Dave Allen on The Irish Wake, 1979

Dave Allen explains the unique nature of Irish humour with some of his own fine story telling.
Back for a performance in Dublin, The City where he was born, Dave Allen talks about the often darkly comical take on life in Ireland.
2Irish humour is a magnificent black humour."
For Dave Allen, Ireland is the only place in the world that really accepts death. He describes the ritual of the wake as a marvellous celebration.
The wake is a joyful occasion.
Dan Allen tells the story of a man arriving in a small town in Ireland following the death of a local woman who was hated by everyone in the town. Unsurprisingly, the tale has a humorous ending.
This episode of ‘The Late Late Show’ was broadcast on 6 October 1979. The presenter is Gay Byrne.

[@attackpatterndelta8949]

I look at Mrs Brown’s Boys, and I lament the loss of Dave Allen and Dermot Morgan.

[@hurricane7950]

You are so right. Dave Alan is a feast of humour.

[@JoeLondon-te3hf]

We say that on the Late Late in the eighties. Daddy and Mammy threw a shouting fit. Donegal here. That show is the antithesis of Irishness. He's a sleveen, a gobshite, a toerag, a prig. His Labour Party mammy was too.

[@NazSBG]

One of the greatest stand up comics of all time!

[@martinplatt5928]

He was and intelligent and pensive humour unlike the drivel on our screens today. You're spot on Naz.

[@eileenpritchard9154]

ABSOLUTELY.

[@hansemannluchter643]

As I recall, he was a sit down comedian..

[@eileenpritchard9154]

@@hansemannluchter643 😟😪😩😫🤧😤😡🤓😅🤮🤔😠🤑😭😠

[@edwardcluskey8196]

Wasnt he always sat down?

[@eithnamurphy8288]

That was genius- complement women just before the joke. Sooo funny

[@russianbot1420]

I always thought he could have been a great actor.

[@hazelanderson1479]

That punchline was well worth the wait!

[@jacquelineithell307]

My late father absolutely adored him as l grew older l fully understood why PURE GENIUS ENOUGH SAID 👏 👌 ❤ ♥

[@eileenpritchard9154]

ABSOLUTELY, I loved him I was SO sad when he passed, they DON'T make them like him anymore, RIP GOD BLESS. 🙏🙏🙏

[@rthompson7282]

Mine too, he would delay going to the pub if he was coming on!

[@andylane247]

Yep, my dad as well !!

[@loulou7963]

My dad too !

[@finolaomurchu8217]

Ooh I loved Dave Allen. What a storyteller🇮🇪🧚‍♂️☘

[@pmacc3557]

Hes grear

[@pmacc3557]

Great😀

[@finolaomurchu8217]

@@pmacc3557 Dave Allen is both great and grear at the same time.✨️

[@pmacc3557]

@@finolaomurchu8217 he Shu is😃 see this over at S4S😃

[@susanmitchell4744]

He was my favourite; so funny and good looking ❤

[@DashDrones]

Absolute classic. R.I.P. Sir

[@ChrisConnolly-Mr.C-Dives-In]

I have not heard Dave’s voice in decades, it was instantly familiar. I I have enjoyed so many clips on this channel and this is definitely one of the top, most enjoyable ones for me.

[@joedonnelly6721]

The wake is still going on where I live, the Irish treat death in a beautiful manner.

[@margaretknight2207]

brilliant story teller, thanks for posting this 👍

[@mamaduck9370]

Dave Allen is why I'm a comedian in Ireland. Grew up with him on the TV when I was a child in Australia.

[@martinswells1987]

Hi Mama, how are you doing?

[@mamaduck9370]

@@martinswells1987 g'day, I'm keeping well, ta. Thanks for saying hi 😊

[@martinswells1987]

@@mamaduck9370 I'm doing great as well! it's my pleasure meeting with you where're you texting from?

[@TheDrednaught]

He was the best

[@lurefishingdublin1530]

Dave Allen, Richard Harris and Peter O'Toole, 3 great Irish storytellers ☘️

[@Parawingdelta2]

Brilliant! I don't normally like plain telling of jokes, but Dave Allen is a master. My own father was the other and he was an air traffic controller!

[@Happyheretic2308]

That sounds like the start of a novel!!

[@ATYDAM]

Dublin air tower to flight AR-15: Beyond the hills, on the left, there is a strip of black tar road. Upon it was once a tavern which many people had gathered to celebrate the passing of Ian Duffy a local man whose wife was Judith ... Errr... that's your runway. Safe landing.

[@peterreid4567]

His voice takes me back years. Brings back fantastic memories

[@jonreynolds1655]

Imho the greatest comedian ever and I was lucky enough to see him at one of his BBC performances back in the late 70's ..tks Nana best birthday pressie I ever had ...lol

[@kerry5586]

That is my favourite Dave Allen joke and I have been trying to find the video of it for ages. Thanks for posting it.

[@leewright1]

the ultimate storyteller. such warmth and intelligence and wit.

[@louisethompson2044]

A genius,!!!

[@jimmymcjimmyvich9052]

As a member of the Comment Reading Association (CRA), I’m here to read comments. We do appreciate your typing effort. Thank you and have a great day.

[@katoness]

How do I join?

[@CAVALIERKNIGHT33]

@@katoness No comment!Ha!

