Eric Lalor opens up about performing for prisoners in Mountjoy with Christy Dignam
Exclusive: The late Aslan star and the comedian performed in front of prisoners.
Former Fair City star Eric Lalor has opened up about doing stand-up comedy gigs in Mountjoy Prison – revealing the late Christy Dignam used to sit in the front row among prisoners watching him.
The Dubliner has announced a new show, Lol-er By Nature, in Liberty Hall Theatre on September 19, and Eric opens up about how he also performs for prisoners at the Dublin jail.
He recalled a few years ago when the late Aslan singer, Christy Dignam, would sit in the front row with prisoners and watch in awe at his comedic talent on stage.
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Speaking exclusively to us, Eric said: "I remember doing a gig with Christy Dignam in Mountjoy Prison and we were doing a gig for the prisoners. Christy was there with his guitar and he was doing a few songs and I was waiting to go. Christy finished up and then I had to go on and do 20-25 minutes of stand up, and Christy sat down with the prisoners in the front row and I did my thing and thankfully the gig went really well.
"He came up to me afterwards and he said ‘Eric, I don’t know how you do what you do. With me, I can hide behind a song, I can hide behind a guitar but you, it’s you and there is nowhere to hide. It can go one way or the other…I take my hat off to you. You’ve some balls.’
"It’s in Mountjoy in the training unit. It’s usually for the prisoners that are sent for release.
"I support Bohs in the League of Ireland and they have a big connection with Mountjoy. Bohs do a lot of work with the prisoners, they put on football matches for them and they’d host acting classes and comedy workshops.
"A couple of other comedians are involved with doing those workshops with the prisoners.
"Over the years, I’ve done many a gig in there."
But the star opened up about the fear he had when he first went into the prison – but said his baddie Fair City character Cathal Spillane was a big hit with the inmates.
"The first time I went in, I thought ‘oh my god, I’m going to die’," he said jokingly.
"But funnily enough after I got into Fair City, I remember going into Mountjoy and all the prisoners were roaring at me saying ‘aww here he is Cathal Spillane, the big bad gangsters’. They were real gangsters," he said laughing.
"I suppose they have nothing going on in there so when you go in and do a show for them, they are so grateful."
Opening up about performing in front of 400 people at the Liberty Hall in September, Eric said: "It’s something I’m really looking forward to in a nervous kind of way.
"It’s basically, to me, a catch up to where I last left off. I’ll be touching on everything that’s happened in the meantime. There will of course be something on Covid and the pandemic. I find people are nostalgic about it...
"I’ll be talking about some of the crazier things I found that made me laugh.
"I became a grandfather as well in that time.
"I’m genuinely looking forward to it," he added.
Tickets for his show, Lol-er by Nature, are on sale now on ticketmaster.ie.
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