The Wicked Wit of Ireland

Modern comedians and writers as varied as Dylan Moran, Sharon Horgan, Tommy Tiernan, Alison Spittle, Graham Linehan, and Ed Byrne have their own distinctive ways of celebrating and mocking their origins while still occasionally acknowledging the traditional "paddywackery" (meaning the rain-soaked, Guinness-sodden Oirish stereotype of old). The roots of Irish humor are complex: for centuries, classic Irish writers have used black humor and sarcasm, ranging from the satires of Jonathan Swift, George Bernard Shaw, and Oscar Wilde through to the hilarity of J.P. Donleavy and the sublime nonsense of Flann O’Brien and Spike Milligan. This collection combines a pinch of traditional Irish humor mixed with distinctly modern one-liners, quips, and quotes from the best of the current crop of humorists.

Myles Byrne is a musician, designer, and writer.