Is it just us or have the past couple of years been some of the best couple of years in Irish comedy yet?

Seriously though, 2018 brought us two of the funniest shows on Irish TV in years. Meanwhile, this year, the Irish have been hitting it out of the park with movie comedies.

If you haven't checked out the following list, they're well worth you're time. After all, we could all use some more comedies and sure they always recommend you shop local.

 

A Bump Along the Way

This super sweet comedy set in Northern Ireland stars the inimitable Bronagh Gallagher and has just hit cinemas. A divorced mum of a teenager has a one night stand with a young fella and becomes pregnant in spite being told she couldn't have babies again. Her daughter is humiliated at the prospect of her mom having a baby in her 40s and has other school drama to contend with too. Like Saoirse Ronan starrer 'Lady Bird', this is a lovely one for mums and daughters to see together.

 

The Young Offenders

When the heck is 'The Young Offenders' season 3 coming?? We demand more of Conor (Alex Murphy), Jock (Chris Walley) and their antics! Set in Cork and based on the hit 2016 movie, it follows two teenage boys and all the trouble they get into at school, with girls and with the law, much to the frustration of Conor's mam Mairéad (Hilary Rose). Co-starring P.J. Gallagher in a brilliant turn as the boys' principal, the show has you laughing at loud one minute and reaching for the tissues the next.

 

Extra Ordinary

The best Irish comedy of last year and quite possibly the best comedy of 2019 overall has got to be 'Extra Ordinary'. It's a bit like 'Ghostbusters' in the west of Ireland, but totally all its own. Maeve Higgins plays Rose, a lonely driving instructor whose special talent to communicate with ghosts is enlisted by a widower named Martin (Will Forte). Meanwhile one-hit wonder Christian Winter (Will Forte) hopes to regain fame by making a deal with the Devil.

 

Derry Girls

Like 'The Young Offenders', 'Derry Girls' offers another gas coming-of-age comedy series. Set in Derry during the 1990s, it follows five friends navigating their teen years against the backdrop of the Troubles. They muddle through all those Catholic schoolgirl experiences like coping with cynical nuns, having a crush on the local priest, and witnessing miracles. The first season aired in 2018 with the second broadcasting the following year. We hope to see season three later in 2020.

 

Dark Lies the Island

'Dark Lies the Island' is a comedy that might be too jet-black for some but tonally it recalls the works of the McDonagh brothers (as well as the Coen brothers) who've always gone down a treat here. From the director of 'Perrier's Bounty' and 'Death of a Superhero', it's written by Kevin Barry and stars Peter Coonan, Moe Dunford, Pat Shortt and Charlie Murphy as members of a family with a long-standing feud which starts to boil over in the course of a week.

 

Animals

A mid-mid-life crisis film with an Irish twist that you and your 20- to 30-something mates will definitely relate to. 'Animals' stars Alia Shawkat ('Arrested Development') and Holliday Grainger as two roommates and best friends who love partying and drinking. That is until the latter meets a fella who makes her consider settling down into a more traditional life. Recalling ‘Withnail & I’ and last year's ‘Dublin Oldschool’, the film was shot in our lovely capital city.