Ardal O'Hanlon

I don't take myself or the species too seriously. You have to laugh at everything.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I'm Irish. I don't know how to take a compliment.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I was genuinely shocked to even be in the frame for a sitcom role on British TV.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

If you expect a kick in the balls and you get a slap in the face, it's a victory.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

As a comic, you are trying to please people in some way - to make them laugh.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

Banter is a great way of breaking the ice.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

All my memories of 'Father Ted' are very pleasant.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I'm as crippled with doubt as the next actor.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

Running is never fun. Running is something that you do when there's a man chasing you with a knife.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

Before really high-pressured gigs I tend to freeze and crawl into bed. Under the covers you just feel safe for a little…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

We thought 'Father Ted' was destined to be obscure late-night Channel 4 fodder and then it works and you don't really know why.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I'm an ardent tennis player. I'm like an overenthusiastic child out there and I've damaged my back. It's not that it's crippling…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

Fundamentally, I was a very shy and quiet person growing up, so it was just really difficult getting up on a stage.…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

Mum was a teacher before I was born, but never worked after she had kids. She was too busy looking after us…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I spent five years in Dublin as a stand-up, living on pea sandwiches. But at times I quite enjoyed the bohemian penniless…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

While I try to retain the slightly odd perspective and some of the innocence, it's really liberating to be able to talk/rant…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

Even when we had new clothes, we were told not to wear them. You just didn't draw attention to yourself. Showing off…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

The beauty of stand-up is that it's very flexible, it's very malleable and immediate. Whatever is in your head that day you…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

The big turning point for me was a school debate in sixth year when, against all odds and to everybody's surprise, I…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

In terms of being typecast, if you do something like Father Ted that infiltrates the public's imagination to the extent that it…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I couldn't make a living as a comic in Ireland and I was watching my friends from college getting good jobs, buying…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

When you grow up in a border area of Ireland, people are very wary and cagy and keep their head down at…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I listen to WTF with Marc Maron, although I'm getting annoyed with him, he's a bit too intrusive and fawning. But he's…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

Football is the best way to get to know a people and a city.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

As a comedian, you can't tell people that they're wrong or that they're stupid.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I had a thirst for knowledge. I was always curious about stuff.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

Where I come from people are very deadpan with a dry humour that I suppose rubbed off on me.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

People love authenticity in comedy and, coming from a region, you get a very strong sense of place. They can place you…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

When I was growing up, you never knew whether people were being serious or not. There was a lot of nodding and…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

My father was driven, active and always busy. We didn't see that much of him, although he never went far away or…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I suppose British people generally, probably have very stereotypical notions about the Irish that go back to Victorian times.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

Irish people are still very prickly about Catholic Church. Despite all the scandals and cover-ups that have rocked the church, you can…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I think we all get a bit bogged down in our lives and our own careers and we have to take a…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I visit a lot of art galleries. I live in Dublin and there's a very good gallery called the Kevin Kavanagh gallery.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I get up every morning the same as everyone else, and scratch my head and just get on with the job. Whatever…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

Tony Currie was another great favourite, even if he only played for a short time at Leeds. His wife told me once…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

Marriage is when two people are joined together to become one desperately boring person.

— Ardal O'Hanlon

There are lots of channels and lots of companies looking for content, as they say, but it's quite difficult to get things…

— Ardal O'Hanlon

I remember being chronically shy. I came out of my shell a bit when I went to university, but I'm still fairly…

— Ardal O'Hanlon