Taking a practice kick at Kilkenny Castle where the line up of this year’s comedy festival was announced earlier this week, star of RTE’s The Panel, Neil Delamere reiterated that it was indeed him who scored the winning goal at last year’s comedian’s soccer match.
The issue has been much disputed since the conclusion of last year’s game where Neil believes that the winning goal was kicked by him, however, David Doherty believes it was in fact he who scored the winning goal.
This year the comics will play once again against the Rest of the World comedians on Sunday, 31st May.
And realising that just eleven weeks remain before he has to face his opponents from the rest of the world, Neil honed his football technique to ensure the 2009 winning goal celebrations will be his.
Speaking to the Kilkenny Advertiser on Monday at the launch Neil was certain that his footie skills would be proven.
“Last year the score was 4:2 and I scored the first and third goals. David O’ Doherty scored the last goal but who scored the winning goal - the man who put the last one in or the man who put in two goals and put us ahead of the other team?” he asked me, which in honesty was a futile exercise considering my interest and knowledge in soccer.
Veering away from soccer as best as I could, I asked Neil why he keeps returning to Kilkenny for the festival every year.
“Kilkenny is the best festival. Comedians just love it. I’m coming six or seven years now. I began with Comedy Cats which is where you start off for the first couple of years. You can’t beat your first year in Kilkenny - it’s like a welcome to the club. I can remember the genuine glee when I saw my festival pack in my hotel room with all the information and the T-shirt! You feel like you have arrived.”
Of course Neil Delamare has well arrived at this stage and he has become a household name in terms of stand-up comedy and TV comedy shows such as The Panel, The Blame Game and Just for Laughs.
But if fans think Neil is gone towards TV rather than his stand-up shows - they would be wrong.
“I love stand-up - that is my first love. Anything I do on TV is in support of my stand-up. It feeds my stand-up in a way. I am very much geared towards my live shows.”
Neil is currently touring with his new show and is due to hit Kilkenny prior to the festival later this month. He is also travelling to Finland in coming weeks where he has a number of shows before a Finnish audience whom he says are very receptive to Irish comics. He then flies to Australia in April where he will take part in the popular Melbourne Comedy Festival and he is very excited about this prospect.
“This is a great opportunity for me to try out my new show before I get to Kilkenny this year. By the time I get back here - it will be pretty sharp. I am always writing new material. My shows are always a work in progress. The audience is my editor and I soon know what works and what doesn’t.”
Neil will be playing in Kilkenny for the Carlsberg Cat Laughs Comedy Festival over the May bank holiday weekend, however, Kilkenny fans will also have a chance to catch him in Langtons on March 21 next for one night only.
