called snowflake generation, with too many people jumping on social media to vent their anger over provocative stand-up routines.
The 47-year-old said: “At the moment I think the comedy scene here is really too tame. There’s nobody being a punk or anything.
“Joanne McNally is amazing and there’s a girl called Josephine McCaffrey who’s amazing. But apart from that I’m not seeing that much good comedy. People are being very indulgent, talking about how they feel about everything.
“Get out there and make people laugh. Don’t forget that it’s entertainment and it’s tickling the underbelly of society. You need to have the punks, the David McSavages.”
Lynch has spoken out in the past about the difficulties she has faced over a 20-year career in the comedy circuit, including feeling bullied and targeted by begrudgers simply because she was a female performer.
And in her latest interview on Virgin Media Ireland's The Six O’Clock Show, she told of her worry that stand-up routines are becoming more and more sanitized because of social media watchdogs.
She explained: “If you say one wrong word, your life could be over. But you need to just look at the intent, because if people do not intend to insult, then just let it slide.
“If the [comedian] has intended to insult or be misogynistic or racist, then pull them up on it. But if they didn’t intend to insult anyone, then leave it slide and shut up.”
Lynch will return to the stage next month in ‘Madhouse’, a play based on the true life story of Dublin comic PJ Gallagher, and how his mother, a nurse, moved six men with schizophrenia into their family home to care for them full time.
The show, which was co-written by Gallagher and Una McKevitt and which stars Lynch as Gallagher’s ma, was a smash-hit when it premiered at the Dublin Fringe in September last year,.
A new nationwide tour of Madhouse kicks off on October 23 in Waterford and runs until November 23. For further information, see www.madhouseontour.com.