[@WS-1]

What a brilliant talent Dave Allen was . Nobody could tell them like him . Thanks for posting .

[@orangeblossom1769]

The best tv CBC offered me as a young girl. Sigh.

[@martinbisschoff988]

One of the best Irish gags I have heard..and actually from an Irish mate in South Africa. Concerning an early morning news broadcast from a Belfast radio station. Late last night a two seater Cessna aircraft crashed into a Belfast cemetery. The authorities issued a statement this morning that so far 271 bodies have been recovered. The search for any possible survivors continues unabated....

[@celtspeaksgoth7251]

This is the Late Late Show. Gay Byrne.

[@introspectivedreamer3864]

just found this post and thank you for posting it, genius indeed from the great man

[@catherinekeller4230]

Also one of the most handsome..and charismatic comedians!🌈🌞

[@johnking5174]

I am surprised RTE let him on air here, as apparently his programme was banned from Irish television due to his mockery of religion and especially the catholic church.

[@Lee-nh5bb]

Fair point. He had been on stage at the Gaiety Theatre earlier in the evening, so perhaps, as he was a visiting performer and celebrity, they made an exception.

[@deborahjordan235]

His punch lines were always so unexpected!! Grew up watching him! Wish they'd showed more of him in Australia!!

[@REwing]

Did our David do Shakespeare at one time in his career????? He was great!!!

[@Lee-nh5bb]

He was a blonde Hamlet in one of his sketches! And he did do some straight acting, on tv, and on the stage.

[@valblows3334]

Dave was very handsome and brilliant miss him went to early VALX

[@mrdeafa25]

Nobody can tell a story like Dave Allen told a story.

[@daveloboda1769]

A true comic genius.

[@BlossomFlowerGirl]

I remember this joke - brilliant!

[@PeterShieldsukcatstripey]

Such a legend.

[@noelmckenna3510]

Excellent

[@constancekavanagh1125]

Love Dave Allen 🇮🇪🙏🏼🔥👑😏

[@peterfranks6243]

The original and still the best alternative comedian. "Goodnight and may YOUR God go with"

[@edmundpower1250]

Heard this joke when at school in the 70s

[@Lee-nh5bb]

Yep, it's got whiskers!

[@martinguest167]

Back in the day when we could watch comedy. On TV without Bleeps the only way you can enjoy a good Laugh now is on Dvd

[@ruthecker399]

love dave rip

[@badeugenecops4741]

The MASTER long form joke teller. Unmatched to this day.

[@jonathanpope81]

No funnier now is it but what a great comic Dave Allen was.

[@mgmassey174]

Dave Allen was an intelligent man. Benny Hill wasn't worthy of television. Dave Allen made us think.

[@finolaomurchu8217]

Definitely. A lot of hidden depth. And his voice, I could listen to him all day, a lovely Dublin accent.

[@highdownmartin]

Some the sketches that he introduced during the show don’t stand up any better than benny hills do. Some of hills material was actually very good, nothing is solid gold. Love Dave and enjoy his ability to tell the tale. Losing his finger is a really great five minutes

[@theknowledge.6869]

The Collar Era ~ ~

[@southsidepatsy8116]

the celts mourned birth and celebrated death and they were brave so we are told..

[@user-yp3oj5se1i]

The were no celts. Where did you here mourning birth?

[@ciatangallaghe2485]

I'd take one Dave over a thousand Gay Byrnes anyday

[@DeirdreCatherineDoyle]

JMC ... doing funerals ... and it is a BIG THING IN EIRE. THE 'WAKE'!

[@neilfranklin5644]

He was dead drunk at a wake

[@stringfellowbalk2654]

Lol.

[@doriannewton8440]

He wasn't a nice man in truth to what he did to one of his charges. Funny though.

[@johnroche7541]

Dave Allen's father was a member of the Auxiliary Division during the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921. This infamous British unit( composed of First World War veteran British officers from the Army;RAF and Royal Navy) committed barbaric acts such as the murder and torture of both Irish civilians and IRA prisoners. These actions would be considered war crimes under a UN charter. This unit was also responsible for the callous cold murder of 3 Catholic clergymen. Members of "K Company" would take a leading role in the burning of Cork in December 1920.

[@thomasoloughlin9075]

The UN haven't been very successful in bringing George Bush Tony Blair to trial for their war crimes in Iraq war that was supported by the Irish government of the day.

[@burntbacon7995]

Ah, ok, but I don't care.😉

[@freebornjohn2687]

He did choose to live in the UK, though his humour was not liked by the Irish authorities at the time and there was more work there.

[@stephenholmes1036]

​@@freebornjohn2687 just like Dermott Morgan then?

[@anotherluckyone]

Whether any of that is true or not is irrelevant. What matters is the person ( Dave Allen ) and their integrity. I base my opinion on people based on how they behave not on what their relatives were alleged to have done.

[@alanharrison2156]

Death is totally unnatural that's why people grieve so much it wasn't God Almighty's original plan.

[@alanobrien4020]

Alan God is no thing

[@johnnywhite58]

Late late show I think

[@PeterShieldsukcatstripey]

Good onya mate. Catholics and the natural law.

[@constancekavanagh1125]

Love Dave Allen 🇮🇪🙏🏼🔥👑😏