Category: Jarlath Regan

This year’s Jigser Christmas Cards are now on sale and a portion of the proceeds will go to help organ donor awareness. Each year for the last few years I’ve designed and sold my Christmas cards and shipped them around the world. The cards have been featured on television and radio. One newspaper described them as “Genius” but what does The Times know! In the past all the profits have gone toward helping to fund the podcast but this year is a bit different. I’ve decided to donate virtually all the profits to various different Kidney Charities across the UK and Ireland.

The cards themselves are cheeky and should probably only be sent to people you know have a sense of humour. If you need to play it safe there is also a “Family Friendly” pack. In terms of value, they’re just €2 each excluding postage and packing. Just click on the shop link and have a look around.

September is comedy’s January. The Fringe is over, you get to start fresh but it takes you about 2 weeks to get your arse in gear. I didn’t grind to a halt after the Fringe this year, podcasts kept coming out every Sunday, but I have had a bit of time with the family and a chance to take stock of everything that happened over the last 12 months. The big news from August is that Organ Freeman – the one man standup show about donating a kidney to my brother – did really well in Edinburgh. Our venue was full nearly night, the reviews were great across the board and people really liked it.

To be totally honest, I have never had a run quite like it. The response was so good it’s been decided that after Vicar Street and Leicester Square Theatre, I’ll take it on around the UK on a mini-tour in the spring of 2018. I’ll post all the dates here once they are locked in.

For now I’m back writing and podcasting like “Billy Oh” as my mother would say. (I think Billy Oh was an exceptionally hard worker from the west of Ireland.) We haven’t done a live episode since Danny O’Reilly in Galway and had no plans to until Roddy Doyle said he’d do one in Dublin as part of the Dublin Podcast Festival. It’s happening on Friday September 22nd in the Tivoli Theatre. I’ve been a fan of Roddy’s since I was a child so this really will be a bizarre and wonderful night. I’d love to have as many of you guys there as possible but the tickets are limited – please buy them soon from here. And I’ll see you there.

Well 4 years to be exact! It feels quick. In May 2013, I sat on my bed in my first tiny bedroom in England and recorded the first interview with Graham Linehan. And here we are today, 200 episodes. Thanks, if you are one of the people who downloaded or recommended or donated to the show in that time. I would love to say we would still be making it if you didn’t listen but the truth is probably a lot further away from that. Most podcasts die in the first year. Ours has lived on and flourished because you guys listening and the constant, never ending emails demanding more episodes! The abusive emails you have sent me have been the wood for the fire. The positive messages have been the spark. What’s the point of fire wood without something to ignite it. I hope you will keep listening to and sharing the podcast. We have, as hard as this is to believe, a lot more guests still to come on the show. And that makes me excited in healthy way.

I want to give a shoutout to our longtime sponsor Currencyfair. Their support has been incredibly helpful in getting us to this milestone. I think a nice way of thanking them might be to signup now and let them know the Irishman Abroad sent you. Just an idea.

The hardest period we ever had in making the podcast was the time I donated the kidney to my brother. It feels amazing now to look back on it and know that that is part of the journey of our podcast. My brother is doing great, I get pissed a lot easier now (saving me time and money) and my standup show about it is about to go on a month-long run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I sometimes feel weird telling people to come to my standup when they are fans of the podcast because the two things are quite different. Like if you went to a restaurant and the owner came around to your table and said, “If you like the food, you’ll love my singing.” But the thing is, the podcast and the standup aren’t as different as steak and karaoke. I believe, if you like the podcast you’ll love the standup – it’s a lot funnier and it’s really what I’ve been working on my whole life. I’m not threatening you but if you don’t come to see that standup…look, I’m just saying it would be in your interest to come to the show in Edinburgh (August), Vicar Street (January) or Leicester Square (January).

In the meantime, I’ll keep making the podcast and later in the year I’m going to give you something else. Something that’s new and hopefully even better.

Here’s to another 200.

