Des Bishop returns to the Hawk’s Well
DES Bishop is back with a show about his mother, Mia Mamma, that arrives at the Hawk’s Well later this month as a part of its national tour.
A native New Yorker, Des moved from Queens to Ireland in his mid-teens in 1990. He first came to prominence with his extraordinary TV series The Des Bishop Work Experience (2004), where he lived on minimum wage in a series of different jobs in Ireland.
Mixing this documentary footage with stand-up, the series became one of the most talked-about of the year, and propelled Des into national stardom.
Des has appeared on many live stand-up shows including Edinburgh Comedy Festival Live (BBC), Live at the Comedy Store (Comedy Central) and the Australian music themed quiz show Spicks and Specks (ABC).
He was also the star of HBO’s A Comic’s Climb about his debut at the Aspen Comedy festival in 2005.
In 2010, Des put together his most personal show to date called My Dad Was Nearly James Bond. Inspired by his father, Mike, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, the show toured extensively both nationally and internationally in 201011, including The Barrow Street Theatre in New York. Says Des of Mia Mamma: “The truth is really that I try to see the funny in everything.
“My mother died in March 2019 and, of course, it was sad, and grief can be tough sometimes but I saw a lot of funny in that too. “Since death comes to us all and grief is something most of us will experience, I thought there must be plenty of people who would like that funny to be shared.”
The openness and honesty of his presenting style, combined with his restless imagination and perceptive comic observations, makes Des Bishop a must-see for fans of unique, insightful and provocative comedy.
Des Bishop takes to the stage in Sligo on Friday, April 22 (8pm). Tickets are priced at €27 (plus €1 renovation fee). For enquiries or to book, visit www. hawkswell.com or call 071 9161518.