Sínann Fetherston speaks with comedian Emman Idama about Dublin's growing comedy club, In Stitches.
Home to some of the world's best comedic minds, Ireland has no shortage of talent when it comes to stand-up, improv, and sketch.
Despite the abundance of talent, though, venues can be tricky to pin down - particularly on a busy Friday night, when bars are often happier to bet on live music.
Emman Idama, a Nigerian-born, Dublin-based comedian, is hoping to change that with the creation of a seven-day a week comedy hub in the heart of the city.
"We're called In Stitches Comedy, and we're on six nights a week so far," says the stand-up. "It's me, Craig Moran, and Senan McAllourum. Right now, we're in the trial phase."
Based in the enviable location of Dublin's Dame Street, the comedy room is located in the basement of Peader Kearney's pub, with three of the nights sponsored by Five Lamps.
Mondays welcome familiar faces as they test out new material, Tuesdays are all about audience-participation and improv, Wednesdays shine a light on new and up-and-coming talent, Thursdays
deliver some of the country's rising stars, while Fridays and Saturdays host the best Irish and international acts on offer.
All going to plan, by 2024, the venue will have stand-up comedy in-house seven nights a week as well as live podcasts, improv shows, and comedy-led quizzes.
"The owner [Brian Costello] wants to invest in the comedy scene," says Emman. "By January, he's hoping to turn the 130-seat venue into a 150 seater. He is keen to do live shows and possibly look into doing a podcast studio in the near future."
"The Irish comedy scene is strong right now, there's high demand for stand-up nights and the fact that it's on Dame Street makes a big difference because there's so much foot traffic. I'm very excited."
Known for live trad music in the top part of the venue, manager Mark McDermott says that providing alternative performances has helped business boom post-COVID:
"Comedy is coming back, it's gone through the roof now," he insists. "At the moment, and it's only starting up, Emman is bringing in 150-200 people a week. The ones coming in for the comedy club are people who haven't been here before, and when they're here they stay, so it's bringing in new customers for us. It's working both ways."
Crediting the stand-up with hours of flyering and social media marketing, McDermott says the comedy nights have brought fresh faces to the long-standing venue.
"It's one of those things where you know where it's going to go," he adds. "We're doing up the room in January; we're going to sound-proof the room, we're going to have a proper stage. If that works out it's going to be known as a comedy club that you can walk into every night of the week."