Jar.

After months of lab testing and research we are delighted to present the new Irishman Abroad t-shirt. Still, like Ryan Gosling, as appealing to both men and women, the Irishman Abroad t-shirt of champions is 100% cotton and printed using only the best materials known to man. The new design features the names of every guest ever to appear on the show since it began 200 episodes ago. Extra durable and available in all sizes from small to XXL it will be shipped to you or your Irish friend abroad for one tiny donation of £20. Scroll down, click the donate button and start supporting the show today. Donate £30 and you’ll receive your t-shirt with the Irishman Abroad canvas bag.

Why not come to see Jarlath’s new standup show Organ Freeman at the Edinburgh Fringe this August. Click here for more info.

Lads, I’m so so happy to announce that my new show Organ Freeman is coming to Dublin and the best comedy venue in the world Vicar Street. The new show tells the story of donating my kidney to my brother and much much more besides. You’re going to love it. Tickets go on sale tomorrow. Spread the word. Lets sell this out.

Well. I have some news. It’s exciting and I’ll pop it up here in a few days. It’s been a crazy few months with the chopping out of the organs, trying to recover and trying to keep working but good things are coming of it. Pop back in later in the week and I’ll explain everything.

And by that I mean me – Jarlath. Over the past few days I’ve found myself defending the rights and wrongs of St Patrick and our celebration around the world. If anything it made me more steadfast in my belief that March 17th and all the surrounding events are more than justified – they’re essential. This tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean has punched way above its weight in every field known to man – both figuratively and literally – for centuries. My friend and colleague Dara O’Briain has been asked to act as the grand marshall of the London parade. I have been given what some say is a far more important role (nobody is saying this) of MC for the Trafalgar Square celebration. This is what it looks like. I’m very excited to get to do this with some of my favorite Irish musical acts. You should come to it.

We’ve had some unbelievable guests on the podcast in the last few weeks. Why not download a couple or get the free iPhone or Android app to access the entire back catalogue?

In the coming weeks we are starting a new series of episodes with the help of faiseasontickets.ie. Starting with the captain himself Seamus Coleman, we will have 5 interviews with the stars of the Irish squad. Subscribe now to get them first.

Happy St patrick’s Day guys. Hopefully see you at a gig very soon.

Your days of bulging pockets are over. The Irishman Abroad bag has finally arrived. Football boots, important legal documents, precious family photos, booze or just some essential messages from the local supermarket, the Irishman Abroad bag can carry it all to AND from your chosen destination. Made from a beautiful environmentally friendly midnight blue canvas material with an extra-durable dual-handle-shoulder-friendly-strap-system, you’ll be the envy of all your friends at home and abroad with the all new Irishman Abroad bag. Get yours today and start turning heads. Simply click on the homepage at jigser.com and your bag will be shipped to you wherever you are in the world with a special note of thanks from Jarlath himself. You’ll be supporting the podcast and making yourself instantly more attractive in a few clicks of a button. (Donate £20 to receive one bag, £30 to receive two or £50 to get three.)

As mentioned on the podcast, we are down to the very last of the Irishman Abroad shirts (The Ryan Gosling of t-shirts). This is the final print run. After this there will be no more of these available so if you want to get one for the Irish person abroad in your life click donate. A donation of £20 will make sure that this, now “limited edition”, t-shirt will be winging it’s way to you the next day. Why not get two? Make sure to let me know what size you’d like.

Hard to believe but it’s only 3 weeks until I bring my Arseways show to Dublin on December 21st. I’ve added a secret surprise support act who everyone will know from Irish telly. 66% of the tickets are already sold out so I’d move fast. If you listen to the podcast you will have heard the offer code to obtain your discount. If not they are pretty reasonably priced at £22 from tickets.ie.

If you’re plan was to buy Christmas cards on the night don’t risk it. Right now it looks like they will be all gone by mid-December so grab a pack now from the shop here at jigser.com.