Ardal O'Hanlon

Rap improvisers Abandoman are a much easier sell, and here performed with bass, keys, drums and a two-man brass section backing up the core duo of Rob Broderick and James Hancox. They have their established formats, such as the ‘what’s in your pocket?’ rap based around objects the audience hold aloft, and Broderick thinks fast enough to come up with spur-of-the-moment couplets for them all. And the audience member whose childhood dream was to be a bodypopper, and now wanted to know how Michael McIntyre came up with his material, proved a godsend when it came to ad libbing a short hip-hop musical. The autotuned spirit of Kanye West and the anti-establishment ethos of Rage Against The Machine are evoked in other songs, giving some variation to their routine and providing a funky bassline to invigorate the crowd.

O’Hanlon’s set was based around the familiar feelings of being rather overwhelmed and quietly frustrated by life, often because of the unreliability of those around him, even though he’s well aware of his own failings, especially when it comes to traditional ideas of masculinity. He has a quirky turn of phrase and evocative imagry to describe all this, so even when the comedy seems a little too straightforward – such as his disappointment in receiving a charity birthday gift of a Peruvian pear tree – he charms through it all.

Although these are largely domestic gripes, the former Father Ted star shows a glint of real edge on the topic of paedophile priests, his cold steel puncturing the otherwise fluffy exterior. Other topical points about image-obsessed politicians or Ireland’s financial woes might not be informed by the same genuine dismay, but he offered quirky takes on familiar ideas. Perhaps there’s more of a political comic trying to burst through his Everyman demeanour.